Que el Gobierno Federal ha establecido como uno de sus programas prioritarios a impulsar en el año 2008 el de "Caravanas de la Salud" que tiene como objeto acercar la oferta de la red de

Knowledge of the existing canon of Sierra Leonean literature varied between new and existing writers (see lists of texts in Appendix 3). Some Falui writers were interested in discovering earlier Sierra Leonean authors in order to locate themselves within the wider national tradition. When I undertook these interviews (mostly during extended field work in autumn 2008 unless otherwise stated) there was a palpable sense of literature being in the making. It seemed as if there was a literary break with the past. Most participants felt that Sierra Leone was just beginning to get on the literary radar and earn its place as a literature in its nascent stage starting with poetry. By the time of our follow up interview in 2010, Arthur Smith stated “In a certain disparate sense, yes [Sierra Leonean literature] is in the process of being formed, there is an evolution… Sierra Leonean literature is “very reality based and social based”. Echoing Palmer’s concerns, discussed in Chapter 2, Smith states:

if you read the works of Sierra Leonean writers you will realise that what most of them are talking about is distinctly about the Sierra Leone situation – but not much drawing on Sierra Leonean folklore and idioms.

Mohammed Sheriff said Sierra Leonean literature does not exist yet except for poetry (e.g. by Falui members) and drama which seems to be evolving as known Sierra Leonean literature.

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“Poetry is easier to write and produce and covers a range of issues which relate to people. Novels will come later” (2010).

There was a sense that if the right ingredients were available (such as publishing, editing facilities, funding, improved literacy and better English provision in schools) then a national literature would blossom. Poets, in particular, sensed they were a vanguard, writing at a critical juncture when literature was in transit, in a new and socially-useful phase at a time when the national psyche was in need of positive cultivation. These writers (from the group previously identified as ‘recent writers with university education’) felt they could become the first generation of modern Sierra Leonean poets, or war poets acting as gatekeepers to the culture and spirit of the nation: Indeed Elvis Hallowell explained that he felt “part of a ‘new vanguard of writers capable of revamping a failed literary tradition”.

What appears to be missing is the legitimisation of this writing as the national literature by Sierra Leonean readers. Indeed, the crisis of illiteracy and the decline in reading was frequently cited as an obstacle for writers though in only one case, that of the student and lecturer, Emmanuel Bartholemew, did it dissuade him from writing. Some writers, such as Raymond De Souza George and Tom Caurray talked about increasing orality while Charlie Haffner claimed that “Reading for pleasure is dying. If the President wants people to change attitude he can’t do it by writing in newspapers he needs theatre”. He suggested there was a recognisable trend towards increased oralisation in society with radio shifting roles and theatre working with communities and comedians too. “Reading is not dead”, Charlie argued because “people read scantily, some schools are encouraging reading but reading for pleasure

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is dying”. Randoulph Wilson agreed that people don’t like reading and writing and suggested texts be translated into movies, drama and song in order to capture audiences:

Literature and the arts is now shifting into being for education rather than pleasure. People read text messages, people don’t read literature in schools. People say they fall asleep when they start reading.

During this study, certain writers recognised the need to be socially active in order to create an internal readership, preserve Sierra Leonean literature and renew interest in local literacy and reading. Certainly, Sierra Leone Pen, Falui, the Library Board and the PEA were aware of these challenges along with Arthur Smith and Farouk Sesay. Having listened to participants describe literary developments in Kenya at the CWAS conference in Birmingham in 2009, Farouk Sesay asserted “We need a strategy to guarantee the survival of writing… Sierra Leonean writers should go into schools and share their craft and aims as writers in the future”. However, towards the end of my research in 2011, more literature was being introduced on SLBS television (as Elvis Hallowell became the new Director of the Sierra Leone

Broadcasting Service) and plans for ‘Reading Sierra Leone’ were in place for the fiftieth anniversary celebrations for independence. A new primary school literature reader had also been prepared for schools with pressure on the education ministry to adopt it for the national curriculum.

Reading group members knew of some locally published authors and earlier works but the general consensus was that literature from Sierra Leone was likely to be poor quality,

probably about suffering and best avoided. Notably, this was also the view of English students at Fourah Bay College though I ascertained that this was expected of local (as opposed to international) Sierra Leonean writers. Even Arthur Smith claimed “Sierra Leonean literature

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is very, very poor when compared with other West African literatures”. This ingrained and tremendously self-defeating prejudice adds another obstacle for local writers. Nonetheless, poems from the ‘Songs that Pour the Heart’ collection (2004) were, in fact, appreciated by both audiences. Exposure to these poems relating to the local context actually prompted pride amongst reading group members who thought similar poems should be part of school

curricula. Despite initial reluctance, readers became animated and responsive when we read poems relating to the experience of conflict and they wanted to relate their own stories. Readers felt such poems were important as emotional records, reminders of the past and to enable others to understand the enormity of what took place and affected so many inhabitants. Many readers, then, started to write their own poems realising that they, too, could be writers.

The recent publication of Sierra Leonean poetry collections (see Chapter 4) and national literary criticism (Palmer and Porter, 2008) attest to the forging of a recognisable post-war literature albeit a small one. At present, novice writers are in a position to become part of this emerging body of literature and to contribute and participate in literary discourse. Similar writers in the UK, France or the United States by comparison would be extremely unlikely to see their early work reproduced in volumes of national poetry. I found there was a very strong and positive identification as Sierra Leonean writers amongst all interviewees. It is hardly surprising, then, that writers did not challenge the label of ‘Sierra Leonean’ author as such a label elevates them to the level of national writers and enables them to enter the wider (and more selective) arena of African and international authors and enjoy the benefits associated with membership of that arena. Adopting the label of Sierra Leonean writer does not exclude adopting other labels too and most writers claimed to be all the following in questionnaires and interviews:

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A Sierra Leonean writer An African writer A writer

Tom Caurray, however, felt he was “just a writer, not a Sierra Leone writer”. He said “I am in a tunnel and do not think re Sierra Leone when I’m writing”.