Sewa News Stream

Undated archive photo of Sierra Leonean music promoter Akie Deen (right) shaking hands with hitmaker Bunny Mack Social media reports on the death Sunday of legendary music promoter Akie Deen dominated headlines for Sierra Leoneans online.  Akie was known and respected as one of West Africa's’s biggest show business gurus. “Throughout his life, he dedicated considerable time in promoting Sierra Leone in diverse ways. He is the first Sierra Leonean internationally recognized as a record producer,” wrote The Torchlight in 2009, when Akie was named as Sierra Leone Trade Commissioner to the United Kingdom. “He’s responsible for the international exposure and promotion of Sierra Leone’s early music groups, singers and cultural performers. Akie is a promoter, marketing consultant and events planner," the paper said. Prior to his appointment as trade commissioner, Akie served as a director of Clapham Park Homes, a social housing organization; member of the management team...

On June 16 every year, governments and international organizations gather to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the full realization of the rights of children in Africa. For 2014, the theme chosen returns to the roots of the movement: “A child-friendly, quality, free, and compulsory education for all children in Africa” ---- On Saturday, May 17, a poor girl with a name no one seems to know, had her life cut short in a rich, diamond area of Sierra Leone. She bled to death after a botched excision on her genitals two days before.  Since her death, press calls for more regulation of traditional birth attendants, who lead the Bondo Society excision practice, have met with bristles from the office of Vice President Samuel Sam-Samuna. A month after the death of the unnamed nine-year old, some reporters think the ‘poor girl with diamonds on the sole of her shoes’ has been physically forgotten. A police report made in her hometown, Bongoma One (1) in  Nimik...

State House announced Monday that Dr. Richard Konteh had been relieved of his post as chief of staff in the Office of the President after it came to the attention of the president that Konteh “was not open and transparent in the conduct of negotiations for a mining agreement with a private operator, thereby violating established policy, undermining existing institutional arrangements, and exposing government to potential loss of revenue.” The release, which was first disclosed on Monday evening by the State House Facebook page, is dated 9th June. It also states: "In another matter Iinvolving the illegal export of timber from Sierra Leone, the Sierra Leone Police are investigating  an unauthorised executive order allegedly issued by Dr. Konteh granting an open-ended mandate to Timber Harvesters, Processors and Exporters (SL) Ltd to undertake the export of an unlimited quantity of value-added processed timber, in direct contravention of the approval granted by His Excellency ...

Daniel Moijueh, Sr., US defense service retiree Although African immigrants account for a small but growing share of America's 38.5 million immigrants, the number of African-born immigrants has increased over the past 50 years, migration policy experts say. In 1960, African immigrants represented only 0.4 percent of all foreign born people. That share grew to 1.4 percent in 1980, to 1.8 percent in 1990, and to 2.8 percent in 2000. Nine years later, African immigrants made up 3.9 percent of all immigrants, according to data from the United States Census Bureau. The largest numbers of African immigrants are found in the big states such as California, New York, Texas, Maryland, and Virginia. Two-fifths of African immigrants have at least a bachelor’s degree, and more than one-third work in professional jobs. The top countries of origin for the African born were Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, and Kenya. Here's the story of two Sierra Leonean-born immigrants. This week...