Bonthe/Sherbro Island

BONTHE /SHERBRO ISLAND

BACKGROUND

Bonthe district, which is one of the twelve administrative districts in Sierra Leone, lies in the south of the country about 90 nautical miles from the capital Freetown. The district is divided into mainland and island with a total population of 150,773 (2004 census projection for 2008). The Island by itself has a population of 20,448. The mainland which has Mattru Jong as its biggest town and which connects the island by sea, can be accessed by road from any part of the country though one a very bad road.

The island comprises of Bonthe town, Bendu Cha, Victoria and YorkIsland thus forming a small archipelago. SherbroIsland, as the island is often called was very important during the colonial period. It provided strategic naval base for the warships of both Britain and France during the First and Second World Wars as well as serving as a commercial centre for both foreign and local traders. It served as the source of plentiful supply of palm products (kernels and oil), kola nuts and piassava to the international markets. The export of piassava and palm kernels particularly became major industries until the late 1980s.

POLITICAL

Bonthe district is politically divided into district and city councils. Besides Freetown, Bonthe is the only district in Sierra Leone that has municipality status. The district council which has oversight responsibility of the entire district is headed by a District Chairman assisted by 18 councilors each representing 18 wards in the district. The municipal council is headed by a Mayor who is also assisted by 12 councilors representing four (4) multi-member wards. The municipal council administers the Municipality of Bonthe Island which comprises the township of Bonthe and YorkIsland, a once prosperous trading centre.

ECONOMY

As mentioned inter alia, for the past two decades the island of Bonthe has been the primary source for the supply of palm kernels, piassava and sea food for both local and international market. The palm kernel and piassava industry however collapsed towards the end of the 1980s. This once vibrant industry collapsed largely due to government neglect and mismanagement. Acres of palm trees from which palm kernels were obtained are still lined up around the outskirt of Bonthe town neglected. These palm trees were planted by the government through the now defunct Sierra Leone Produce Marketing Board (SLPMB) which was the national body responsible for the export of produce from Sierra Leone. With the collapse of SLPMB in the late 1980s, these huge farms were thus subsequently abandoned.

Notwithstanding the Island’s status as the district headquarter town, its economic downturn and political neglect has forced all governmental officials to reside in Mattru Jong in the Mainland. The few paid government officials based in the Island include police, medical staff and teachers. The contribution of this staff to the economy of the Island is very meager as staff of these institutions earn an average monthly salary of about US$ 90. For this reason, fishermen transport their catch to market centres in Mainland where there is high cash flow. Now ironically, BontheTownship, tough an island starves of fresh fish. Even the government hospital is grossly understaffed as the nurses flee the economic deprivation of the Island to the Mainland town of Mattru Jong. The Medical Doctor assigned to the Island also spends most of his time in the mainland thus forcing patients with severe complications to travel to the mainland at a cost of more than US$ 100 for boat hiring only.At present, BontheIsland is one of the most economically backward districts primarily because its natural source of income, the sea, has been left unexploited.

EDUCATION

The economic collapse of virtually all major industries in the Island resulted to mass exodus from the Island. This has a drastically negative effect on the educational system of the island. Prior to the 1990s, BontheTownship had four reputable secondary (high) schools. These were MiniMullGirlsSecondary School, BontheSecondary School, St. Joseph’s GirlSecondary School and SherbroSecondary School.

From the 1960s to the 1980s, MiniMullSecondary School particularly was the cradle of girl child education in the district. Children from all over the country and from the neighbouring country of Liberia were sent to the boarding school of Mini Mull. St. Joseph’s School was also another boarding school that attracted children from all over the country. With the economic collapse in the early 1990s however, these schools experienced huge reductions in the number of students attending them to the extent that Mini Mull and St. Joseph’s Schools though girls’ schools were forced to be converted to co-educational schools. SherbroSecondary School was forced to close down completely. At present, many pupils who complete their primary education on the island are tempted to leave for more economically viable townships to pursue their high school education.

The poor economic status has also encouraged massive brain drain of teachers to much viable towns. Thus, for the past decade none of the schools on the island have been able to produce a pupil with five credit university requirement in the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) taken every year.

The once Christmas Island of Bonthe which attracts hundreds of people every year is being gradually abandoned. The liveliness that it had has been eroded and the local hardly find joy in living in this natural paradise. The Bonthe Holiday Complex, a tourist attraction in the heart of the Island remains the most attractable sight but only for rich tourists.BAKGRUNN Bonthe er etfylke(district), av totalt 12 fylker i Sierra Leone.(administrativdistrict) Bonthe ligger i den sørligedelen av landet omtrent 90 nautiske miles fra hovedstaden Freetown. Fylket (distriktet) som består av fastlandet og øya,har en total befolking på ca 150.770 (basert på folketellingen i 2004 medantatt befolkingstilvekst for 2008). På selve øya er det en befolkning på ca20.500.Påfastlandet er det Mattru Jong som er den største byen og knutepunktet mellomøya og fastlandet. Til tross for dårlig standard på veien, kommer man dit medbil fra hele landet. Øya Bonthe Sherbro består av byenBonthe, landsbyene Bendu Cha og Victoriaog York Island sammen med andre mindre øyer, danne danner en liten øygruppe.Sherbro Island, som øya blir heter, varsvært viktig under kolonitiden. Den var strategisk marinebase for krigsskip forbåde Storbritannia og Frankrike under første og andre verdenskrig. Byen varogså det kommersielle senteret for bådeutenlandske og lokale handelsmenn. Dette fordi det var god tilgang på viktigeeksportvarer slik som råvarer av palme produkter (kjerner og olje), kolanøtterog piassava som ble eksportert til resten av verden. Eksporten varhovedinntektskilden frem til slutten av 1980-tallet. POLITISKE Fylket Bonthe (district) er politisk delt i fylke og kommuner. Bortsett fra Freetown, er Bonthe det eneste distriktet i Sierra Leone som har denne ordningen. Distriktetog kommune som har tilsyn ansvaret for hele distriktet ledes av en Fylkesordfører (District formann) assistert av 18 representanter hver representerer 18 avdelinger i distriktet.Kommunestyret ledes av en ordfører som også assistert av 12 representanter som representerer fire (4) multi-medlem avdelinger. Fylkesstyret forvalter Bonthe Island som omfatter kommunene Bonthe og York Island, en gang et velstående handelssentrum. ØKONOMI Som tidligere nevnt , har Bonthe har vært den viktigsteområdet for produksjon av palm kjerner, piassava og sjømat for både lokale (medlokale – mener man da Sierra Leone – altså nasjonalt?) og internasjonalemarkedet. Produksjonen av palmekjerneolje og piassava kollapset imidlertid mot slutten av1980-tallet. Dette hovedsakelig på grunn regjeringens politiske vanstyre. Iutkanten av Bonthe står fremdeles palmene som dannet grunnlaget forproduksjonen, men området er ikke vedlikeholdt. Palmene ble plantet av staten iregi av det nå nedlagte Sierra Leone Produser Marketing Board (SLPMB). SLPMBstår får det nasjonale selskapet med ansvar for eksport av råvarer fra SierraLeone. Da SLPMB gikk i oppløsning mot slutten av 1980-tallet, resulterte dettei at de store gårdene ble forlatt. For flertallet av lokalbefolkningen i Bonthe Island, erhavet og fiske den viktigste inntektskilden. Både menn, kvinner og barn deltari fiske. På 1980-tallet, var fisket en spesiell lukrativ virksomhet. Offentligeide selskaper stod for oppkjøp direkte fra fiskerne, og de sørget for foredling og videre distribusjontil resten av landet. Men med den politiske situasjonen på midten av 1990tallet ble fiskemottakene rammet og man stod uten mulighet til å bearbeideråvarene. Med kollapsen i industrien, førte til at fiskerne begynte å tørkefisken som en metode for å oppbevare fangsten slik at den kunne fraktes til fastlandetfor å bli solgt på bestemte markedsdager. Dette varbegynnelsen på den totale kollaps for øya Bonthe. Den økonomiske fordelen øyahadde hatt, tippet gradvis over til fastlandet. Distriktets (fylkeskommunen) hovedsete for økonomi og politisk styre, bleflyttet over Mattru Jong som ligger på fastlandet. Ringvirkningen forlokalsamfunnet er at det ble få statelige betalte jobber som f.eks politi,lærere og helsepersonell. En månedslønner på rundt US $ 90. Dette førte til at kontantøkonomien ble borte og grunnlaget for en leve dyktig økonomi ut.Bonden eller fiskeren får ikke solgt sine varer for kontanter. Uten kontanterfår man ikke kjøpt bensin eller bedre produksjonsutstyr eller betale skolegangfor sine barn. Fiskere velger å levere fangsten sin på fastlandet der de kan fåbetalt. Ironisk nok, har dette blitt et samfunn som mangler mat selv om de borpå en øy hvor havet er fullt av fisk. De som har mulighet, skaffer seg jobberpå fastlandet. Helsetilbudet som er ment for å betjene øya, bruker ogsåmesteparten av sin tid på fastlandet. Dette medfører at de som har bruk formedisinsk behandling må ta båt til fastlandet. Utgiftene beløper seg til US $100. Altså mer enn månedslønn. Bonthe er et av de områdene som er hardestrammet av mangel på økonomisk utvkling. Grunnen til detter først og fremst avressursene i havet ikke blir utnyttet UTDANNING Etter denøkonomiske krisen og det at de fleste bedrifter som sørget for arbeidsplasser,la ned virksomheten, førte til masseflukt fra øya. Dette harhatt drastisk negativ effekt på utdanningssystemet på øya. Før 1990-tallet,hadde Bonthe Township fire anerkjente videregående (høy) skoler. Det var Mini Mull Girls Secondary School, Bonthe Secondary School, St. Joseph’sGirl Secondary School og SherbroSecondary School. Fra 1960til 1980, Mini Mull Secondary School spesielt var viktig for jenters utdanningi distriktet. Barn fra hele landet og fra nabolandet Liberia ble sendt tilkostskolen Mini Mull. St.Joseph’s School var også en annen kostskole som hadde elever fra hele landet.Med den økonomiske kollapsen på begynnelsen av 1990-tallet, opplevde disseskolene store reduksjoner i antall studenter. Mini Mull og St. Joseph’s Schools er tvunget til å samarbeide for åbeholde et akseptabelt faglig nivå blant lærerene. Sherbro Secondary School ble tvunget til åstenge helt. I dag er det mange elever som fullfører grunnskolen på øya, tvunget til å forlate området til fordel former økonomisk levedyktig townships slik at de kan få fullført sin utdanning. Den dårligeøkonomiske situasjonen har også ført tilat lærere flytter til byer som ikke er rammet på samme måte. Dermed har det detsiste tiåret ikke vært noen av skolene som har vært i stand til å få en elevsom har oppnådd universitetet kravet i det vestafrikanske Senior SecondaryCertificate eksamen (WASSCE). ChristmasIsland i Bonthe som en gang var et trekkplaster for hundrevis av menneskerhvert år, er gradvis blitt forlatt. Folkelivet er borte og de som fortsatt border, har en hard hverdag på den vakre øya. Turistattraksjonen Bonthe HolidayComplex som ligger sentrumav øya er fortsatt et flott syn, men kun for riketurister. BONTHE /SHERBRO ISLAND

BACKGROUND:Bonthe district, which is one of the twelve administrative districts in Sierra Leone, lies in the south of the country about 90 nautical miles from the capital Freetown. The district is divided into mainland and island with a total population of 150,773 (2004 census projection for 2008). The Island by itself has a population of 20,448. The mainland which has Mattru Jong as its biggest town and which connects the island by sea, can be accessed by road from any part of the country though one a very bad road.

POLITICAL:Bonthe district is politically divided into district and city councils. Besides Freetown, Bonthe is the only district in Sierra Leone that has municipality status. The district council which has oversight responsibility of the entire district is headed by a District Chairman assisted by 18 councilors each representing 18 wards in the district. The municipal council is headed by a Mayor who is also assisted by 12 councilors representing four (4) multi-member wards. The municipal council administers the Municipality of Bonthe Island which comprises the township of Bonthe and YorkIsland, a once prosperous trading centre.

ECONOMY:As mentioned inter alia, for the past two decades the island of Bonthe has been the primary source for the supply of palm kernels, piassava and sea food for both local and international market. The palm kernel and piassava industry however collapsed towards the end of the 1980s. This once vibrant industry collapsed largely due to government neglect and mismanagement. Acres of palm trees from which palm kernels were obtained are still lined up around the outskirt of Bonthe town neglected. These palm trees were planted by the government through the now defunct Sierra Leone Produce Marketing Board (SLPMB) which was the national body responsible for the export of produce from Sierra Leone. With the collapse of SLPMB in the late 1980s, these huge farms were thus subsequently abandoned.

For the majority of the locals of BontheIsland, the sea is their main source of income. Fishing is a common occupation done by men, women and children. In the 1980s, fishing was especially a lucrative venture as there were government owned companies on the island directly buying from the fishermen for preservation and onward distribution to the rest of the country. By the mid 1990s however the political neglect and mismanagement that befell the other industries had it toll on the fishing industry. With the collapse of the industry the fishermen resorted to drying their fish as a means of preservation which will then be taken to the mainland to be sold on specific market days. This marked the beginning of the total collapse of the island of Bonthe. Gradually, the commercial status that the Island had enjoyed was eroded as the scale tilted in favour of mainland. Notwithstanding the Island’s status as the district headquarter town, its economic downturn and political neglect has forced all governmental officials to reside in Mattru Jong in the Mainland. The few paid government officials based in the Island include police, medical staff and teachers. The contribution of this staff to the economy of the Island is very meager as staff of these institutions earn an average monthly salary of about US$ 90.

For this reason, fishermen transport their catch to market centres in Mainland where there is high cash flow. Now ironically, BontheTownship, tough an island starves of fresh fish. Even the government hospital is grossly understaffed as the nurses flee the economic deprivation of the Island to the Mainland town of Mattru Jong. The Medical Doctor assigned to the Island also spends most of his time in the mainland thus forcing patients with severe complications to travel to the mainland at a cost of more than US$ 100 for boat hiring only.At present, BontheIsland is one of the most economically backward districts primarily because its natural source of income, the sea, has been left unexploited.

EDUCATIONThe economic collapse of virtually all major industries in the Island resulted to mass exodus from the Island. This has a drastically negative effect on the educational system of the island. Prior to the 1990s, BontheTownship had four reputable secondary (high) schools. These were MiniMullGirlsSecondary School, BontheSecondary School, St. Joseph’s GirlSecondary School and SherbroSecondary School.