What comes to mind when you think of Sierra Leone?
Most people will immediately think of the country’s civil war that raged throughout the 1990s, and recall the harrowing images of child soldiers and amputee victims. This conflict ended nearly a decade ago, yet we are still stuck with snapshots from this sad chapter in the country’s history.
Today the story is very different. If you walk through the bustling streets of Freetown, or spend an afternoon on one of the peninsula’s stunning beaches, the atmosphere that pervades is one of welcoming chaos and a certain joie de vivre. Sierra Leone – once West Africa’s most prosperous region – is now coming into its own again.
‘Sweet Salone’ is a series of portraits of Sierra Leoneans today. It is a project that aims to give a small insight into the lives of some of the individuals that make up this vibrant country. For too long Sierra Leoneans have been depicted in a less than positive light. It is time that this outdated portrayal is finally discarded.
Sweet Salone: Portraits of Contemporary Sierra Leone by Sophia Spring
‘Sweet Salone‘ is a bittersweet piece of work!
Photographer Sophia Spring has created a beautifully compiled visual narrative detailing the real-life stories of Sierra Leoneans who have lived through the troubled years of Sierra Leone. Spring‘s photography captures the right emotion, the right tone and the right moment. These are the stories which need to be told to the world – the stories of the people’s struggle, their hopes and their dreams for themselves and their nation today.
SOURCE: ANOTHER AFRICA, SOPHIA SPRING,
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