Mama Salone
I returned to the land of my birth, Sierra Leone, in 2022, a visit thirty-one years in the making after moving to the United States. That trip was for joy, and what an occasion. So spectacular! I traveled with a large contingent of my family - Mom, Dad, wife, daughter, younger sister, brother-in-law, and my beautiful niece. That was a hectic, jam-packed two weeks, an experience of a lifetime! Unfortunately, I returned a year later to lay my father to rest on the Kpakiwa grounds in our home, Kainkordu, Soa Chiefdom. Rest in Peace, Dad. I love you. Both experiences were on the extreme ends of my emotions - unforgettable and packed with stories aplenty of their own. However, one thing caught my eye, stayed with me, and inspired this work. After thirty-one years away, I returned to a land I hardly recognized, scarred by a twelve-year-long civil war, a land struggling to remember itself as it suffers the events of so much loss, pain, destruction, and bloodshed. Still, one thing remained, undeniable, unshakable, and resolute - the work ethic of my people. These pictures are a small sample of my many photos on both trips, but they are my picks that represent the theme. I dedicate this gallery to my people.
Sierra Leoneans At Work
