First impressions of Tombo.. Well as a middle class english female I’m sure you can imagine what I first thought when confronted with the sights and smells of Tombo..
If I’d thought Freetown was back to basics it was nothing compared to what I saw here.
Tombo is a small fishing village which by road (track) appears tiny - 30 seconds and you’ve driven through it. What you dont see by road is the village and market place stretching down to the sea.
My first visit was definately an eye opener! Never have I ever felt like I’ve stuck out so much in my life. The villagers of Tombo are used to seeing the staff and volunteers of the Academy and many smiled and said hello to the others as we wandered round. But I was a newbie, a face they’ve not seen before. And in typical fashion I had decided to dye my hair bright red before I left! To say I was being stared at would have been a massive understatement!
From the road you walk down bare dirt tracks lined by stalls towards the sea. These stalls are mainly selling food like mangoes and bread. Occasionally you come across an oddity amongst the masses - for example the bar which is essentially a dug out with the back seats of cars as seats!
The children are bright and friendly and come running from their families into the street to say hello, crying Apotto Apotto - which means white man. This is a friendly greeting from the kids and if you smile and say hello they will talk to you and ask how you are. Some of them can be cheeky little buggers and will ask you for money but never seem offended when you say no!
The prices of things vary from stall to stall and you must accept to be charged white person rate’ Everything is more expensive if you are an outsider here as they assume you have much more money than them. Prices arent displayed so you must haggle to get a price you are happy with. Any food bought is then placed in plastic carrier bags and you are on your way.
There isnt much in the way of entertainment in Tombo, which is to be expected really! They do have a ‘cinema’ though! This is a large room with a TV in it which is where the football matches etc are shown.
I havent been down there when its being used but I’m told it gets very busy and very hot!
The harbour itself is always jam packed with people, especially at the end of the day when that days catch is brought in. Its easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle but well worth a look.
The other part of Tombo well worth going to see is the area at the top of town which is essentially a village of schools. Hundreds of kids attend school here. One of the schools works with the Craig Bellamy Foundation and several of the volunteer teachers take a break from teaching at the Academy and stroll down to give a class or two.
