Lisbon, 21 August, 2023 / 11:20 am (ACI Africa).
"I have been praying for the young people in my country Sierra Leone who are wasting their lives away using drugs such as kush and tramadol, those who do not engage in any meaningful activities because they have lost hope in life," Emmanuel Kangayo tells ACI Africa, sharing how he spent his days at the just ended World Youth Day (WYD) celebrations in Portugal.
"When I came to Lisbon, I carried with me the pains of these young people addicted to drugs. They take kush early in the mornings and the horrible effects of the drugs take only 30 minutes to kick in. Thereafter, they spent the whole day sleeping," Emmanuel says.
Not every Sierra Leonean rose from the devastation of the country's 11-year civil war in which over 50, 000 people were killed and thousands maimed from forced amputations. Those who were children when the war broke out were unable to continue with their studies and ended up on the streets, where they sought refuge in drugs. Others who fought as child soldiers continue to be shunned by the locals, even after they underwent rehabilitation and were given motorcycles to make a legitimate living. Still, other former child soldiers who could not fit in society are used by politicians every campaign season to intimidate their opponents.
Emmanuel was among the few young people who rose from the ashes of Sierra Leone's civil war. He saw his father flee from Bo town southeast of Sierra Leone, abandoning his teaching job and settling in the village where his family plunged into poverty. At some point, Emmanuel stayed in a household of over 50 people where they barely had anything to eat. Aged only five when the war broke out, Emmanuel was also unable to go to kindergarten and other formative years in school. His grandmother would dodge bullets on her way to the market to buy salt which, according to Emmanuel, is a necessary ingredient for meals in Sierra Leone.
Today, Emmanuel works with Caritas Freetown's media team, reaching out to vulnerable communities that the Church supports in the West African country.
Emmanuel Kangayo, the chairman of Archdiocese of Freetown, Sierra Leone youth group at the World Youth Day in Lisbon. Credit: Emmanuel Kangayo
Emmanuel Kangayo, the chairman of Archdiocese of Freetown, Sierra Leone youth group at the World Youth Day in Lisbon. Credit: Emmanuel Kangayo
