The Sierra Leonean Cinema
on Shona in Sierra Leone (Sierra Leone), 05/Jun/2011 10:36, 34 days ago
Banke and I went to the cinema yesterday evening. Yes, an actual cinema, in Freetown. It has just opened. We were not quite sure what to expect. Neither of us had been to the cinema for a very long time so we had a childlike sense of excitement as we arrived at the Lagoonda Complex in Aberdeen. It reminded me of how I felt going to the cinema when I was little– there was no cinema in Shetland where I grew up so a trip to the movies was one of my highlights of going on holiday. We giggled our way inside to find the familiar smell of popcorn. Of course we had to buy some. Inside, we were seated in incredibly large and comfortable seats. There was a proper big screen. Like a real cinema. It was also incredibly cold, as I find cinemas at home. There were no trailers and no Orange advert - although they did remind us to switch off our mobile phones. Unfortunately the film (Thor) was a pirated copy so the quality was not so good. It was however a really fun evening, finished off with some drinks with others in a small local bar in Aberdeen.P.S. While out for drinks we discussed more things with a blatant disregard for health and safety regulations:1) People on roller-skates holding onto the back of poda podas to get pulled along.2) People perched on the back of moving lorries only holding onto the door for balance.3) Loads of people stuffed into the back of open trucks– often standing.4) Poda podas up-country piled high with luggage– so high they start to lean over to one side.