In 2009 the local road authority in Sierra Leone hired a Chinese construction company to conduct explosions in a quarry, south of the city of Bo. The explosions created large cracks and collapsed roofs in many homes in a nearby village. Local villagers complained of mental and physical distress because of the blasting.
Unconfirmed reports claim that one woman miscarried, one man collapsed and was sent to hospital and two cows were hit and killed from airborne stones.
Joseph Moiba, a jhr-trained journalist, aware of the abuses taking place, was moved to act. Moiba created a documentary called “Under the Lens”, which aired on Radio New Song in August 2009, highlighting the damage and human rights violations that the quarry-blasting caused. The documentary generated a lot of attention, leading the local authorities and a representative from the United Nations to visit the site and issue a formal report on the damage. As a result, explosions have significantly reduced and local civil society has been inspired to take up the cause. At last report, blasting hadn’t been heard in months.
Listen to the original radio documentary by Joseph Moiba below:
