Mothers Watch Their Kids Destroyed By Kush – Part II
In the first part of this article published on xxx, I highlighted the silent war the drug epidemic is waging on our youths. I noted that in addition to the pain it’s inflicting on it’s victims, it is ripping them of dignity and destroying their future. I also made the point that by destroying our youths, the future of our nation is being endangered. Then, I urged for a collective action to address the scourge.
In this piece, I am going to reinforce the point that our nation is bleeding its strength, owing to the drug epidemic poison that is seeping into the very fabric of our nation. I will underscore the indisputable fact that the drug epidemic is depleting Sierra Leone’s workforce, as it corrupts the hearts and minds of its next generation of industry and political leadership.
Before our eyes, this unseen scourge is dismantling the fabric of our society, one family, one child at a time. The wails of mothers, the silent grief of fathers, and the empty, hollowed-out eyes of our young people have become the grim soundtrack tormenting Sierra Leone. And this is because this conflagration is consuming our most precious resource—our youths —and turning them into ash. This crisis is not distance; it echoes in our homes – it’s a war in our living rooms, on our doorsteps, and in the very streets where our children should be playing. It has become a story of hopelessness being told in the tearful whispers of women who are watching their world crumble.
As a woman myself, it feels as if my body and spirit are being torn apart by this menace. When I saw that BBC documentary, a cold truth washed over me. It was a mirror reflecting the agony I see every day. I saw women who had lost their sons, their daughters, their husbands, their very purpose. It’s a pain that can’t be put into words, and while the cameras showed the desolate lives of the victims, I saw beyond that to the empty eyes of the mothers who birthed them, the wives who promised to love them, and the siblings who used to share their laughter.
This crisis has stolen our nurturing spirit. We, as women, are the fabric of our nation. We are the ones who hold the family together and teach our children right from wrong. But how can we nurture when our hearts are broken? How can we offer comfort when we are completely overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness? We see our children, once full of hope, reduced to shadows of their former selves. The fathers, our protectors, are made small and helpless by a shame they cannot speak about.
We must speak up. This isn’t just their fight; it’s ours. It’s the fight of every Sierra Leonean, whether directly affected or not. Our youths are dying, and yes, that includes our girls, who are also falling victim to this evil. The government’s response, or lack thereof, is another wound. It feels like we are on our own, screaming into a void. I watch as the darkness of kush spreads, and I’m left to wonder: Where is the urgency? Where is the plan? Where is the hope?
A Call for a United Front
This sentiment deeply resonates with many, and the call for a united front is best captured by both Dr Ibrahim Bangura, aspirant for the APC flagbearer ticket. As a charismatic and empathetic leader, a trailblazing politician, Dr Ibrahim Bangura, has not only consistently spoken out against this epidemic, but has done so with remarkable conviction and compassion. Since his first public appearance at the Friends of Dr. Ibrahim Bangura event at Fourah Bay, and his recent visit to Kambia District, in his hometown of Mambolo, where he held a first-of-its-kind meeting, he has made it his personal mission to bring public awareness and an unwavering commitment to fighting this crisis. He has seen with his own eyes the heartbreaking effects on our youths, not just in his childhood neighborhood of Hutton Street in Central Freetown, but in every town and district he has visited.
“It fills me with profound sadness that our generation and the next are slowly being killed, fading away by this evil substance,” he often says. “But I promise that I will do all that I can to help eradicate this darkness and help our young men and women fight against its uses and make a better life for themselves.”
He issues a powerful call for a united front from all sectors of society, particularly religious leaders, urging them to preach against kush in their places of worship. He also called on civil society organizations to stand up and add their voices to this clarion call. “The enemy, kush, he warns, “if not fought together, will continue to ravage our country, leaving a trail of destruction and untold suffering.”
This epidemic is a direct result of a societal breakdown, and it will take all of us—families, individuals, and a responsive government—to rebuild. We must use our collective voice and our collective strength to turn our pain into action. The lives of our mothers, our sisters, and our children depend on it, and the future of our nation hangs in the balance.