The season to be JC

I bet it’s going to be a quiet Christmas in Freetown this year. The travel chaos caused by the enthusiastic snowfall across Europe has inevitably obstructed travel plans.

Usually this time of year a unique species of Sierra Leonean is spotted on the streets of Freetown, the JCs or Just Comes are members of the diaspora. They flood in from the US and western Europe to spend their hard earned foreign currencies in Sierra Leone and thrill friends and relatives with stories of a better life. They used to be really easy to spot, the women with their oversized shades, stilettos and Louis Vuitton knock offs. The men in their oversized shades, suits and croc skin shoes. And most importantly, the distinct Krio/American or Krio/Brit accent. But with so many Sierra Leoneans moving back to live here, it’s becoming harder to tell them apart, almost everyone I meet at a party has an accent these days. But my friends still swear they can spot one a mile away.

I have to say I dislike the JC season for three reasons: first, they drive up petty crime rates in Freetown. Everyone jokes that you’re twice as likely to have your purse nicked during the holiday season. Second they choke the roads with their shiny rented 4x4s. Third, they express recurring shock at the heat , dust and street side filth. Disclaimer: this is all based on my experience with JCs, I’m sure there are perfectly decent ones out there.

Sparkled by their JC relatives’ success stories, almost all Sierra Leoneans want to live abroad. In fact, it was in Sierra Leone that I first found out about the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery which is a bit of a national gambling obsession. It offers a randomised chance at winning a US green card and inevitably most internet cafes have someone who can help you with your application. Success of course is a bit of an urban legend, everyone claims they know someone who’s made it. And it’s also spurred an industry of scams.

Last year, a young Sierra Leonean film maker Karim Bah who had studied in the UK busted the myth by making a film called Babylon Illusion. Bah followed the lives of Sierra Leoneans who had immigrated to the UK. He highlighted their loneliness, poverty and desire to return home. The film wasn’t technically brilliant, but showed that life in Europe wasn’t all that.

Still, this has not dampened people’s spirits. They wait every year to be regaled by the fresh tales the JCs bring and hope that one day they’ll get to live that illusive life. My money changer on Siaka Stevens street constantly suggests that the next time I leave I take him with me (even though I have explained to him many times that I’m Indian).

Yes, a friend emailed saying it’s a quiet Christmas in Freetown. For average Sierra Leoneans of course, the legend of the JC lives on all year round.

Happy holidays everyone!