A friend of mine, Sorie Konteh spent many years in Germany and during those years he did a lot for both his family and friends. He was sending money home “Fiti fata”. He was a very hardworking fellow who clocks 19 hours daily from Monday to Saturday and had only Sunday to go to church.
Unfortunately, my friend Sorie came in conflict with the law and without wasting much time he was deported from home.
He returned home well and hearty with some few cash and clothes. After about six months in town things started to deteriorate. He ran out of cash and sold his few clothes and his friends who will come wake him up every morning also disappeared.
Life became very difficult for my friend as there wasn’t anyone to come to his rescue. He became a laughing stock in town and quickly they started calling him; “Sorie Germany”, because he was a German deportee.
Everywhere he goes, he will be confronted with mockery and laughter by those very people he used to send money for on a weekly basis.
My deportee friend got sick and with no assistance from anywhere, he passed away peacefully.
I met LAJ few days before his predicament and honestly speaking, he is not a happy man. This is a man who has been living large in Salone. He travels back and forth from America on a regular basis until he again like “Sorie Germany”, came in conflict with the law in the US and was sent home unprepared.
All I can say for now is that, LAJ needs help to stabilize his present condition.
Similarly, former President Strasser went through hell in the hands of his fellow Sierra Leoneans and even some of those he helped when he was head of state. He almost became mad person due to public humiliation until he was rescued by his former colleague in the NPRC, Rtd. Brig. President Julius Maada Bio.
In summary, this is a lesson to all of us living in the diaspora, that no matter how much amount of money you send to friends and family back home, pray that you’re not deported and become like “Sorie Germany”.