As the demeaning socioeconomic situation continues to deepen, survival for Bomeh scrap metal and grave diggers at the Kingtom cemetery is becoming extremely difficult as scrap metals are becoming extinct.
On my usual rounds to monitor some of the economic activities around the city of Freetown yesterday, I met a group of youths at the Bomeh dump cite adjacent to King tom cemetery desperately digging up scrap metals while grave diggers were expectantly awaiting contracts from bereaved family members to help them identify graves of their loved ones or to dig up graves for the dead for a stipulated fee.
One of the metal diggers Alie Kamara who is between the ages of 25 to 30 maintained that he is a carpenter by profession but the harsh economic situation in the country has put him out of business and has no alternative but to take to scrap metal digging where he makes fast cash on a daily basis to take care of himself and family.
“I have since last year engaged in this occupation and I realize between Le15,000 to Le25,000 on a daily basis which makes me economically manageable” he said.
Most times buyers come around them at the site where negotiation takes place. Another scrap metal digger Sulaiman Bangura who identified himself as a driver said he was tired of idleness in the face of harsh economic situation in the country where the bulk of the youths are jobless.
“This is a ‘hand to mouth’ venture we want government to create the enabling environment to attract more employment opportunities for us to be gainfully employed so as to contribute towards national development” he observed.
He narrated how they contribute their meager resources toward the national revenue by paying local taxes to government through the Freetown city council.
“this has to do with survival even though its not easy for us, giving the manpower input and energy involved in digging up scrap metals, but life has to go on because we are family people with children to feed, school and cloth” he said.
At the Kingtom cemetery I joined the company of 2 grave diggers Lamin Kamara and Salieu Wagen who identified themselves as the Marine Youth Boys of Kingtom whom from time in memorial to date render voluntary services towards the maintenance of that cemetery, but had never got any recognition from neither the Freetown City Council nor the government.
He said they are casual workers at the cemetery with no remuneration from any quarter, adding that they only rely on remittances from customers at both home and abroad on a monthly basis to take care of graves of their loved ones in the cemetery.
This submission was buttressed by a co-grave digger Lamin Kamara who stated that, they too contribute to the national revenue by paying local tax from the proceeds they realize from maintenance of the graves in the yard.
By Solomon Rogers
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