Sierra Leone is rich in natural resources — yet poverty remains part of the narrative. Why?In this episode of Honestly Speaking, Antonia Howard is joined by Andrew Lavali, a governance and public policy expert, for a deep conversation about how poverty is produced and maintained — not just through corruption, but through power, control, and public contracts.This episode examines the hidden layer of governance: who controls revenue, how large public contracts are structured, and why governments often derive little benefit from major infrastructure and resource projects.The conversation explores:Why governance reforms often look good on paper but fail in practiceHow bad public contracts drain state revenue across AfricaWho benefits when oversight is weakWhy changing governments doesn’t always change outcomesWhat real accountability would look like in resource-rich but cash-poor statesDrawing lessons from Sierra Leone and the wider African continent, this episode challenges familiar narratives about poverty and asks harder questions about economic power, elite influence, and institutional culture.This is a must-watch for anyone interested in: governance in Africa, public finance, political economy, development, accountability, and citizen power.#HonestlySpeaking #GovernanceInAfrica #SierraLeone #AfricanEconomy #PoliticalEconomy #PublicContracts #Accountability #DevelopmentDebate

In conversation with Zainab Bangura, one time presidential aspirant in Sierra Leone and now Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi, we explore values, civic responsibility, and the shared role of leaders, institutions, and citizens in shaping Sierra Leone’s future.

Grounded in love for country, the discussion reflects on where we are as a nation, what has gone wrong beyond politics alone, and why reclaiming values such as truth, integrity, accountability, unity, and courage is essential for national renewal.

The episode also centres women’s dignity and considers how mindset, silence, and everyday choices influence peace, development, and progress.

This is an invitation to honest self-examination, shared responsibility, and hope.

Ultimately, it asks a question that belongs to all of us:
What kind of Sierra Leone do we want to build?

In Part Three of this special Honestly Speaking series for National Remembrance Day, the focus turns to prevention — and responsibility.

Often repeated, “never again” can sound like a slogan. In this episode, it is treated as a question: what must be done to ensure Sierra Leone never returns to the kind of brutal conflict that defined the civil war?

Through reflections from survivors, historians, media practitioners, civic voices, and ordinary Sierra Leoneans, the episode examines unresolved grievances, the risks of forgetting, and the role of leadership, media, and civic education in sustaining peace.

The conversation underscores a central truth: peace does not maintain itself. It requires honesty, vigilance, and collective responsibility.

This final part brings the series to a close by asking what remembrance truly demands — now, and in the future.

This is Part Two of our special National Remembrance Day series.

In this episode of Honestly Speaking, Antonia Howard picks up a difficult but necessary question:

How did a country like Sierra Leone descend into war just thirty years after independence?

Building on conversations from Part One at the Peace Museum and the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone, Part Two brings together voices who lived through the war, documented it as it unfolded, and tried to make sense of it in real time.

Featuring reflections from:

• Hannah Fullah

• Dr. Julius Spencer

• Professor Joe A. D. Alie

The episode interrogates the causes of the war — governance failures, inequality, youth marginalisation — and asks what happens when history is misunderstood, ignored, or passed on in fragments.

January 18 is National Remembrance Day in Sierra Leone.But what does remembrance really ask of us?In Part 1 of this special Honestly Speaking series, journalist and creative storyteller Antonia Howard begins a journey into memory, accountability, and unfinished questions from Sierra Leone’s civil war.This episode starts at the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone and the Peace Museum — places where truth was documented, responsibility examined, and history preserved. Through conversations with Joseph Kaifala and Marie Bob Kandeh, we explore why remembrance was one of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s key recommendations, and why memory matters beyond ceremonies and speeches.Part 1 sets the foundation for deeper conversations to come: about survivors, justice, youth, leadership, and the risk of forgetting.🎧 This episode is presented in parts.Part 2 continues the conversation with survivors, historians, media voices, and ordinary Sierra Leoneans reflecting on what was lost — and what must never be repeated.🕯️ Honestly Speaking is a podcast about honest conversations on the issues shaping our lives.Music Credits:Parade of Champions - Soundstripe LLCCourtesy of Wondershare Filmora, used with permission

Across Africa, storytelling was how knowledge moved. It shaped values, preserved history, and held communities together.

In this episode of Honestly Speaking, Antonia Howard sits down with Usifu Jalloh, widely known as The Cowfoot Prince — a storyteller, cultural practitioner, and educator who has dedicated his life to preserving Sierra Leone’s oral traditions and reintroducing them to new generations, both at home and abroad.

Through festivals, performance, and education, Usifu reflects on the responsibility of storytelling, the challenges of preserving culture in a rapidly changing world, and what happens when a nation forgets its stories — and what becomes possible when it remembers.

This is a conversation about identity, heritage, and purpose.
It asks every listener to reflect honestly:

What are we here to live for?What are we willing to fight for, defend, and protect?And what role can culture play in helping Sierra Leoneans solve local problems?

In this episode of Honestly Speaking, Antonia Howard sits down with Foday Dumbuya, founder and creative director of LABRUM London, for a thoughtful conversation about fashion as cultural storytelling, identity and power.

Through LABRUM’s work, from references to African history and diasporic memory, to global collaborations with institutions like Adidas and Arsenal FC — the conversation explores what it means to build a globally respected brand without diluting meaning for acceptance or profit.

This episode speaks to creatives, entrepreneurs, and cultural practitioners across Africa, the diaspora, and beyond — especially those interested in how African stories are told, valued, and protected on global stages.

Culture is often treated as something fixed. But culture is also lived — and sometimes changed by those bold enough to step into it differently.

In this episode of Honestly Speaking, Antonia Howard speaks with Lala Bayani Sidibe — kora performer, girls’ advocate, and Miss Sierra Leone finalist — about identity, heritage, and women occupying spaces once closed to them.

From performing the kora to leading The Empowered Girls Advocacy and navigating national visibility through pageantry, Lala reflects on what it means to carry culture forward without being limited by it.

Culture is often defended as “the way things have always been done.” But what happens when tradition causes harm?

In this episode of Honestly Speaking, Antonia Howard sits down with feminist activist Josephine Kamara to confront the reality of Female Genital Cutting/Circumcision/Mutilation in Sierra Leone.

No shouting. No finger-pointing.
Just a conversation many avoid.

For over a decade, Joseph “Nashito Kulala” Koroma has been a quiet force behind some of Sierra Leone’s most defining sounds. In an industry shaped by limited resources, inconsistent standards, and a culture of “that’s good enough,” Nashito has built a reputation for insisting on excellence — often at personal cost, but always in service of the craft.This episode of Honestly Speaking looks beyond talent and passion to examine the real drivers of quality: mindset, systems, training, and infrastructure. Through Nashito’s journey as a sound engineer, producer, and creative mentor, we unpack why quality is so difficult to sustain in Sierra Leone’s creative industry — and what must change for it to compete globally without losing its authenticity.👉 Watch more episodes of Honestly Speaking:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls0-j4j9wLE&list=PLynH0NnR7JI3eyo_2BI_t9zh2rLadqek6&pp=gAQB]👉 Subscribe for honest conversations on culture, governance & creativity:[www.youtube.com/@honestlyspeaking_sl]👉 Follow Antonia Howard:Instagram: [@antoniahowardsl]👉 Follow Nashito Kulala:Instagram: [@kulala_beatz]