Screw The Free Elections, Free Computers for Everyone!

There’s a new president in Freetown, Sierra Leone – and he’s pulling out all the stops to celebrate.

Hours after the swearing-in ceremony, hundreds of looters descended on the headquarters of the former president’s party. They carried out desks and chairs, computer monitors and printers, posters and coat racks before police blanketed the neighborhood with tear gas.

Police also fired bullets into the air and arrested numerous people while regaining control of the area. At least one person was killed, according to footage taken by an Associated Press Television News cameraman at the scene.

Yep, free elections, bringing riots to a neighborhood near you. Not that I’m against them. I’m just skeptical of this whole ’spreading democracy’ propaganda we like to believe. It’s harder than we might think. I’m also skeptical of President Koroma’s claim that he’ll end government corruption. Are there any governments that aren’t corrupt in some way? And it’s been such a vicious cycle in Africa. Just read Ayi Kwei Armah’s The Beautiful Ones are Not Yet Born.

So, to conclude, I have no idea how to fix the world, but we need to do something different soon. That said, I wish our forefathers had thought of post-election looting. Think of the cuts in government spending!