Prayers and songs mark Sierra Leone's Ebola anniversary

By Alpha Kamara

DAKAR, Senegal

Sierra Leone on Monday commemorated the first anniversary of the end of the Ebola virus with special prayer services and a minute-long silence across the country.

It was on this day in 2015 that the Ebola outbreak, which left around 4,000 citizens dead, was declared over by the WHO and the government of the West African country.

At 11 a.m. local time [1100 GMT], a minute of silence was observed across the country. Traffic was halted and the national flag was flown at half-mast in schools, police and military offices.

The public was urged to put on yellow ribbons or wear yellow clothing throughout the day.

Prayer sessions continue to be offered in churches and mosques all over the country. Sheikh Al-Hajie Bundu Kamara, regional chief imam in Bombali in northern Sierra Leone, told Anadolu Agency that special prayers were being offered for all Ebola victims.

Meanwhile, radio stations also played songs about the outbreak. Several songs on the virus came out last year at the end of a long battle with the epidemic.

“Bye bye Ebola”, a song by local musicians Nasser Ayoub and Wahid, about the destruction caused by the virus is the most popular number among the hits on the outbreak.

The lyrics of the song give out messages of hope to the people. “Bye bye Ebola, we fought against Ebola together and conquered; It’s a new dawn, a new day, the sun is now shinning after our heroes have fallen,” the song rings out from the radio.

Yusuf Kabba, president of the Ebola Survivors in Sierra Leone, called for more support for the over 4,000 Ebola survivors.

Kabba, who himself is an Ebola survivor, told local Radio Democracy in the capital Freetown that five members of his organization recently died due to a lack of proper support.

“Ebola survivors cannot access free health care drugs and there is no support for specialized care. Some survivors have gone blind…” Yusuf said, adding that survivors also face sexual health problems.