Theo is a driver. He's just offered his services
to two workers for six dollars each. Let the chaos commence. Theo is not alone in his pursuit. Every day hundreds of trucks
head to John Obey Beach in Sierra Leone. They come to gather their treasure: sand. Although nowadays
there isn't much sand left. Two years ago
this place was a small paradise, but for construction workers
in Sierra Leone, beaches are now the only places
they can buy sand. The quarry's exhausted,
prices are rising every day. The beach or at least what's left of it,
belongs to this fishing village, which now resembles a shanty town. Theo's extra seven dollars
will serve to help the community. Over the past two years,
fishing opportunities have become scarce, so protecting the coastline
is the least of the village's concerns. In a few years the beach
will have completely disappeared. Theo is eager to get a head start
of the fast approaching clouds. Pity, the clouds
seem to have won the race. As the rainwater seeps into the sand,
the truck gets even heavier. Theo is carrying 14 tons of sand
but with the added water, his load now weighs almost 20 tons. Theo's journey's on
despite the torrential rain, taking dangerous routes again and again
for the sake of a few dollars. The daily life of a Sierra Leonean
is complicated, but with the spirit of a lion,
their country's emblem, their fierce determination never falters
despite the many plights their country has faced. A war fuelled by one of the country's
major sources of wealth, diamonds, their sparkle
has been known to drive people mad. Here they've earned the nickname
Blood Diamonds, responsible for the deaths of 120,000
Sierra Leoneans. Nowadays 50 percent
of the country's population are illiterate. There's barely any drinking water and electricity
is practically non-existent. Some trucks, given the state of them,
should be heading straight for the scrap heap
and yet day and night they journey on. As for the drivers they choose
to make light of the situation. Thanks to the tremendous willpower
of its citizens, the country is slowly recovering even if some are feeling
less than satisfied. At this point
Theo might as well be walking, and his workers are becoming
more and more frustrated. The Sierra Leoneans have a saying, a positive attitude costs
less than a coat but gives just as much heat, and this worker seems
to have warmed right up. Chatting up passers by is the least
of Theo's concerns, his sole focus is the truck
and five hours in, the noise it's making is not a good sign. A harsh punishment awaits. If Theo cannot fix it he will lose his job. In Sierra Leone a good driver
must also be a good mechanic, without these skills he is useless. These hand-made tracks are practically
the only way to get around the country. Trains stopped running in the 1970s
due to lack of resources to maintain them, as for aeroplanes
there are no domestic flights. Boats are the only other option,
but 90 percent of transport takes place on land. The border area
between Sierra Leone and Liberia looks like a bombsite. The two countries
have never fought each other, but both have suffered
devastating civil wars. Nowadays peace has been restored
and there is joy in the air. While some people
are enjoying themselves, others are not so pleased. Vandi runs a transport business. One of his drivers has had an accident
and asked him to bring out a spare part, he's assured him however
that there is nothing to worry about, the truck is still running. Only this is the state of the vehicle. Well, it wasn't really
the driver's fault. And that's nothing compared
to what lies ahead, 150 kilometers of tents, dangerous driving
to arrive back at their garage in Kenema. With its beat up cabin, the small white truck
may not be a pretty sight, but it is impressively sturdy. Unlike Vandi's truck, unfortunately,
this is the only one he had to hand
to come and rescue his driver. A clever use of the plastic bag. With these roads drivers certainly
need some tricks up their sleeve, especially when their trucks
have tyres like these, old and completely worn out. For every problem,
Vandi has a solution but will this be enough? A small hill which could
prove extremely difficult. Vandi and his men
prepare themselves for the long haul. For Vandi, the small hill
is starting to feel like Everest. Across the country, Theo, the sand carrier,
is trying to save his own neck. If he can't repair this truck, he'll be fired. Theo's future is finally looking up. The sun has come to brighten his journey
and everyone is pleased. With both the rain and the breakdown,
Theo's lost a lot of time. If there are no more problems,
he could pick up another load of sand. He and his workers
would pocket an extra two dollars, but there is trouble on the horizon. There is a small hole
in one of the pipes, this time some glue should suffice. Their gamble has paid off, Theo and his men will have time
to pick up another load of sand. As a country undergoing reconstruction, an enormous amount of sand
is being consumed in Sierra Leone. After 11 years of civil war
that ended in 2002, there's finally growth again. New buildings are rising up
all over the country's capital of Freetown but in the midst of this resurgence, a lack of sufficient funds
has brought building works to a complete halt. Fatimata and her seven children
live in a house which will probably never be finished. Fatimata lives here free of charge, unlike the three other families
who share this unsanitary accomodation. This 10 metre square room
or cupboard, rather, was the only one available. Fatimata does not complain,
instead she remains hopeful. Recently she found a job, unlike half
of the Sierra Leonean population. She works at the Balboa quarry
alongside her seven children. There are no grinding
or crushing machines here to break down the granite into gravel, only human strength. The work is not easy. Even when the stones are heated,
granite is extremely hard to break down. Around 100 men and women
slave away here every day. Fatimata and her children
are on the production line. The fate of the gravel workers
rests in the hands of one man, Amara, the foreman. He carries out a reign of terror
over the quarry. The smallest challenge to his authority
can lead to immediate dismissal, almost a question of life and death. Amara is as tough as he is shrewd. He quickly understood
that the country's reconstruction would lead
to an explosion in demand for gravel. The quarry doesn't belong to him,
but he negotiated the rights to mine it. The man runs a smooth operation. Recovering from 11 years of civil war
takes time, especially as the state
has limited resources. The country's burdened
by a lack of public services and widespread corruption. The road connecting
Sierra Leone and Liberia is a major trade route
between the two countries, and yet it is practically impassable
during the rainy season. For Vandi and his small transport business
it is a constant struggle. It's been four hours and his second truck
is now too damaged to go any further. Maybe he can tow them. Bad hope is short lived. In Sierra Leone camaraderie and support
do not appear to be the highest priority. The travellers think first and foremost
of themselves. The driver sets off. He gets by easily but the driver refuses to help
rescue the truck from the pool of mud. In Sierra Leone
it's every man for himself. It is Vandi's eighth attempt of the day. This time
his men have lined several meters of the track
with stones and branches. Just meters away from the top of the hill, the truck's wheels lose their grip. He has to start all over again. The bush taxis stuck behind the truck
do not dare to go around it. Their passengers,
tired of being crammed inside, would rather brave the rain
and watch the show and not lift a finger, except for one. Under pressure
from this transport authority, one taxi agrees to lend them a strap. The taxi refused to pull the truck,
instead, the task falls to the men. Ironically, the driver of the white truck
gets by without any trouble unlike his boss, Vandi,
who was stuck there for five hours. A bow shower on their back on the road. Civil war has not been the only cause
of poverty in Sierra Leone, 12 years after the ceasefire, another disaster
stopped the country dead in its tracks. Between 2014 and 2016,
the Ebola virus wreaked absolute havoc, leaving almost 4,000 dead. To contain the epidemic, the government introduced
a dramatic curfew. Schools were closed. It was forbidden for groups
of more than four people to meet and the harvesting of rice,
cassava and sweet potatoes was prohibited, but worst of all was the driving ban. Economic activity ground to a halt. Since the Ebola virus disappeared, the country has been brought back to life, and, as always in Africa, nothing goes to waste. The yellow jumpsuits
worn by doctors at the time are now used to keep out the rain. Yoko and his brother Bondy
had the smart idea of leaving behind
their grocery store business to become taxi drivers. In fact the car is only made
for seven passengers, but the two brothers managed
to pile in 12, excluding children of course. A total of 17 passengers, but there's still
a little bit more room for... Taxis in the area are rare,
so when an 18th customer arrives, no one protests. Yoko and Bondy stop at each
of the small villages along the route, but the passengers would do well
to keep their wits about them. Yoko and Bondy will take almost five hours
to travel the 108 kilometres to Kenema in their less than glamorous ride. For Vandi, however,
it's one disaster after the other. After 18 hours on the road, his convoy are only halfway
through their journey. In the long run
he might be the best off, settled in and comfortably sheltered
from the storm unlike the men in the cabin. With no windshield for protection,
they're getting a real rain shower. History is repeating itself
for Vandi and his men. Just like this morning, they find
themselves facing an ice rink of a path. The driver is most concerned
about the ditch running along the side of the road. Vandi can only think of one solution,
to stop his truck from tipping over, filling in the dips in the road. The men are at their wits end. As the team leader,
Vandi attempts to motivate them. After 24 hours
and 150 kilometers of suffering, the convoy finally arrives. "Sierra Leone" literally means
"the lion's hill". And there's no doubt that the spirit of the beast
lives within its people, fighting furiously to survive, to live a good life,
and to rebuild their country.
