SLIP extends warmest wishes and well being to all the people of Sierra Leone on the occasion of 62 years of Independence.
We extend very special wishes to our friends in Sierra Leone, our members, the Irish Embassy staff and the former ICOS students.
The following were the speeches delivered at the launch of the book in Wynns Hotel on 2nd September.
The SLIP Annual Report was delivered at a zoom meeting on December. The report is viewable
The launch took place of the book ‘Leaves From the Cotton Tree’ on Friday 2nd September 2022. Scroll down to see the link to buy your copy for Eu 15.00.
It was a wonderful celebration of SLIP@30. It was very well attended by friends of SLIP from the many different connections over 30 years of the work of SLIP . We were honoured to have Salome Mgubua launch the book, Abass Kargbo reflect on it and Helen Fallon to read her poem, The Mango Sellers, which is printed in the book.
A sincere thanks to all who attended to celebrate with us, including the people who joined online. Also thanks for all the good wishes received from many invited guests who were unable to attend.
Martin Rowan Chairperson of SLIP at the book launch
Salome Mbugua, CEO of AkiDwA- The Migrant Women’s Network Ireland launching ‘Leaves from the Cotton Tree’
Click on the link below or Scan the QR code to buy your copy. Please choose the correct postage rate.
Costs Eu 15 postage extra- see link for different rates.
IF PURCHASING MULTIPLE COPIES, email jim@slip.ie FOR PAYMENT DETAILS.
Novelists, journalists and diplomats since 1948 have recounted Sierra Leone as a scene of sorrowful mysteries. In September 2022, The Sierra Leone Ireland Partnership launched ‘Leaves From The Cotton Tree’ into that literary canon created by authors such as Graham Greene, Aminatta Forna, Ishmael Beah and our own Sinéad Walsh. This collection of thirty-seven essays, however, eschews the expectations of the tradition and opts to present the ties of joy and energy that bind Sierra Leone and Ireland. Its pages acknowledge the backdrop of tragedy but also chart lives lived happily, with deep emotional connection. It fits what Rebecca Solnit called “ the accretion of individual memory and sustenance, the maternal landscape of uneventful eventful routine”.
Happy Independence Day from SLIP
Lá Neamhspleáchais Shona ó do chairde í SLIP
