Pass Go and Collect $200

Remember Monopoly?  Every time you passed Go, you got $200 automatically.  It was pretty cool, since you didn't have to do anythig or think about anything, beyond just going around the board normally and staying out of jail.  Moving around Freetown is kind of like reverse Monopoly -- you know that going through certain places (Congo Cross, Lumley Roundabout) you will get stopped by the police and they will (attempt to) collect money without doing anything.  Most recently, I had my bike stopped and was told the driver would be arrested, even though his papers were all in order and he had a helmet (which, honestly, is an anomaly in Freetown).  Since I refuse to pay a bribe, unless it is necessary for my safety, I politely asked the officer why the driver was being arrested, since everything seemed to be fine.  He repeated a few random facts, then told me to get off the bike.  I explained that my driver was very safe and it was getting dark and I wouldn't be able to get another bike at Congo Cross at rush hour.  Couldn't he please help me?  Then he informed me that if I wanted to just pay the driver's fine (for a still unknown offense), he would be happy to handle the paperwork on his own.  Right.  Luckily a female police officer came over and after a moment she let us go without money changing hands.
Corruption is simply a way of life here in Sierra Leone.  It's a reality for everyone, although foreigners are obviously an easy target and many travelers will just pay rather than deal with the hassle.  At dinner recently we shared stories and strategies from our experience.  Some of us just play dumb and persistent, hoping the officer will lose interest.  Those who work with UN agencies will flash their badges.  One man programmed his phone with his friend's number under the name of the head of the Anti-Corruption Commission.  When anyone gives him trouble, he challenges the person, explains that it is corruption, and offers to let the officer speak to Mr. Tejan-Cole about the sitution.
It isn't just police stops, although they are the most visible reminder of corruption.  Getting passports renewed, getting appropriate letters, or anything that requires something from someone in power opens the door to corruption.  Every detail of running a business, from registration to permits to imports and exports, all involves money lost to bribes.  For someone like me, an intern here for a short-stay and without a private vehicle, it's possible (though perhaps inconvenient) to avoid paying.  But for anyone who lives here long-term, it becomes an inevitability.  As of 2006, the World Bank ranked Sierra Leone the eighth most difficult place to do business in the world.  Transparency International placed the country in their fifth tier of countries perceived as "most corrupt."  The effects of this are obvious: money is diverted away from development and humanitarian purposes.  Medicines and food will go to waste in warehouses, waiting for someone to pay for them to be sent.  Business and investment flows away from countries that desperately need it.  The effectiveness of the government is undermined, as is public trust of the government.  One aid worker I spoke to last year told me that they assume only one-third to one-half of aid will reach its intended target, and she believed that was a generous estimate.  Anti-corruption is the new watchword, but the world has yet to develop an effective formula for eradication.
Any approach will need to address the root causes of corruption, which at the heart boils down to poverty and pervasiveness.  No matter how much international training you give to public officials, judges, police officers, and more, they will remain susceptible to bribes until they receive a liveable wage.  And until the population is convinced that bribery is not normal and acceptable, neither the supply or demand will dry up.  When we drove to the beach several weeks ago, we came upon a makeshift traffic stop -- four or five young boys had tied a rope across the road and as we slowed, they held out their hands clamouring for money.  The driver gave them a few coins-- probably around Le 500 total (around $0.13)-- and they celebrated and allowed us through.  It was entertaining and relatively harmless, but it also speaks to what these children grow up with - whereas I played with toy cash registers, they replicate road blocks.  It all becomes a cycle that continues to enhance poverty, and eventually results in aid being cut off (see, e.g., Haiti).  I don't have a solution, but at least I'm doing a small part by refusing to engage in the practice. 
In other news, speaking of transportation challenges, we are enjoying quite a bit of rain these days and I'm told the rains have officially begun.  It isn't the seven days straight I was promised, but the rains are often significant and we haven't had a full day without rain in a while.  After grumbling a little, we put on our boots and rain jackets, pay the extra to charter a taxi, and go about our days.  On Wednesday night, we had gone to a friend's house and, perhaps lulled by the sunny, muggy day, didn't bring rain jackets.  So of course it began a torrential downpour as we were leaving and we found ourselves standing on the side of the road as the water rose over our feet.  We simply embraced the water and abandoned the useless umbrellas, but we also had a difficult time finding a taxi to take us - our friend was convinced it was because all the drivers thought we were crazy.