SIERRA LEONE : THE RAGE TO LIVE | France 5 | Les Routes de l'Impossible

Everyday life in Sierra Leone is not easy, but its men and women fit the country’s emblem: the lion. Their rage to survive never wavers. Despite the regular calamites that befall their country, the people of Sierra Leone approach life with humor and joy. Nothing stands in the way of the people of this small West African country when it comes to earning a crust.

Theo is a sand pillager. Three trips per day, each time with fifteen tonnes of sand, dug from the beach that has now totally disappeared. He is aware of the damage he’s causing, but he really has no other choice. For him it’s the price of survival.

Vandi runs a transport business. His country’s muddy tracks don’t make things easy for him. He’s trying the best he can to return one his trucks that has been badly damaged in an accident, but still running, back to the garage. The ninety-mile track isn’t going to do him any favors and he has thirty-five hours of hell ahead of him.

After twelve years of war, the whole country needs rebuilding, but there’s no money. Fatimata and her seven children live in a house, which is only that by name¾the little family works together in the stone quarry under the yoke of a tyrannical gang boss. In Sierra Leone only 35% of children are in school.

This documentary follows the crossing paths of these three daily warriors fighting to ensure that their families have enough to live decently. A lesson in self-denial and courage. And always with a smile. Even in the direst situations.