A Voice for the Voiceless: An Exclusive Interview with Prolific Sierra Leonean Author Alpha Amadu Jalloh

Alpha Amadu Jalloh

 

Introduction

Renowned writer and passionate advocate for the common man, Alpha Amadu Jalloh, sits down with Africa Publicity to discuss his groundbreaking book “Monopoly of Happiness: Unveiling Sierra Leone’s Social Imbalance,” his new book “Silent Battles: A Father’s Story of Love, Betrayal and Survival,” and his fearless advocacy for justice and accountability in Sierra Leone. With his sharp pen and unwavering commitment to truth, Jalloh shares his insights on politics, media, corruption, and the struggles of the ordinary people, inspiring a new generation of leaders and change-makers.

Q&A section

Africa Publicity (AP): Mr. Alpha Amadu Jalloh, welcome to Africa Publicity. You’ve been described as a fearless writer, bold political voice, and passionate advocate for the common man. Let’s begin with your breakthrough book Monopoly of Happiness: Unveiling Sierra Leone’s Social Imbalance. Why did you write this and what has the response been like?

 

Alpha Amadu Jalloh (AAJ): Thank you. The book was born out of heartbreak and deep love for Sierra Leone. I could no longer watch the imbalance where a few live in excess and millions suffer without basic dignity. It exposed how government appointments, wealth, and even justice are monopolized by the elite while the majority are trapped in poverty. It is a mirror held up to our leaders and a megaphone for the voiceless. The response has been humbling. Many felt seen. Others said it gave language to their frustrations. Receiving the Africa Renaissance Leadership Award in Nairobi for this work was proof that truth still matters.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): Congratulations on that award. How did it feel to be recognized internationally?

 

AAJ: I didn’t walk into that hall in Nairobi as Alpha Amadu Jalloh. I walked in as a carrier of burdens. The burdens of teachers earning peanuts. Of youth stuck in unemployment. Of mothers dying in labour for lack of healthcare. Of children sitting on cold floors in broken schools. That award was not for me. It was for all of them. It affirmed that writing with courage can still shake systems and inspire change.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): You have a new book coming up, Silent Battles: A Father’s Story of Love, Betrayal and Survival. What can readers expect?

 

AAJ: Silent Battles is deeply personal. It tells the story of a man who stood for love, fatherhood, and family but endured emotional abuse, betrayal, and stigma in silence. Though fictionalised, it reflects real truths many men are afraid to admit. And let me be clear. This is not just an African issue. Men all over the world suffer in silence, especially in the diaspora. But African men are often the biggest victims. Cultural expectations tell them to endure abuse, never show weakness, and suppress their pain. This book is for those men. It is for their children. It is for anyone navigating emotional pain with nowhere to turn. I hope it opens space for healing, accountability, and honest dialogue. The book should be released by September or October Insha Allahu.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): Let’s talk politics. Your Mr. President, Can We Talk? op-ed series has become widely followed. What motivated that series?

 

AAJ: Desperation and truth. The people needed someone to say what they couldn’t. The President needed to hear what his inner circle wouldn’t dare tell him. The series started as a way to speak directly, honestly, and publicly. From economic collapse to human rights violations, from abuse of power to the misuse of public resources, I said what needed to be said. I know the risks. I’ve faced threats. But silence is betrayal.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): What has been the public reaction to the Mr. President, Can We Talk? series?

 

AAJ: The response has been overwhelming. Some say it’s exactly what they’ve been thinking but couldn’t say. Others are angry because it challenges their loyalty to party or personality. But I didn’t write it to please anyone. I wrote to awaken our conscience. I’ve received both threats and gratitude. That tells me the series has an impact.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): How do you assess the role of the media in Sierra Leone today?

 

AAJ: The media in Sierra Leone is both a victim and an accomplice. Many journalists work under difficult conditions with limited pay and resources, yet they risk everything to inform the public. But we also have media houses that have become propaganda machines for political elites. Objectivity is rare. Investigative journalism is dying. We need media that will speak truth to power, not sell truth to the highest bidder. Until we have that, democracy remains a shadow.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): You were once a strong admirer of Dr. Kandeh Yumkella and a vocal supporter of the KKY Movement. What changed?

 

AAJ: That is one of my biggest disappointments. I believed in Dr. Yumkella’s vision. Clean politics. Bold ideas. Real reforms. Many of us saw him as the antidote to the recycled failures we had known for decades. But the compromises came. The alliances with those he once called corrupt. The silence when his voice was needed most. And worse, some in the KKY Movement became just like the politicians they opposed. They chased positions and forgot the people. It became about power, not progress. Dr. Kandeh Yumkella is an opportunist. He had the chance to lead with principle but he chose convenience. I still believe he could have been a great statesman but leadership is not about intention. It is about courage, consistency, and accountability. Sadly, that was lost.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): What is your view on the APC party and their role as the main opposition?

 

AAJ: The APC has failed miserably as an opposition. They have been too busy waiting for power to fall in their lap instead of building a credible united alternative. Their messaging is weak. Their engagement with the people is inconsistent. Instead of policy-based criticism we often get tribal rhetoric and recycled blame games. They seem afraid to challenge the government boldly and at the same time they are divided among themselves. With such disorganisation they risk becoming permanent opposition not because of election rigging but because of their own inability to evolve and truly represent the people’s pain and aspirations.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): You’ve often spoken about the betrayal by the business community. What exactly do you mean by that?

 

AAJ: Businesspeople in Sierra Leone have adopted a dangerous mantra. Make profit no matter what. They fund politicians during elections knowing full well that their donations buy access and protection not development. When ordinary people are suffering they say nothing. They pay lip service to corporate social responsibility while hoarding wealth and evading taxes. Their silence on corruption and misgovernance is betrayal. They benefit from broken systems and often prefer it that way. A responsible business class would stand for transparency, ethics, and nation-building. What we have is a class of enablers. That’s why poverty persists despite booming profits in mining, real estate, and imports.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): One of the most recent issues is the mass layoffs at Koidu Holdings. What is your take on this?

 

AAJ: It was economic violence. Over a thousand workers dismissed and not a word from State House. Where is the Ministry of Labour? Where are the so-called defenders of the poor? These workers represent families and communities. Dismissing them so casually and remaining silent about it shows how disconnected the government is from ordinary people’s struggles.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): Sierra Leone was recently listed by the United States as a drug transshipment hub. What does this mean for the country?

 

AAJ: It is a national embarrassment. It stains our international image. It discourages tourism, trade, and global trust. The silence and suspected protection of key suspects like Jos Leijdekkers only deepen the suspicion. If our justice system is unwilling to cooperate internationally then we are not just ignoring the problem. We are part of it.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): What are your thoughts on the constitutional review process and the Tripartite Committee?

 

AAJ: It is long overdue. The 1991 Constitution concentrates too much power in the hands of the President. We need reforms that promote accountability, separation of powers, and judicial independence. The Tripartite Agreement is promising but it must go beyond political compromise. If it fails to empower citizens and protect the integrity of institutions it will be a wasted opportunity.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): Let’s talk about the Anti-Corruption Commission. Some say it’s doing well. Others believe it’s just a political tool. What is your position?

 

AAJ: The Anti-Corruption Commission could be one of the most important institutions in our democracy but right now it is a tragic example of selective justice. It goes after soft targets and opposition figures while powerful allies of the ruling government continue to loot with impunity. Where are the prosecutions for the billion-leone scandals? Where is the accountability for officials close to power? When the ACC acts only when it is politically convenient it ceases to be an anti-corruption agency and becomes a weapon of control.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): The Sierra Leone Police Force has come under heavy criticism especially for brutality and political bias. What are your views?

 

AAJ: I say this with pain. The Sierra Leone Police no longer inspires safety. It inspires fear. It has become an arm of political enforcement rather than a public service institution. Peaceful protestors are teargassed. Journalists are beaten. Citizens are treated like enemies in their own land. How can the average man trust a force that has no respect for human dignity or the Constitution? We need comprehensive reform.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): There’s a growing drug crisis in Sierra Leone especially with the widespread use of Kush. What’s your assessment?

 

AAJ: Kush is a silent genocide. It is not just a drug. It is a weapon of mass destruction against our youth. It kills dreams, paralyses minds, and destroys families. The tragedy is not only that it is destroying young lives daily but that the government response has been sluggish, superficial, and at times complicit. This is a national emergency. If we do not act decisively we are nurturing a lost generation.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): In one of your most widely shared pieces you referred to yourself as “the misfit no one can tame.” Why did you choose that term?

 

AAJ: Because I do not fit into the silence, compromise, and selective outrage that have come to define so many in our country. Being a misfit means refusing to play by the rules of oppression. It means choosing principle over popularity. Truth over comfort. I have been called a troublemaker, an enemy of progress, a bitter critic. But if asking hard questions and holding the powerful accountable makes me a misfit then I embrace it fully. That article I Am the Misfit No One Can Tame was my declaration of independence from political co-option. When I write I imagine each piece like a letter in an envelope. Sent to the nation. Sometimes opened with anger. Sometimes read in silence. But always carrying the weight of a struggle. A struggle for good governance. A struggle for justice. A struggle to remind Sierra Leone that she still has voices fighting for her no matter how out of place we may seem.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): What gives you the courage to keep writing and speaking out despite the risks?

 

AAJ: The people. The ones who suffer silently. The ones who cannot write but live the pain I write about. I have been through hardship, betrayal, and trials of my own. But I refuse to be silent.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): What message would you leave for Sierra Leoneans and Africans reading this interview?

 

AAJ: Don’t give up. Don’t sell your vote for rice or T-shirts. Don’t be silent in the face of oppression. To Africans. Our future will not be built by the World Bank or IMF. It will be built by us. Let’s rise with integrity, unity, and courage.

 

Africa Publicity (AP): Mr. Jalloh, thank you for your honesty, your voice, and your courage. We wish you strength as you continue to speak truth to power.

 

AAJ: Thank you. May Allah protect all of us and guide Sierra Leone to a better path. Ameen.