RIGHT SPEAK: EBOLA Establishes a Dictatorship in Sierra Leone

Since the Ebola outbreak began in May, Sierra Leone has become an authoritarian state. It's not one dominated by politicians, religious leaders, the army or the police – it's a dictatorship by virus. Ebola has taken over everyone's thoughts, actions, just about everything.

Sierra Leone health workers walk to pick up a 4-month old baby
that died of Ebola in central Freetown, Sierra Leone.(Photo: epa)

This notion struck me as I washed my hands. Authorities have wisely set up hand-washing stations everywhere to prevent the spread of Ebola. The stations reinforce the new codes of behavior that dominate what was once an easygoing, multicultural country — avoiding handshakes, avoiding crowded spaces, avoiding family, avoiding friends.

Our normal lives are gone. The streets are blocked off. Schools and business are closed. Cinemas and restaurants are shuttered. Even Freetown's lovely beach is lonely and deserted.

More than 1,000 people have died here from the disease.

The government, to be sure, has enacted rules to reinforce these new codes of behavior. I have to get a security pass to visit my relatives in the countryside, for example. The difficulty of getting such a pass reminds me of my first time applying for a visa to the U.K. Ordinary people who can't justify their trips are out of luck.

The social and psychological shift that's taken place under Ebola's regime worries me more than the government's temporary restrictions on our movements to deal with the public health crisis. When fear becomes a prime motivator for people, they lose touch with the better angels of their nature. I've seen it firsthand.

Since Ebola struck, I have seen family members abandon their sick loved ones. I have seen people buried in body bags, their families unable to participate in the burial rites. I have seen burial teams attacked by mourners angry over losing the opportunity to pay their last respects. I have seen women at markets increase food prices because everything imported is more expensive, and we import much of our food from Guinea.