Interestingly, this nation is just one of four nations around the world with “Guinea” in their names. The others are the Republic of Guinea's neighbor Guinea-Bissau, which is a former Portuguese colony, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, which is in Central Africa and is one of the smallest countries on the continent, and, of course, there is the Pacific island of Papua New Guinea.
This former French colony on the west coast of Africa is bordered by Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau. One of the results of colonization by the French is that the official language of the nation is French. The population here is around 10 million, and there are many ethnic groups, each with its own language. After its independence in 1958, the Republic of Guinea was led by President Ahmed Sékou Touré until his death in 1984. The current prime minister is Kabine Komara, and Captain Moussa Dadis Camara is head of the military junta that currently runs the country.
 [QUICK FACTS]Capital: Conakry Official language: French Government: Military junta President: Moussa Dadis Camara Prime minister: Kabine Komara Area: 245,857 square kilometers Population: 10,057,975* GDP (per capita): $1,100** Main religions: Muslim (85 percent), Christian (8 percent), indigenous beliefs (7 percent) *July 2009 estimate **2008 estimate |
In terms of mineral reserves, Guinea is wealthy; it has diamonds, iron, gold and possesses what is estimated to be around half of the world's bauxite reserves. These mineral resources should ensure that Guinea does not experience poverty, but of course, there is a very imbalanced distribution of wealth here. In fact, in terms of poverty rate, Guinea is one of West Africa's poorest countries.
The capital of Guinea is Conakry, and even homes in the city center are often huts. There are apartment buildings here and there, but these seem to rise up from amid the many huts and sheds that crowd the city. Apart from those in the center, very few of the roads are asphalted. Only about a fifth of the population has access to electricity, and there are frequent power outages. Even though Guinea has plentiful rainfall and ample water resources, its water supply is not harnessed to generate electricity through hydroelectric stations; the one dam built for this purpose supplies electricity to only a small portion of the country, and as such, there is an ongoing dependency on generators for electricity, and this in turn means a weekly cost of $1 million worth of fuel.
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Due to the lack of electricity, some university students head to the international airport's parking lot -- especially during exam time -- to study in the light provided by the large lamps here. In fact, you can find groups of more than 200 students bent over their books here on any given night.
Apart from mining, there is no major industry that exists in this former French colony. As for health care, the horizon is bleak. Of every 1,000 children born, 65 die at birth.
There is, of course, no widespread access to the Internet in a nation that barely has any access to electricity, but there are some Internet cafes here, and they are crowded to the brim. In fact, you can also make international phone calls from these cafes. A one-minute phone call to Turkey costs 1,500 Guinea francs, which is comparatively more expensive than a one-minute phone call to a European city.
 A folkloric group performance. |
Touring around Conakry, there are some interesting things to see. For instance, every phone booth in this capital city has an owner. These owners are important people, since they are the ones who give you the cards necessary to make calls. And then there are the “walking change bureaus” you see on the streets here, where you can change your money, although in a tense atmosphere since you are breaking the law by doing so. At these bureaus, one dollar is around 4,500 Guinea francs.
There are also many wood sellers on the streets of the capital; this comes as no surprise since almost no one has the funds necessary to buy liquefied petroleum gas, and this is a much cheaper alternative.
Drinking water is sold in Guinea in an interesting fashion: some people cup their hands to receive water, while others extend plastic bags to be filled. Water is, of course, quite valuable in this hot country. So when people have even a small amount of wealth, they dig wells in front of their homes to meet their water needs. Those without wells and without other access to water are forced to buy water from others.
Another interesting sight in Guinea, as in many other African countries, is the practice of having open-air showrooms. You can look at furniture being displayed, for example, and people line up to buy things they like after seeing them in these showrooms.
There are also open-air restaurants, selling and serving their food in the street. Guineans love rice, and another popular food here is fried plantain. Fried plantain chips are served rolled in paper, and hungry people munch on them outdoors.
 Students and teacher at a Turkish school in Conakry. |
There are drums everywhere in Guinea, being played, danced to and made. You can see many shops where drums are made, and there is often loud drum music coming from in front of these shops.
French Catholic schools continue to offer an education here. One such school is the Saint Joseph de Cluny School. This school was founded 100 years ago by missionaries, and in fact, only around 5 percent of the students who study here are Christian. The remaining 95 percent are Muslim. Nuns help care for the students here, and before school, students are taken to the church and led in prayers every morning.
In a sense, you could say Guinea is an example of what it means to experience poverty in the midst of great wealth; this is a nation that has been unable to use the potential it actually has.
 Gold dust and gold bars. |
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