TTPod COVID Diary 6: “Freetown and Land of the Free” Contrasts, commonalities and leadership in the time of Coronavirus (Sierra Leone and USA)

Talking Transformation

In these troubling times, the Talking Transformation Podcast team remains committed to bringing you conversations from South Africa and beyond. We continue to speak with professionals working around the globe and ask them to share their perspectives and insights into the cities they are operating from. From London, UK reflecting on his current experience working with the municipality of Freetown - capital of Sierra Leone - we hear from Modupe (Mo) Williams a Project and Programme Management Professional and Professional Engineer. Jana le Roux is a South African attorney by trade who is currently studying Urban Planning & Housing Policy as a visiting Humphrey International Fellow at the University of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America. She shares her observations on the US response to COVID 19 and also some familiar built environment issues relevant to SA such as inclusionary housing and inequality. Sierra Leone has tackled an Ebola outbreak within this last decade and we learn how that experience has shaped the COVID readiness and response of the country and capital. Informal settlements, density and basic infrastructure are common challenges to Sierra Leone and South African context. The contrast with Minneapolis is stark but the geographic spread and pace of the disease infiltration into the USA - and UK - has, at this point been far greater in these more developed nations. We consider the local responses offered by each of these cities and reflect on the roles and responsibilities of not only different spheres of government but also the sectors leading COVID responses. The contrast between the US and the South African response makes for a particularly interesting contrast. As always, we hope you enjoy the episode and welcome feedback via twitter @talkingtransfo1 Flatten the Curve! "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika"