Freetown

As the boat glided through the waters separating Lungi from Freetown in Sierra Leone, Nigerian Afrobeats star Asake’s smash hit—“Terminator”—blared through the speakers. It was a few days before the Sierra Leone presidential election and there was excitement in the air. At the entrance of the Lungi boat terminal, there is a signboard with the bold inscription “Naija Salone”, a catchphrase reflecting the synergy between both countries—“Naija” representing Nigeria and “Salone”, an indigenous Krio expression for…