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| Africa: West |
| Riot in Sierra Leone Over Midget No-Show |
| 2003-12-07 |
| I’ve always said, where there’s dwarf comedians...there’s trouble. Thousands of fans rioted at Sierra Leone’s national stadium Saturday when authorities substituted two local dwarf comedians for a widely anticipated out-of-town midget duo. Police arrested 30 people, amid damage and dozens of injuries. It’ll now be remembered in Freetown as the famous Midget Riots of ’03. Daylong radio ads had whipped up excitement and ticket sales for Friday night’s scheduled performance by the two Nigerian entertainers, Aki and Paw Paw. Must not take much to get them excited in Freetown... although it is Aki and Paw Paw... The Nigerian performers failed to show by early morning. Organizers put the two local dwarf comedians on the stage instead. Hey, they’re midgets, they’re comedians...who’s gonna know? Fans rioted, throwing projectiles and smashing windows, light fixtures and hundreds of chairs. Your hardcore midget comedian fans! That’s who’s gonna know! Witnesses said police fired tear gas. Authorities said 30 people were arrested, including eight who allegedly had tried to steal the stadium’s seats. What were they gonna do, sell them on Ebay? Dozens of show-goers were reported injured in the melee. Saturday, blood splattered parts of the stadium. Acting President Solomon Berewa, filling in while President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah is at a Commonwealth summit in Nigeria, toured the riot site Saturday and condemned the violence. Guess they’ll have to ban midget comedy shows..."How many more must die, Mister Speaker!?"... Sierra Leone’s National Stadium was built as a gift from China. The stadium was under repairs for damage from the West African nation’s devastating 10-year rebellion, ended in January 2002. Looks like they haven’t lost their touch. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
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| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-12-7 9:49:10 PM |
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| Posted by: Shipman 2003-12-7 4:45:18 PM |
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| Posted by: snellenr 2003-12-7 4:35:05 PM |
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| Posted by: Steve White 2003-12-7 3:24:15 PM |
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| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-12-7 12:50:30 PM |
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| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-12-7 12:31:19 PM |
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| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-12-7 12:09:30 PM |
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| Posted by: Shipman 2003-12-7 11:52:23 AM |
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| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-12-7 11:43:32 AM |
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| Posted by: Mike 2003-12-7 10:38:40 AM |
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| Posted by: Shipman 2003-12-7 8:10:11 AM |
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| Posted by: Charles 2003-12-7 3:20:34 AM |
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| Posted by: Lucky 2003-12-7 1:24:55 AM |