From twerking policemen to acrobatic footballers, residents rejoice in Block Jones clip celebrating end of the country’s epidemic

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Sierra Leonean rapper, Block Jones, is a master of understatement. “Ebola passed by the nation, it caused some frustration,” he sings in a music video released to mark the end of the epidemic that ravaged the country, infecting 8,704 people and killing 3,589.

The virus wiped out entire families, devastated communities and forced people to change their lives after the first case was identified in May 2014.

WHO officially declares Sierra Leone Ebola-free Read more

But on Saturday the country marked 42 days since any new cases were diagnosed. This, according to the World Health Organisation, means that it is safe to declare the epidemic over.

“Thank God it’s gone, a new day has come,” raps Jones, in the song featuring the Freetown Uncut collective. The video is called Bye Bye Ebola, and it might just be the most heartwarming three minutes on the internet.

It shows staff in Ebola treatment centres, fully garbed in their protective rubber suits, dancing in empty wards. You will see policemen twerking at the checkpoints that were vital to prevent the disease’s spread of the disease.

In another scene burial teams break it down in front of makeshift hearses. Meanwhile, football players do backflips, traders twirl merchandise and fishermen balance precariously on boats as they all perform the west African dance Azonto.

Even President Bai Koroma gets involved, holding up a “V for Victory” sign in his office. It is like the whole nation is dancing in the streets. This is catharsis, Sierra Leone-style.

The video mirrored the jubilation displayed at the official ceremony to declare the country Ebola-free in the capital. Freetown was transformed into a giant carnival at the weekend as ecstatic crowds took to the streets in an outpouring of emotion.

There may be no new cases of Ebola but the long-term consequences of the epidemic are manifesting themselves in the country’s poor economic performance, and the health system will take years to recover.

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Yusuf Kamara, a healthcare worker and Ebola survivor who lost 16 members of his family, gave a speech at the ceremony: “For us, Ebola is not over,” he said. “We need your help to treat the many, many health problems we still suffer from.

“And remember those who died at the hands of Ebola, and especially the children who have been affected by this outbreak.”

It also of concern that neighbouring Guinea, the source of the Ebola outbreak, is still battling with new infections.

Doctors Without Borders warned that: “As long as Ebola remains on the doorstep of Sierra Leone, the risk of new cases in the country will exist. Vigilance and the capacity to respond quickly to eventual cases must be maintained not only in Sierra Leone, but across the West African Region.

It added: “Further, caring for the country’s 4, 051 Ebola survivors remains a big challenge. Many survivors have reported a number of medical ailments, including vision problems, fatigue, joint pain, symptoms of depression and generalised body.”