By Mark Feldman
Dr. Chernoh Alpha M. Bah, an exiled Sierra Leonean scholar and journalist, is set to embark on a solidarity tour in Europe and Africa in August 2025. The tour aims to raise awareness about the work of Africanist Press and advocate for free speech and academic freedom in Sierra Leone, according to a press release issued on Monday.
Dr. Bah plans to travel to several countries, including Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands. During his trip, he will meet with human rights organizations and policy leaders to discuss ongoing violations of free speech and academic freedom in Sierra Leone. He will address the death threats and harassment he and the Africanist Press have experienced after uncovering high-profile corruption in Sierra Leone.
Dr. Bah is a historian and investigative journalist specializing in the medical and legal history of West Africa. He earned his PhD in History from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he also served as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Public Service at the Chabraja Center for Historical Studies (CCHS). Currently, he is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs.
A co-founder and editor-in-chief of the independent online media outlet Africanist Press, Dr. Bah, has faced death threats and cyber harassment over the past six years due to his investigative work on government corruption. His reports have uncovered financial scandals involving Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio and the country’s First Lady, Fatima Maada Bio. In retaliation, government officials and their supporters in Sierra Leone have launched a harassment campaign against him, accusing him of treason and inciting rebellion. Consequently, Dr. Bah has been living in exile in the United States and unable return to Sierra Leone, despite his desire to continue his work there.
Several human rights organizations and advocates for press freedom, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the American Historical Association (AHA), the Committee of Concerned Scientists (CCS), and the Network of Concerned Historians (NCH), have condemned the attacks and harassment targeting Dr. Bah and Africanist Press. Despite this international condemnation, the harassment has continued without accountability.
The upcoming tour aims to engage European and African leaders in ensuring that their collaboration with the Sierra Leonean government prioritizes the protection of fundamental rights for all Sierra Leoneans, including rights to free speech and academic freedom.
“The goal of the tour is to build solidarity in support of our campaign for free speech and academic freedom in Sierra Leone. We hope to mobilize more global voices in defense of free speech and democracy, not just in Sierra Leone, but across Africa,” Dr. Bah stated.