By Emma Black
In the shimmering glow of Freetown’s nightlife from the sandy stretch of Lumley Beach to the tucked-away lounges of Wilkinson Road a sweet-scented trend is catching fire. Shisha smoking, also known as hookah, is becoming a popular pastime among Sierra Leone’s youth. But beneath the aroma of fruit-flavored smoke lies a growing health crisis.
I just see it as flavored smoke. It relaxes me, says Ibrahim Koroma, a 21-year-old student lounging with friends at a beachside café. Like many of his peers, he believes shisha is a safer alternative to cigarettes. The water bubbles, the smoke curls into the air, and the party continues.
One shisha session can be as harmful as smoking 100 cigarettes, warns Dr. Amara Sesay, a pulmonologist at Connaught Hospital. The misconception that it’s harmless is fueling a silent epidemic. Dr. Sesay’s department has recorded an increase in respiratory problems among teenagers as young as 17. Symptoms range from chronic coughing and wheezing to early signs of lung damage.
Shisha originating in the Middle East delivers tobacco smoke through water in a multi-stemmed instrument. The addition of fruity flavors and the communal, trendy appeal make it especially attractive to young people.
Unlike cigarettes, shisha in Sierra Leone is largely unregulated, there are no age restrictions, no warning labels, and no public health campaigns to educate users about the risks, the lack of legislation is alarming, particularly as other African countries like Rwanda have taken bold steps to ban shisha entirely.
We’re dealing with a public health time bomb, says Mohamed Bangura, national coordinator for the Youth Health Alliance, we need urgent awareness campaigns, school-based education, and proper regulation. We’re fighting for our children’s lungs and their future.”
Fueling the rise in popularity is the glamorization of shisha on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Videos of young people blowing smoke rings and posing with colorful hookahs get thousands of views. For impressionable teenagers, it’s more than just a trend it’s an identity.
I saw it on TikTok first, admits Mariatu Conteh, a 19-year-old college student, everyone was doing it. But I honestly didn’t know it was harmful. If there were ads or people came to speak to us at school, I’d probably stop.
According to an informal count by the Youth Health Alliance, there are now over 50 known shisha lounges across Freetown alone. With no oversight, many operate openly, serving underage customers.
Dr. Sesay urges immediate action: “We need public education, medical warnings, and strong tobacco control policies. This is not just about smoke it’s about survival.
Despite repeated attempts, the Ministry of Health has not commented on the matter. But with each puff taken by an uninformed teen, the call for government intervention grows louder.
For now, youth-led organizations and medical professionals are taking the lead raising awareness, pushing for policy reform, and warning Sierra Leoneans: the sweet smoke of shisha may be masking a deadly cost.
