Bermuda's school children are using their artistic talents to show their concerns for what is going on in the African nation of Sierra Leone.

More than 100 paintings by primary school children adorn the walls of Rock Island Cafe on Reid Street as customers at that establishment are made aware of the internal armed conflict in the country.

And last Friday students at CedarBridge Academy launched a penny drive called `Give a Penny and Save Many' to raise funds for the people of Sierra Leone.

Activists Lynn Thompson and Natasha Rosdol are pleased with the way the children have responded to the cause, explaining that the pictures at Rock Island Cafe will soon be coming down, packaged and sent to Sierra Leone.

"The pictures represent international efforts,'' said Ms Thompson, a member of the Sierra Leone Action Network which was started in Bermuda.

Said Ms. Rosdol: "We're trying to bring an awareness of the situation into the schools. With the younger ones you have to be a bit more subtle, so what we're focusing on with the younger ones is getting them to express, through pictures, how they feel about Sierra Leone.'' Also hanging on the walls are drawings from children in Sierra Leone, depicting life in their war-torn country. It is estimated that more than 5,000 children under the age of 18, both boys and girls and some as young as five, have fought as combatants in Sierra Leone's internal conflict which began in 1991.

At the centre of the conflict is the control of the country's lucrative diamond trade.

Children have been specifically singled out for recruitment by both the armed opposition and forces fighting in support of the government. Most of the children fighting with rebel forces have been abducted from their homes and families and forced to fight.

Victims themselves, they have also been perpetrators of human rights abuses, sometimes against members of their own families and communities. Many have been forced to kill and mutilate under the influence of drugs, alcohol or simply because of fear.

Former child combatants often say they do not know why Sierra Leoneans are killing Sierra Leoneans, but the effects will be seen for many years to come, both emotionally and physically, with the loss of limbs a chilling reminder of the suffering in the country of four-and-a-half million.

"Half the population in Sierra Leone is under the age of 18 so we're looking at a couple of generations down the road with the trauma of this, psychologically alone,'' said Ms. Thompson.

"The repercussions of this is going to be so drastic that we don't know what's going to happen in the future.'' Both Ms Thompson and Ms Rosdol have visited local schools to talk with the students either in their classes or at the assembly.

"The primary schools have been most supportive of it,'' said Ms Rosdol.

"And the churches have been really good. The Holiness churches, who are missionary anyway, are really getting into it.'' Said Ms Thompson: "The way I do it is I go into a primary class and introduce the image of Africa, draw a map of Africa on the board, write Sierra Leone and have an interaction with the children.

"You ask a child `when you think of Africa, what is your first image' and it's interesting that there have been a few children that the first thing they said is bombs and soldiers.

"One child's father was from Nigeria and although he was only about five he could tell me about land mines. It is fascinating for a child that young to talk so openly about that.

"Through the kids you are reaching the parents and the parents are taking an interest in what their children are interested in and it builds that public awareness on a continual basis,'' said Ms Thompson.

"The schools have committed themselves to long term projects.'' From talking with children in the schools, it is evident how much their young minds are absorbing.

"A child doesn't know what another child is going through in another country unless you tell them,'' Ms Thompson stressed.

"They are not afraid to ask questions,'' added Ms Rosdol.

"And you have to answer those questions in a subtle sort of way,'' Ms.

Thompson says.

The conflict in Sierra Leone continues despite the government and the armed opposition Revolutionary United Front (RUF) signing a peace agreement in July, 1999 to end Sierra Leone's eight-year conflict. The difficult task of disarming and demobilising very large numbers of child combatants and helping them to return to a normal life with their families and communities began.

While some progress was being made towards securing the release, disarmament and demobilisation of child combatants following the signing of the peace agreement, further efforts have since been curtailed. The political and security situation in Sierra Leone deteriorated in early May 2000 with the capture of some 500 UN peace-keeping troops by rebel forces and a resumption of hostilities.

One woman at the cafe, a native of Tobago whose husband is from Sierra Leone, says exposing the plight of the Sierra Leone people to the young is a positive thing.

"It's good for the young people of Bermuda, particularly the children, to become aware of the tragedy that is taking place and to understand the human dimensions of the conflict,'' said the West Indian who asked that her name not be used.

"My husband was last there when he was about ten years old. He's going to make a trip to Ghana in the next two weeks, perhaps because he can't get to Sierra Leone. He has an uncle and cousins there.'' She added: "What one hopes is the younger generation of Bermudians will become more tuned in to things like this and actually recognise their ability to take some kind of action.

"Action doesn't necessarily mean getting on a plane and going to Sierra Leone, but it means raising your voice, taking a positive stand against any kind of violence. It means both children and parents understanding their role as consumers and that the decision to consume or not to consume is a political decision.

"By withholding their capacity to purchase diamonds you can actually make a difference.'' The most common response amongst locals, says Ms Rosdol, is "what does that have to do with Bermuda?'' She is urging adults to get involved in the letter writing campaign, taking a strong stand against what is going on in that country.

"This is not an old boys' club, it involves everybody,'' she stressed. Said Ms Thompson: "Bermuda has got it own comfort zone, it's a place that's idyllic to a lot of people and they really don't want to know what's going on.'' Even 15-year-old Saltus student, `Billy' is doing his bit to bring awareness.

"He was asking his headmaster if he can watch the video (Cry Freetown) with the rest of his class,'' Ms Rosdol disclosed.

"Billy is an activist in his own community. People around the world need to realise that they have to stick around in situations like this and not give up when it gets too sticky.'' According to Ms Rosdol a producer on the Island is willing to help artists produce a music CD to further raise awareness of the plight in Sierra Leone. A website is also being put together to cater to younger children.

The Sierra Leone voice mail number is 291-5406.

Photos by Nigel Richardson Activists: Lynn Thompson (top, left) and Natasha Rosdol sit in front of wall at the Rock Island Cafe on Reid Street which is adorned with paintings from both Sierra Leone and Bermuda children. Above, one example of paintings by Sierra Leone children depicting life in the west African nation of Sierra Leone.