Hi, I’m Karim.
I grew up in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where power cuts out and networks drop. You learn early that infrastructure isn’t a given. That shapes how I think about systems.
I work as a builder and solutions architect. I care about things that work for people, which sounds obvious until you notice how many systems are built for dashboards, for the people who built them, or for “normal” conditions that don’t exist in the places that need them most. I still build for Sierra Leone. I probably always will.
What I’ve come to believe
- Complexity is a choice. Most systems are harder than they need to be because nobody did the work of making them simple.
- Technology should disappear. If you have to fight a tool every day, it’s the wrong tool.
- Understanding beats cleverness. I’d rather ship code I can read in six months than code that impresses today.
- Systems shape behavior. Bad systems push good people into shortcuts. Good systems make the right thing the easy thing.
- Nobody owns the boring parts. That’s usually where things break.
Beyond the code
Not everything here is about technology. I think about fatherhood, how we work, and what it means to build something that lasts. I read history, business, and the occasional novel when someone insists. I’m skeptical of most productivity advice, but I still read it anyway.
What this is
A chronicle: engineering, ideas, whatever I’m turning over. I write because it helps me think. If something resonates, I’d like to hear about it.
Say hello: karim@sawaneh.me, or find me on GitHub.