The sea provides opportunities for sea fishing, aqua sports and sub-aqua diving. There are no reefs and the number of wrecks in the area could provide opportunities for sub-aqua archaeological expeditions.

The seacoast itself is interesting and varied from the mangrove swamps of the Sierra Leone river estuary, to the headlands and islands of the mountainous peninsular area and the lower coastal plains to the south.

This provides scope for boat excursions to some of the places or islands of interest, with greater visual interest than travelling by land. The islands range from Bunce Island in the Sierra Leone River estuary with its historic interest, to the rugged promontory of Banana Island rising to over 200m.

There are also a number of small islands such as York Island along the coastline and to the south, Plantain Island.

Fishing

Sierra Leone has some of the world’s most interesting marine life. You can fish for Barracuda in Sierra Leone. Deep-sea fishing is popular along with beach casting. Crayfish is a great favourite here. And if you don’t feel like going out and getting your own, pick your choice from one of the local fishermen or restaurant.

Swimming

With more than 50 km of white sand beaches, Sierra Leone offers calm quiet waters to strong surfs. It’s your choice! Laze in the quiet waters of River No. 2 or surf the waves at Tokeh Beach. From Black Johnson to Bureh Town Beach the choices are endless. At Lakka Beach, there is the choice of the ocean or the pool! If you forget your sun tan lotion, pick some up at one of the grocery stores.

HISTORICAL SITE:

The National Monuments and Relics Commission has 18 declared sites to visit.

Bunce Island

Built in the 17th century, it captures the past in the present. It is at the mouth of the Sierra Leone River, 18km from Freetown. Its major attraction is the ruined fortress. The island was notorious to be the major collection points for slaves destined for Europe and the Americas. The Gullah people of South Carolina are thought to have come from here. A walk along the old fort wall or through the slave quarters, the ruined fort, ancillary buildings, gravesites, slave quarters, and canons will make a visit to the island worth exploring.

Mountain Villages

These villages such as Regent, Bathurst, Leicester and Gloucester are along the hills overlooking the city. They have several interesting krio-style houses, some dating from the early 19th century. From Regent you can walk through krio villages to Charlotte Falls or climb Sugar Loaf Mountain, one of the highest points on the peninsula. The Conservation Society of Sierra Leone can assist with planning hiking routes and elsewhere on the peninsula.

Other areas worth visiting are the Victoria Park, the original Fourah Bay College ruins, Big Market, The Cotton Tree, The National Museum etc. are all historical sites to explore on your visit to Sierra Leone. Villages in the provinces are also perfect settings for visitors to discover the country’s rich culture and tradition intersper with modern civilization. A visit will give you a feel and insight of the history and culture of its people.

The Railway Museum at Cline Town in Freetown

Beyer-Garratt 66-ton steam locomotive, built in Manchester in 1955. The largest locomotive ever built for the 2ft 6in gange system, and pride of the Sierra Leone National Railway Museum.

Water Falls

Charlotte Falls is a perfect place for frolicking in the cool pools or to enjoy a picnic. Bumbuna Falls in the Northern Province; home to the hydroelectric dam is also famous for eco tourism activities. Guma Valley Dam is also renowned as a picnic spot. Whether looking for a picnic site or wanting to discover the tranquil ambience of the eco – system, venture out to these exotic places.

TACAGUMA CHIMPANZEE SANCTUARY

A sanctuary for orphaned and captured chimps is located at Regent Village only 30 minutes drive from Freetown. Established to rescue orphaned and captured chimps, the facilities expanded to encompass two large reserves. Come and watch Bruno the king of the sanctuary display the animal form of territorial chief among it subordinates in his natural habitat.

WILDLIFE

The wildlife in Sierra Leone is diverse with 21 protected areas. Some of the interesting areas worth visiting are:

Outamba Kilimi National Park

Found in the northeast of Kamakwie in the Bombali district is a magic place embedded between the rivers Little Scarcies, Lolo and Mongo. Look out for some of the rare elephants and buffaloes and find evidences of them following their paths through the dense bush. See the Hippos relaxing in their pools or listen to the songs of the rich bird life and the alarm calls of the various primates while silently paddling along the river in a canoe.

Mamunta Mayoso

It is a small reserve (20 sq km) that protects the wetland area, 30km south of Makeni, and provides a refuge for many species of birds and small mammals, and the rare short-nosed crocodiles.

Tiwai Island

Tiwai is a beautiful reserve 50km south of Kenema on a small island (13 sp km) in the Moa River. The forest environment is virtually pristine with a high though increasingly threatened concentration of primates. You can hike on tracks all over the island; with careful stalking, you can see chimpanzee, several types of monkeys including the colobus and the beautiful Diana monkey (the symbol of the park), pygmy hippopotamus, crocodile, and more than 120 bird species including hornbill, kingfisher and the rare white-breasted guinea fowl. Tiwai Island is also home to bats, bush babies and hundreds of butterflies.

The easiest way to reach Tiwai is via Potoru by Jeep from Bo

Gola Forest Reserve

Some 40km east of Kenema are the Gola Hills, a pocket of lowland tropical rain forest originally part of the larger forest that once covered much of West Africa’s coastal region. It also hosts several unique species of birds and animals. To get here, head southeast on the Monrovia road to Joru, then 10km east to Lalehun. The Conservation Department in the Forestry Division offices on Maxwell St in Kenema has all information needed.

ISLANDS

Camp out or just explore Banana Island or Turtle Island. Experience the Natural Konakridee-Yeliboya Wetlands or ask your guide for other interesting exotic islands.

Mountain and Hills

Sierra Leone is also known for its mountains and hills. Climb Bintumani Mountain or take a Dip in Lake Sonfon. Tingi Hills is popular for mountain climbing. The Bumbuna Falls offers a special place in the middle of the wilderness.

There are many other interesting and fascinating places to see up country. Ask your Host, Hotel, and Handling Agent or contact the National Tourist Board to arrange something exciting and adventurous.

BUNCE ISLAND (1948)
This Island played an important part in the early history of the Sierra Leone River, in the 17th and 18th centuries, especially before the formation of the Sierra Leone Company and the beginning of Sierra Leone, as we know it today. This island was successively a general trading factory gradually concentrating on the Slave Trade, became a definite slave depot, a timber warehouse, and a recruiting station for the British Army in West Africa.

In 1664, Holland and Great Britain were at war and the famous Dutch Admiral, De Ruyter, sailed to West Africa to destroy British settlements. He re-captured Goree and proceeded to the Sierra Leone River. He sailed up the river and destroyed the Tassoh and Bunce forts and factories. It was during this visit that he engraved his name on the stone now termed the “De Ruyter Stone”, at King Jimmy Wharf.

In 1792 the Royal African Company rebuilt the fort and factory at Bunce Island. The principal articles of trade at this time being elephant tusks, beeswax, cow-hides, gold and “Negroes”. Hostile war ships, pirates and local “war-boy”, often attacked the fort. This happened, for example, in 1695, 1704,1728 and in 1799. The Abolition of the Slave Trade in 1807, however, ended profitable commerce for the island.

Substantial and impressive remains of the buildings still stand today, and the whole layout can be seen with walls and bastions. Many cannons still lye in their original positions. The main residential block, stores, powder magazine and slave quarters are also partially intact.

When it was proclaimed a National Monument in 1948, Bunce Island started to attract visitors. Museum excursions were made to the island every second Sunday during the dry season up till the eighties, when sea craft was more readily available.

HEDDLE’S FARM (1948)
This was the site of a house, which commanded a fine view over Freetown. It is found on the old Leicester Road and dates from 1820. This was a prominent residence, which is now in ruins. It belonged to several notable citizens before passing finally in 1859 to the Hon. Charles Heddle, a leading businessman and pioneer in the groundnut trade. Until it was abandoned, it was in turn a private residence; the country residence of the Governor; a convalescent home; the home of some Commissary Judges (Mrs. Melville, who was the wife of one of the judges, wrote “ A Residence at Sierra Leone”). Heddle sold it to the Government and it was last used as the Residence of the Comptroller of Forestry, when the extensive gardens were maintained by the Forestry Department. Sometime between 1962 and 1966, Heddles Farm became part of the Botanical Gardens of Fourah Bay College.

THE DE RUYTER STONE (1948)
This is Freetown’s oldest monument. It lies buried 6 feet underground, just above the high water mark at the King Jimmy Market, near the Connaught Hospital. Mentioned by early travellers in ships journals, it was covered by silt and was only re-discovered in 1923 when a concrete drain-off was being built to direct the waters of Peter’s Brook, beside the then new market building. The spring at this point was well known to all mariners on the West Coast of Africa as the best watering place in the region. It was then known as “King Jimmy Water” and is now called “Peter’s Brook”.

In 1664, during the Anglo-Dutch War, the famous Dutch Admiral De Ruyter sailed to Sierra Leone in order to destroy British settlements. He sacked Bunce Island and Tasso Island. He watered at King Jimmy and triumphantly recorded his visit by having his name and that of his second in command inscribed on a rock beside the clear brook, Peter’s Brook. The inscription on the syenite stone reads as follows:

“M.A. Ruyter. I. C. Mellon, Vice Admiralen, West Fries, Vant A.D. 1664”

After inspection in 1923, the stone was reburied as protection against vandalism and weathering. It has since then been uncovered every ten years (1948, 1958, 1968, 1978 and 1987) for inspection and re-buried waiting the time when finances will be available to erect a permanent building over it which will allow viewing as well as protection.

THE BASTIONS OF FORT THORNTON (1949)
The fortifications of Smith’s Hill (now known as Tower Hill) were built from 1792 to 1805. Inside the fort were the Governor’s house, Government offices, such as the Post Office and the barracks for the garrison. When the buildings were being re-constructed to make way for the new State house (the present building), the Commission thought it necessary to have the bastions proclaimed a national Monument so as to incorporate them into the new building. Fort Thornton is in very good repair, but much restored from the original, and beautifully laid out with well-maintained gardens. Several strategically placed cannons remind one of the original purposes of the fortress. Unfortunately these cannons are now painted white, destroying their natural beauty and perhaps their value as relics.

THE REMAINS OF THE EARTH WORKS AND LIVE STOCKADE AT MASAKPAIDU (1949)
Masakpaidu is an abandoned village in Kono in Nimmi Yema Chiefdom and was one of several villages in the region fortified in pre-protectorate days. This fortified village of Masakpaidu dates back to about 1800.

The village was at the point where the Rivers Bafi and Bagwa unite to form the Sewa River, and was situated on a flat piece of raised ground. 12-foot stakes of the Cotton Tree enclosed the fortified area. Some of these tree stakes took root and the stumps remain till today. Outside the row of stakes was a ditch about 300 yards long. The depth of the ditch is now 6 feet below ground level on the inner side, and the distance to the top ramp of the outer wall is 9 feet; the width is about 12 feet. The ditch must have filled up with time, and is believed to have been much deeper. There were originally two entrances to the stockade, with poles place across the entrance to form a bridge. These were taken up at night or when an attack was expected.

The village was finally abandoned when the Sofas under Alimamy sacked it around 1893.

THE GATEWAY TO THE OLD KINGS YARD (1949)
After the abolition of the Slave Trade in 1808, ships in the British Navy, which plied the Atlantic, were largely employed in the suppression of the Slave Traffic to the West Indies and the Americas. The captured vessels were brought to the nearest British possession (Sierra Leone) where a Vice-Admiralty Courts was set up in 1809 to deal with the legal aspects of the liberation of their living Cargoes, namely slaves, and the condemnation of the vessels. In 1891, parts of the duties of the Admiralty Courts were handed to the Court of Mixed Commission. The site of this court was where the General Post Office, now (SALPOST) stands. (A painting of this building, which was commissioned by The Monuments and Relics Commission before the building was demolished, now hangs in the Sierra Leone National Museum).

Rescued slaves were landed at King Jimmy Wharf and taken to a compound, in which they were temporarily housed. This became known as the King’s Yard, and through this passed the immediate ancestors of nearly all the present day Creoles. These were called the Liberated Africans, as distinct from the Nova Scotians, the Maroons and later the people from the then Protectorate. Some famous people like Samuel Adjai Crowther, the first African Bishop (1862-91) of the Anglican Community and John Ezzidio, the first African elected member of the Legislative council, passed through the King’s Yard as boys.

The gateway to the Kings Yard, now leading to a part of the Connaught Hospital, is an impressive piece of architecture with an inscription recording its purpose on a slab over the arch, dated 1819.

The inscription reads:

“Royal Asylum and Hospital for Africans rescued from slavery by British Valour and Philanthropy”.

With the abolition of the Slave Trade and the closing down of the Court of Mixed Commission around 1870 there was no longer any use for this yard. In 1880 it was converted to a Colonial Hospital, which was destroyed by fire in 1920.

THE RUINS OF JOHN NEWTON’S HOUSE AND THE SLAVE BARRACOONS ON PLANTAIN ISLAND (1949)
Plantain Island, it is said, was first occupied by a certain Captain John Plantain from which it takes its name, and not from the presence of plantain groves.

John Newton, the son of a captain in the mercantile marine was born in London in 1725 and died in 1807. He frequently went to sea with his father and became a wild and turbulent youth. During a drunken orgy he was seized by a naval press gang in 1743. Still on account of his continued bad behavior, the captain of the ship on which Newton worked, gladly exchanged him for a sailor off a ship that was bound for Sierra Leone on the West Coast of Africa. Arriving in Sierra Leone and seeing the wealth to be made out of the Slave Trade, Newton obtained his discharge and landed on the Banana Islands, where he entered the services of a white slave trader who later transferred to the Plantain Island.

Newton went back to England (after one year) but returned as a slave trader between the years 1748 and 1754. He accompanied his human cargo to the West Indies and to the southern colonies of America. During those voyages he was noted for his strict religious studies and observances.

After leaving the sea and the Slave Trade he continued his religious studies and became the Curate, at Olney Bucks in England. Here he became a friend of the poet Cowper and collaborated with him on the Olney Hymns. Newton will best be remembered by posterity as a hymn writer. He wrote about six hymns in “Hymns Ancient and Modern”. Some of his best known are “Amazing Grace” (in which he referred to himself as the soul that was lost and then found again), “Jesus, Lover of my Soul” and “How sweet the name of Jesus sounds”.

The remains of the slave factory on the small peninsula on Plantain Island and the remains of John Newton House were proclaimed a national Monument.

THE CLEVELAND TOMBSTONE (1950)
The Tombstone is at present located in the ancestral burying grounds of the Caulker Paramount Chiefs in Tassoh, Kagboro Chiefdom, Moyamba District. The stone is the tombstone erected on the grave of the original James Cleveland who came out to Sierra Leone as a Slave Trader at the same time as the first Skinner, “Caulker” about middle of the 18th century. The tombstone is made of the same stone as those on Bunce Island (the date being 1791) but it is in a much better state of preservation, the only damage being a clean break across the upper third caused by a tree having fallen across it.

James Cleveland settled on the Banana Island and Skinner Caulker settled on Plantain Island. After the death of James Cleveland and Skinner Caulker, their mulatto sons fell out and waged against each other. Thomas Stevens Caulker defeated the Clevelands, took over the Banana Island and carried away James Cleveland’s tombstone and placed it over his own father’s grave at Tassoh. The tombstone was later taken into Shenge Town, but it soon had to be taken back to the sacred Bush as the towns people claimed that it was haunted and that strange images were seen around it at night. The stone is flat and is placed horizontally on a low mound and bears the inscription:

“Sacred to the memory of Mr. James Cleveland, late Proprietor of this Island who departed this life March 24, 1791 in his 37th year of his age. His surviving relative, William Cleveland, has caused this stone to be placed over his grave as tribute to the memory of a worthy man”.

(“This Island” refers to the Banana islands).

THE OLD WHARF STEPS AND GUARD HOUSE (1953)
These are the steps between the old Lower Commissariat and the French Company building, which leads down from Wallace Johnson Street to the landing stage, and have been described as the chief archaeological relic in Freetown. They are often referred to as the Portuguese steps, but this is quite erroneous as they were built centuries after the Portuguese had left this part of African. They were built on the order of Governor, Sir Charles M’ Carthy in 1818, with the Guard House at the top being built in 1819.

THREE OLD CITY BOUNDARY GUNS
At the junction of Kissy, Ross and Blackhall Roads. This marked the Eastern limit of the city in 1800. This is the Kissy Gun and this part of the city is still known as UP GUN. A market was held there regularly until it’ transfer to the Kennedy Street Market in 1953.

At Pademba Road opposite Merewether Road (now Jomo Kenyatta Road), Freetown. This also marked the city boundary then.

On the Leicester or Mountain Road being the first milestone from Freetown.
IMAGE: Dr. Almalzov
These guns were buried, leaving only two or three feet of the muzzles projecting above the ground. When they were declared National Monuments, they were all dug-up and mounted in a vertical position on short stone plinths with explanatory inscriptions in 1953.

THE ORIGINAL FOURAH BAY COLLEGE BUILDING (1955)
This building is situated on Ross Road, Clinetown. It is a massive four-story structure, built of dressed blocks of laterite. Building operations started in 1845 and the building was completed in 1848. Sierra Leone’s first coloured Governor, Staff Sergent Major William Fergusson, laid the foundation stone. It housed the Christian Institution, which in 1876, developed in to the first University College in Black Africa. It was in regular use till the Second World War, when the college was transferred to Mabang in the then, Protectorate Proclaimed a National Monument the building was used as headquarters of the Sierra Leone Government Railway. At present it is used as a Magistrate’s Court.

ST. JOHN’S MAROON CHURCH, FREETOWN (1956)
The Church stands Prominently on the former Westmoreland Street (now Siaka Stevens Street) between Liverpool Street and Percival Street. It is a small white building in the Colonial Architectural style. It is not only on e of the oldest places of worship (it is not the oldest church) but the only one named after one of the three original groups of settlers of the Colony: the Maroons, who arrived in 1800, the Church was erected round about 1820 on land given as a Government grant.

The Maroons were the third group of original settlers in Freetown. The Preservation of this building in perpetuity has ensured that the term “Maroon” will not go into oblivion, as did “Maroon Town” for example.

ST CHARLES CHURCH AND REMAINS OF THE KING’S YARD WALL (1959) REGENT
St. Charles Church Regent, is the oldest stone church in Africa, South of the Sahara and the third oldest in the whole of Africa. Its foundation stone was laid in 1809 and its construction was completed in 1816. It is majestically perched on a hill. Once described by the late Cannon S. S. Williams as “the mount Zion of Sierra Leone” over looking the beautiful village of Regent.

It was Rev. W. A. B. Johnson the first C. M. S. Missionary sent to that part of Sierra Leone that was very instrumental in converting the re-captives to Christian men and women. He witnessed the completion of the edifice in 1816, and throughout his service to the people, he saw the congregation grow from nine to several hundreds. He was regarded as the “Apostle of Regent” He died in 1823.

St. Charles Church was named after Lt. Col. Sir Charles Marcarthy a Roman Catholic who became Governor of the Sierra Leone Settlement in 1814. He was much interested in the villagers, and followed the growth of Christianity among them. He was impressed by the spiritual devotion of the villagers, and so gave a lot of support to Rev. W. A. B. Johnson and the congregation.

It was in recognition and appreciation of his work and support for the church at Regent that the church was named after him.

Since, 1816 the church has undergone several renovations and minor extension. The first was in 1821 when the church was extended westwards and a gallery added to it. In 1913 Rev. N. H. Boston initiated renovation work, in preparation for the Centenary celebration of the church.

The third renovation work was done in 1932 during the incumbency of Canon A. E. Williams. The slate roof of the church was completely removed and replaced by C. I. Sheets. Major extension was done to the Vicar’s Vestry in 1956, converting it to an organ chamber to accommodate part of the church pipe organ, which was the largest pipe organ in Sierra Leone.

In February 1998, during the fight for the liberation of Freetown from the AFRC/RUF Rebels, the church was badly damaged. Through the effort of the parishioners and support of the diocese, the Sierra Leone Government, and other church as abroad, repairs were made to damages. Under the incumbency of Canon A. E. Nicol, the church was rededicated on the 28th June 1998.

Since the birth of the church, twenty-four (24) vicars have served in it. The present Vicar, Rev. F. T. C. Randall is the twenty-fifth.

(a) THE FIRING POINT AND FOUR GUNS NEAR THE OLD WHARF AT DUBLIN, BANANA ISLAND

(b) TWO OLD TOMBSTONES IN THE CEMETERY AT DUBLIN, BANANA ISLAND (1956)
Because many pirates were operating in international waters in the 18th Century, Merchants petitioned the British Government to help them stamp out piracy. Before the slave trade was abolished in 1807 and before the West African Squadron was instituted, a Squadron of the British Royal Navy was sent to the West African coast to do away with piracy. Freetown did not exist at that time and therefore the ships were based at the Banana Island- hence the presence of the guns and the firing point.

There are two tombstones in the cemetery at Dublin. The first one is that of Captain Reid, R. N. and is dated 1712. This is the earliest tombstone found in Sierra Leone, older than any found on Bunce Island. The other is that of Lieutenant J. W. Roberts, R. N. dated 1847.

VICTORIAN FIRE PLACE (1961)
The fireplace belonged to a house called “Waterloo House” which was one of Freetown’s oldest houses. At that time, some of the houses, especially those that were owned by the wealthy, had European-type fireplaces. The fireplaces were destroyed when the houses were either demolished or altered. This happened to “Waterloo House” at No. 2 Charlotte Street, which was demolished. The City Hall is currently occupying the site. The fireplace was declared a national monument and is in storage with the Department of Works at Tower Hill.

THE MARTELLO TOWER, AT TOWER HILL NEAR THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (1961)
The Martello Tower is similar to those, which were built along the south coast of England as protection against possible attacks by Napoleon Bonaparte. The Martello Tower in Freetown was built by Governor Day in 1805 before Fort Thornton was completed. Because of the presence of this Tower, the name of the hill was changed from Wansey Hill to Tower Hill. The Martello Tower was built to protect Freetown against Temne attacks. In 1870, when pipe borne water was introduced, the Tower was truncated and a water tank put on top to supply Government House (Fort Thornton) with water.

When the House of Representatives was to be built, there was talk of demolishing the Tower, but through the efforts of the late Dr. M. C. F. Easmon, the Tower was preserved and proclaimed a National Monument. It was cleverly incorporated into the design of the beautiful new Parliament Buildings.

THE OLD MILITARY BUTTS, (1962)
The old Butts of the rifle range of the military forces are situated at the junction of Hillcot, King Harman and Merewether Roads. They are the remains of a large military establishment that served British West Africa. This monument has now been converted into a modern dwelling house.

THE GRAVE OF CAPTAIN LENDY AT WAIIMA KONO DISTRICT (1965)
Waiima is situated in the Fiama Chiefdom. It was here at Waiima in 1893 that the British and the French Forces who were allies fired accidentally on each other while pursuing Samory’s Sofa Warriors. It was a dark, mystery morning, when the British fought the French, each party mistaking the other for the Sofa Warriors.

By the time the mistake was realized, Captain Lendy on the British side and Lieutenant Maritz on the French side had been killed. Some other soldiers also died together with these two officers. Both Lendy and Maritz were buried on the spot and afterwards their brother officers erected a memorial cross, over them. In 1933 a new and larger memorial was erected incorporating the original cross. The Sierra Leone Government in memory of the soldiers who perished that day erected the new memorial.

Tourism in Sierra Leone is highly beach oriented. The beach areas of Sierra Leone fall into seven groups:

• Sulima, between the Moa and Mano Rivers. A relatively accessible area with good beaches. About 11km in length.
• Turner’s Peninsular, an immense beach bar with an unbroken length of 100km, which appears to have a continuous quality beach.
• Sherbro Peninsular, a similar beach bar, some 40km long on the south of Sherbro Island.
• Shenge, a stretch of perhaps 15km of attractive beach in the Shenge area
• Freetown Peninsular, having a 40km length of coast facing South West from Aberdeen to Kent with exceedingly attractive and varied beaches by the Peninsular Mountains.
• Lungi Beaches, along the Bullom Peninsular. Approximately 15km in length.
• Scarcies Estuary, a beach bar of some 8km in length to the south of the Scarcies estuary.
• The whole Western Coastline from Aberdeen to Kent comprises a series of excellent beaches with a variety of character. The southern shore from Kent to Tombo also has some small beaches of character, but beyond Tombo the coastal area becomes mud flats and swamps. The North Eastern Coastline has small beaches as well.

It is an indisputable fact that wildlife is at a low ebb in Sierra Leone especially in the central area of farming and uncontrolled hunting during the 10 year Civil War, have destroyed much of the habitat and its associated wildlife. The major regions supporting most wildlife species of interest are the forest reserves, Outamba Kilimi National Partk (OKNP) area of Southern Guinea Savanna and some remote mangrove swamps.

The bird fauna is rich and is not heavily exploited by hunting, scanning and trapping. In contrast, mammals and reptiles were subjected to heavy exploitation, especially where human population density was high throughout the civil war.

In 1980, it was estimated (by Teleki, in his report “tenanting and Trapping wildlife in Sierra Leone) that only 200-300 forest elephants remained alive and that they were confined to 4 or 5 localities (Gola forest, Loma Mountains, OKNP, the Kangari Hills and possibly the Tingi Hills). The Leopard is thought to number between 50 and 100 but in scattered and remote area, Chimpanzee estimate for the country stand at 2,000 (large groups occur in the OKNP but at Bumbuna only 2 – 5 apes survived). The larger rivers in the north and east (for example in the OKNP and the Gola Forest areas) support some 200 – 500 hippopotamus, some of these being the rare PYGMY HIPPOPOTAMUS. There are several other rare species in Sierra Leone such as:

Mammals

• Jentinck’s Duiker
• Zebra Duiker
• Bongo
• Sitatunga
• Golden Cat
• Red Columbus
• Olive Columbus
• Manatee

Western Baboon occurs in the North and east in any number (for e.g. OKNP, Loma mountain and Tingi Hills). Hyena is almost extinct but signs were observed at OKNP in 1975. OKNP was in the process of becoming closest to an East African National Park that exists in Sierra Leone.

Birds

• Bareheaded Rock Fowl
• White-Breasted Guinea Fowl
• Rufous Fishing Owl
• Western Wattled Cuckoo Shrike
• Yellow Throated Olive Greenbul
• Gola Malimbe
• Yellow Footed Honey guide
• Nimba Flycatcher

From August 2007:

The world’s biggest diamond, believed to be twice the size of the Cullinan, has been discovered in the North-West Province of South Africa. The find has electrified the diamond community, but the circumstances of the discovery are shrouded in mystery.The diamond is expected to attract furious bidding from buyers worldwide and could fetch up to £15m.

A spokesman for the mining house which made yesterday’s find, Brett Joli, said the diamond was being rushed to a bank vault in Johannesburg and would be kept there for a couple of days “until we calm down and decide what we are going to do”. A security company was being hired to protect the precious stone.

The mining company which made the find has not been identified.

The South Africa Broadcasting Corporation said the stone was said to be twice the size of the Cullinan diamond.

Fred Cuellar, the founder of Diamond Cutters International and author of How to Buy a Diamond, said he first heard about the find a few days ago. “I get a phone call when any rare stone around the world is found and when I heard about this one it was stunning news.

“It caught everybody in the diamond industry offside. There will be a lot of mad bidding from a lot of private individuals as to who is going to buy this stone.”

The Cullinan, which was found near Pretoria more than a century ago, was until recently acknowledged to be the largest cut diamond in the world, weighing in at 530.20 carats. In 1985 it lost the record to the Golden Jubilee, which was found in the same mine as the Cullinan and weighed 545.67 carats.

In its rough state the Cullinan weighed 3,106.75 carats. It now forms part of King Edward’s sceptre and is in the Tower of London.

The Cartier diamond, famous as a gift from Richard Burton to Elizabeth Taylor, weighed a mere 240.80 carats rough and 69.42 carats cut.

Mr Cuellar said the most important information about the latest find was yet to be forthcoming, including whether it is colourless. “The reported size of the stone is accurate, but there are all these other factors we still don’t know and what matters now is how wide, how clear and how well cut it will be.

“Will this diamond rank above the best quality diamonds in the world? I can tell you right now, no. But in as far as the list of the largest diamonds ever found in the world goes, would it make that list? Yes it would.”

He said the first seven people who looked at the stone thought it was industrial grade, but that view has changed and it now appears to be a stone that will be cut into a piece of jewellery.

The quandary facing the owner of the diamond now is how best to cut the stone he said. “The thinking usually is with these types of things, we know how big we could get it but we don’t know how much it will hurt us on the quality side.”

The Cullinan, also known as the Star of Africa, was thought by some to be part of a larger stone which still lies somewhere undiscovered.

There will be interest in who made the find and how they will be rewarded. The black miner who discovered the Excelsior, said to be the second largest uncut diamond ever found, received a horse and saddle, and a sum of money.

Rock stars

· The Cullinan Diamond was discovered in 1905 and at 3,106 carats was the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found. Cullinan I, or the Great Star of Africa – at 530 carats formerly the largest cut diamond – was one of the 105 gems cut from it.

· The Koh-i-noor is part of the British crown jewels. It originated in India but seized by Britain as a spoil of war in 1849. The diamond supposedly brings good luck to female owners and misfortune or death to any male who wears or owns it.

· The Hope Diamond is a large (45.52 carat), deep blue diamond. It is legendary for the curse it supposedly puts on whoever possesses it. Previous owners include Kings Louis XV and XVI and Marie Antoinette.

Sierra Leone is a founder member of the Kimberley Process for diamond exports, which is promoted by the United Nations. This process brings together industry, governments and NGOs to provide certificates of origin for diamonds and to regulate exports to prevent the financing of war through the sale of ‘conflict diamonds’. Since the introduction of the Kimberley Process, Sierra Leone has seen the export of legally mined diamonds increase substantially, surging 66% in 2003 to US$76m (507,000 carats) and increasing further to US$127m in 2004 (692,000 carats). The average price achieved in 2004 was US$183 per carat.

The quality of Sierra Leonean diamonds is renowned, particularly as there have been recovered some spectacularly large stones of very high value from its alluvial deposits; the established diamond fields are concentrated in the Kono (Koidu), Kenema and Bo Districts and are mainly situated in the drainage areas of the Sewa, Bafi, Woa, Mano and Moa Rivers. Alluvial diamond concentrations occur in river-channel gravels, flood-plain gravels, terrace gravels and in gravel residues in soils and swamps.

The largest diamond ever found was the 969.8 ct ‘Star of Sierra Leone’, discovered in the Kono area in February 1972. Two stones were sold in 1996, weighing 188 ct and 283 ct that came from an unspecified location.

Sierra Leone Selection Trust (SLST) commenced alluvial diamond mining in the Kono area in 1934; its mining in the Tongo area commenced in 1954. In 1970 the government acquired a 51% interest in SLST’s assets through the National Diamond Mining Company (NDMC). Peak annual output of these two fields of over one million carats (Mct) per year was achieved in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but output steadily declined thereafter to fewer than 100,000 carats by 1985. Artisinal mining (legal and illegal) also accounted for a significant output in these areas.

Kimberlites, the primary source of diamonds, were first discovered in 1948 in the Koidu area and subsequently at Tongo and Panguma, and were tested by trenching, drilling, bulk sampling and trial mining. At Koidu, the Koidu Holdings Ltd company estimates reserves at approximately 2Mct down to a depth of 300m and further significant resources have also been delineated at the Tongo kimberlite field (a resource of up to 18.9 million carats was estimated by Rex Diamond Mining Corporation Ltd., but this is considered highly speculative – earlier reports estimated approximately 2 million carats).

Trial mining and bulk sampling programmes have been undertaken by Koidu Holdings on the No.1 kimberlite pipe at Koidu, with initial mine production of over 18,000 carats averaging a realised price of US$224 per carat. Koidu Holdings has also recently been awarded a licence over the Tongo diamondiferous kimberlite field.

In 2000 the UN Security Council imposed a worldwide ban on the export of diamonds from Sierra Leone, where the trade helped to pay for weapons used in the civil war.

The embargo intended to crack down on the illegal trade in diamonds exported through neighbouring countries which had funded the campaign of the Revolutionary United Front rebels (RUF) in the east of the country.

The measure prohibited the export of all diamonds except those whose origin is certified by the government in Freetown.

So-called “blood diamonds” from Sierra Leone are making some people’s lives a misery

UN ambassador Jeremy Greenstock

It was proposed by the UK, and the British Ambassador at the UN, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, who said the system would make it more expensive and more difficult for traders to deal in illicit diamonds from Sierra Leone which some people, he said, called ‘blood diamonds.’

bbc.co.uk July 2000

Today though, diamond exports, and the exploitation of other mineral reserves, have helped to bouy the post-conflict economy.

Diamonds were first found in Sierra Leone in the 1930′s and since then they have caused nothing but greed, savagery and war. The ‘banning’ of blood diamonds, or the attempted control was part of a UN led campaign.

Many thousands of innocent people were killed and injured in ensuing wars in Sierra Leone and neighbouring countries.

Back at the beginning of the 1990′s the rebel group Revolutionary United Front (RUF) tried to overthrow the government , trying to say that they wanted to tackle corruption.

In actual fact they enslaved thousands of their own people, treating them worse than animals, they were run by people who only wanted power and greed and the diamonds. The ritually hacked off peoples limbs for the slightest reason.

Courtesy of: Asociated Press

Individuals and diamond merchants need to be absolutely clear they are not buying conflict diamonds or ‘blood diamonds’ as this trade is killing thousands of innocents. Sierra Leone is not the only country this applies to. Many countries across the world are guilty of this and it is the Western countries and consumers that have been buying the diamonds.

The film ‘Blood Diamond’ starring Leonardo Dicaprio brought a lot of welcome attention to this problem:

As discussed before, Sierra Leone is widely accepted as having the highest quality natural diamonds in the world. Slowly but surely this country is being turned around by the President Ernest Bai Koroma.

Mr Koroma promised zero tolerance on corruption in his inaugural speech. He also said he’d fight against the mismanagement of state resources.

Koroma’s All People’s Congress (APC) also won a majority in parliamentary elections held in August 2007.

Ernest Bai Koroma is a 54-year-old insurance broker and says he wants to run Sierra Leone like a business concern.

His predecessor Ahmad Tejan Kabbah is credited with bringing in foreign help to rescue the country. Mr Kabbah stepped down in August 2007 after serving two terms in office.

If properly managed these natural resources, along with Sierra Leone’s other natural resources can bring peace and prosperity to the country, that is the hope.

While peace now reigns in Sierra Leone, and conditions have improved substantially, travellers should exercise caution on the roads outside of Freetown, and avoid the area bordering Liberia and Guinea, where rebel and military activity continue.

severity: Mid-level alert

Fast Facts

Country Full Name

Sierra Leone

Population

5,732,681

Currency

Name: Leone
Code: SLL
Symbol: Le

Electrical Plugs

230V 50Hz

Languages Spoken

Official: English

Time Zones

GMT/UTC +0

Country Dialing Code

+232

Weights & Measures

Metric

Getting There

SN Brussels has twice-weekly flights from Brussels to Freetown and is your best bet from Europe and the US. British-based Astraeus airlines fly twice a week from London Gatwick and Bellview fly three times a week from London Heathrow. Kenya Airways connects to Nairobi through Lagos twice a week.

Bellview also connects Freetown to Accra, Banjul, Dakar, Douala and Lagos; Slok Airlines to Accra, Banjul and Monrovia, Gambia International to Banjul and Dakar and GR-AVIA to Conakry. The airport departure tax is US$40.00 . There continues to be talk about reviving the passenger ferry between Conakry to Freetown.

The main overland route to Guinea is via Pamelap and the road is sealed most of the way to Conakry. All other crossings to Guinea require more patience and less comfort. To Liberia (inquire locally before making this trip) the only practical option is via Zimmi and Bo (Waterside) and this journey takes two days in the dry season.

Getting Around

It’s getting easier to get around Sierra Leone. Bush taxis and poda-podas (minibuses) connect most towns, though not always frequently to the smaller ones, and large comfortable buses link the cities. There is some advantage to renting a vehicle (which always comes with a driver) in Freetown, though the convenience comes with a high cost.

and early migrations, expeditions, and wars gave the country its diverse cultural and ethnic mosaic. Traders and missionaries, especially from the north, were instrumental in spreading knowledge of tools, education, and Islam. The emergence of a modern national identity, however, did not begin until the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when Bunce Island, off the coast of Freetown, became one of the centers of the West African slave trade. Over two thousand slaves per year were channeled through this port, thus increasing the incidence of warfare and violence among the local population. The slaves were especially valued off the coast of South Carolina on rice plantations, where it was discovered they had considerable agricultural expertise.

There are between fifteen and twenty ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, depending on one’s linguistic tendency to “lump” or “split” groups of people speaking different dialects. Relations have been generally cordial among them, and Sierra Leone has largely avoided the racial tension characteristic of other parts of the world. In the recent conflict, for instance, one family may have children fighting for opposing sides, a fact which makes the violence difficult, as well as deeply and personally felt. When ethnic problems do arise, they often do so around the time of national elections, when politicians become accused of catering to the desires of one particular constituency (usually their own ethnic group) in order to gain votes.

Emergence of the Nation. When the slave trade began to be outlawed near the close of the eighteenth century, Sierra Leone became a resettlement site for freed slaves from England and the Americas, thus the name of the capital, “Freetown.” English philanthropists, concerned about the welfare of unemployed blacks on the streets of London, pushed a “benevolent” movement to round them all up and take them back to Africa to settle, where they could begin life anew. Other migrants had been ex-slaves from America who had fought for the British during the Revolutionary War. The English loss had forced them to move to Canada, where they were not entirely welcome. Still others were ex-slaves who had revolted and were living freely in the mountains of Jamaica, until the British conquered the area and deported them to Nova Scotia, from where they emigrated en masse to Sierra Leone. Finally, from the time when the English officially outlawed the slave trade in 1807 up until the 1860s, the British navy policed the West African coast for trading ships, would intercept them, and release their human cargoes in Freetown, in what became a rapidly expanding settlement.

In 1808 Sierra Leone became a British crown colony, ruled under a colonial governor. The British administration favored a policy of “indirect rule” whereby they relied on slightly reorganized indigenous institutions to implement colonial policies and maintain order. Rulers who had been “kings” and “queens” became instead “paramount chiefs,” some of them appointed by the administration, and then forced into a subordinate relationship. This allowed the crown to organize labor forces for timber cutting or mining, to grow cash crops for export, or to send work expeditions to plantations as far away as the Congo. Sierra Leoneans did not passively accept such manipulations. The 1898 “Hut Tax rebellion” occurred as a response to British attempts to impose an annual tax on all houses in the country. The Temne and Mende people especially refused to pay, attacking and looting trading stations, and killing policemen, missionaries, and all those suspected of assisting the colonial government.

Pressures to end colonialism had as much to do with Britain’s weakened position following World War II as it did with the pan-African demands for autonomy. Sierra Leone became an independent, sovereign state on 27 April 1961 with Milton Margai as its prime minister. Ten years later, on 19 April 1971, the country became a republic, with an elected president as the head of state.

National Identity. National identity has been influenced by several factors. Besides the common experiences shared under colonialism or since independence, one of the most important has been the development of the regional lingua franca Krio, a language that unites all the different ethnic groups, especially in their trade and interaction with each other. Another has been the near universal membership, across ethnic lines, in men’s and women’s social organizations, especially Poro among the men, and Bundu,or Sande, among the women.

Ethnic Relations. There are between fifteen and twenty ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, depending on one’s linguistic tendency to “lump” or “split” groups of people speaking different dialects. Relations have generally been good between them, and Sierra Leone has largely avoided the racial tension characteristic of other parts of the world. When problems do arise, they often originate at the time of national elections, with politicians being accused of catering to the desires of one particular constituency (usually their own ethnic group) in order to gain votes.

URBANISM, ARCHITECTURE, AND THE USE OF SPACE

Around the capital, Freetown, the architecture of the houses is somewhat unique. Often wood and clapboard in structure, they are noticeably influenced by Krio and colonial English styles. Also in Freetown, large buildings have become a source of national pride, especially the government State House and the national football stadium, which is a central gathering place for many large events.

Outside of Freetown, the “traditional” house in Sierra Leone is a clay and earth structure, built with a thatch roof. Construction can either be “wattle and daub” (wattle is the frame of a group of poles secured by the intertwining of twigs and vines; this frame is then “daubed” or plastered with soft earth to cover it), or clay and earth blocks, which are dried and hardened in the sun. These construction techniques have the advantage of allowing the house to stay relatively cool inside during the season of hot and dry months. Modern materials are now often incorporated into building techniques, especially zinc sheets for roofs and cement to cover floors and walls. While making the interior of the house considerably less cool during the heat, these materials do allow for more permanent structures needing less maintenance.

Houses are either round or rectangular, and typically offer a veranda, a central parlor, and two or three interior rooms. These may function as bedrooms or food storage areas, or both. More well-to-do

A group of women belonging to a cooperative make garas, a traditional tie-dyed cloth.

people may cluster a group of houses together into a “compound,” sometimes walled off, to separate it from the rest of the village. Kitchens are often located outside the main house, and may be open structures supporting only a roof, as adequate ventilation is needed to maintain the cooking fire. During the sunny days, however, the kitchen is often wherever a woman moves her “three stones,” the large rocks that support a pot, underneath which is built a stick fire. This same area during cool harmattan evenings then becomes a place where children gather to hear stories told from their elders. During the rainy season, however, it is not unusual to see a woman move her pots inside the parlor of the main house to get away from the damp.Older towns and villages are “traditional” in that there are no gridlike “streets” per se, and the houses appear in irregular and sometimes densely packed clumps. More recently constructed areas that have sprung up since the expansion of trade and commerce tend to be organized along railroad lines or streets, and are thus more linear in their order. Depending on the size, almost any village will include shops or market areas, a centralized public court space, a church and/or mosque, a school, wells, and latrines. Near the outside of the village is typically a cemetery, and at either edge of town a carefully defined “Poro” or “Bundu” bush, one area strictly off-limits for women, the other area offlimits for men.

FOOD AND ECONOMY

Food in Daily Life. For almost all Sierra Leoneans, rice is the staple food, consumed at virtually every meal. A Sierra Leonean will often say, without any exaggeration, “If I haven’t eaten rice today, then I haven’t eaten!” Other things are of course eaten—a wide variety of fruits, seafood, potatoes, cassava, etc.—but these are often considered to be just “snacks” and not “real food.” Real food is rice, prepared numerous ways, and topped with a variety of sauces made from some combination of potato leaves, cassava leaves, hot peppers, peanuts, beans, okra, fish, beef, chicken, eggplant, onions, and tomatoes. Bones, particularly chicken bones, are a delicacy, because their brittle nature makes the sweet marrow inside easily accessible.

Along the street one can find snacks such as fresh mangoes, oranges, pineapple, or papaya, fried plantains, potato or cassava chunks with pepper sauce, small bags of popcorn or peanuts, bread, roasted corn, or skewers of grilled meat or shrimp. Local bars in some towns and villages will also sell poyo the sweet, lightly fermented palm wine tapped from the high tops of palm trees. Poyo bars can be areas of lively informal debate and conversation among men.

Sometimes villages, and sometimes families within villages, will have specific taboos or proscriptions against eating certain foods. These are usually attributed to a law handed down from someone’s ancestor, perhaps the founder of the village. The taboo can be a restriction against certain kind of meat or a certain oil, or even against food prepared a certain way. Violation is usually seen as a risky proposition, and can incur the ill feelings of would-be guardians either living or dead.

Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions. Almost all ceremonial occasions such as weddings, funerals, initiations, and memorial services demand the preparation of large platters of rice, distributed to guests until they are full. Depending on the occasion, a portion may also be offered to the ancestors, to honor their memory. Another common practice in this sense is to pour liquor in the ancestors’ honor in the corners of a house. Other food traditions vary with region or religion: Mende Muslims, for instance, will mark a burial ceremony with lehweh, a ball of rice flour mixed with water and sugar, served with a kola nut on top.

Kola nuts are highly valued in and of themselves, and are often associated with greetings, diplomacy, provisions of respect, religious rites, and initiation ceremonies. High in caffeine concentration, they are also used as a stimulant, a clothing dye, and even in the preparation of medicines.

Basic Economy. Subsistence agriculture comprises the mainstay of the rural Sierra Leonean economy. Cash crops such as coffee, cocoa, peanuts, and tobacco are also important, as are small-scale marketing and commodity trade. Sierra Leone is rich in diamonds, bauxite, and gold, but the national economy receives little of the benefits that could come from the official export of these items, due to mismanagement, widespread smuggling, and corruption.

Land Tenure and Property. All the territory of an administrative chiefdom is technically held by the paramount chief. Underneath this authority, older families who can prove descent from a village founder then control the land close to their home. An elder male of the lineage usually administers land to those who request a plot to farm. This is most often to members of his extended family, but may include strangers who provide a gift of respect, and usually some portion of the ensuing harvest.

Commercial Activities. Sierra Leone’s economy is largely informal, with small-scale marketing and trading of basic commodities, especially cloth, cigarettes, shoes, pots and pans, and mats. Women particularly dominate the market trade in foodstuffs.

Major Industries. Food processing (especially of flour, oil, rice, and fish) is one of the major industrial activities in Sierra Leone. Mining was for years the dominant industry, especially of rutile, bauxite, and diamonds. Also, because of Sierra Leone’s beautiful beaches and “exotic” wildlife (hippos, chimpanzees, and monkeys), the tourist industry once thrived. Since the beginning of the 1991 conflict, however, official mining and tourism have stopped.

Trade. Besides the cash crops listed above, illegally smuggled diamonds have become a dominant item of trade. High in value only to foreign countries, they have played a major part in subsidizing the rebellion that has spread across Sierra Leone. International marketers who bought them came to recognize their own role in inadvertently funding the conflict, and publicly renounced any dealing in Sierra Leonean diamonds. Yet small and easily concealed, Sierra Leonean diamonds are now simply carried across national borders where they are sold to the same international marketers as “Liberian” or “Guinean” in origin.

Division of Labor. Like most big cities, Sierra Leone’s urban areas offer a variety of occupational specialties, especially in small-scale trading, government, and industry. Downturns in the national economy, however, have made full-time salaried jobs extremely hard to procure, especially if one’s family is not well connected. Village-level occupations are dominated by farming, but include traders, hunters, midwives, marketers, religious specialists, educators, policemen, and blacksmiths. Young men aged eighteen to twenty-nine are often attracted to mining jobs and the idea of “striking it rich,” but the poor and exploitative conditions of the work often make their ventures short or seasonal, lasting between a few months and several years.

SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

Classes and Castes. Sierra Leonean society is in some ways a stratified one. The traditional elite families are those who can trace descent (usually through the father’s line) to a warrior or hunter who first settled in the area. These families then control and administer land, a valuable asset in a

A thatched hut stands in a village on the south coast of Sierra Leone. Such traditional buildings stay cooler than those with zinc roofs and cement walls and floors but require more maintenance.

subsistence society, which puts them in an advantageous relationship to non-landholders. People who want to acquire the right to farm must show respect to an elder from this family (usually, but not always, a male), who may then grant them use of the land.Colonial administrators in some ways exacerbated these differences between people, by favoring those elite families who supported their agenda with urban employment opportunities, political appointments, and education.

Symbols of Social Stratification. Some Sierra Leoneans will claim that one of the most persistent and negative impacts of colonialism was to pass along a taste for Western values and European goods, and the belief that anything African is relatively inferior. Thus one indicator of a high social status is the accumulation and display of Western accoutrements: Western clothing, English speech, satellite television, and Mercedes-Benz cars (or increasingly, sport-utility vehicles).

POLITICAL LIFE

Government. Under the terms of the constitution, executive power is vested in the president, who is directly elected by the people. The president appoints a cabinet of ministers, responsible for various government departments. There is also multiparty legislative power vested in an eighty-member Parliament, whose members are elected to five-year terms. Paramount chiefs serve in “District Councils,” which in turn elect representatives to the legislature. Finally, there is a system of courts with a chief justice as head.

Leadership and Political Officials. Sierra Leone’s political customs are often referred to as “patrimonial,” in that elected officials become “patrons” to their voter base, the “clients.” Clients expect patrons to share some of the benefits or entitlements of their office, and in return give them electoral support. This system became somewhat strained in the last thirty years of the twentieth century, as widespread political corruption drained many resources that would otherwise have been distributed. Yet in general, Sierra Leoneans respect almost any high-ranking official, regardless of political affiliation. Deference may be shown upon meeting with a slight bow, formal speech, and supporting the right arm with the left when shaking hands.

Social Problems and Control. In March 1991, an attack on a small southern village by a group of armed Sierra Leoneans, Liberians, and Burkinabes calling themselves the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) began what has become a nine-year civil conflict. Tens of thousands of people have lost their lives, and almost all of the population has at one time been displaced, either within or across national boundaries. Though initially supported by the National Patriotic Front of Liberia, the RUF later claimed its own populist political reform agenda to end corruption, reduce reliance on foreign aid, and usher in peace between all ethnic groups. Dramatic violence waged against innocent civilians, however, and the failure of government actions—including genuine political reforms and concessions granted to the RUF—to produce a consistent peace, has fueled popular skepticism about the legitimacy of RUF claims. Unlike conflicts in Europe or other parts of Africa, the Sierra Leone war has largely avoided ethnic divisiveness. Most analysts attribute the current violence to a mixture of war-inspired, socially marginalized youth fighting continued exclusion, and increased criminal control over the highly profitable, illicit diamond trade.

A problematic legacy of the war will certainly be the large number of guns and light weapons that have entered Sierra Leone since the breakup of the Soviet Union. Kalashnikov rifles, usually channeled into Sierra Leone by foreign arms merchants, can be bought for several dollars. Their widespread prevalence coupled with the intense poverty of the country is a virtual guarantee that extortion, highway banditry, and attacks on civilians will remain a dire social problem for years to come.

Military Activity. Sierra Leone’s military is currently attempting reorganization. There are an estimated forty-five thousand total combatants that previously made up the different factions of the war—ex-Sierra Leone army soldiers, civilian militias, and RUF rebels. Few of these have followed up on agreements made to disarm and return to civilian life. Nigeria maintains some troop presence in the country, and a force of over ten thousand United Nations peacekeepers is currently in place, although their mandate has proven somewhat limited.

SOCIAL WELFARE AND CHANGE PROGRAMS

Steady economic decline coupled with rising international debt has severely limited Sierra Leone’s ability to provide basic social welfare programs to its citizens. Smuggling, corruption, worldwide recession, and a large informal economy have all posed real problems to official attempts to remedy

Buyers and sellers at the Freetown open air market. Sierra Leone’s economy is largely informal, and women dominate the food market.

the situation. Structural adjustment policies by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have often further exacerbated these problems by increasing the income disparity between people, and orienting the economy toward the repayment of loans rather than the subsidization of basic public services.

NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHER ASSOCIATIONS

The state’s declining ability to meet basic health, education, and welfare needs has meant a corresponding increase in the number and activities of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the country. There are a wide variety of local and international NGOs who compete for funding from international donors in order to implement projects in economic and infrastructural development, health and sanitation, agriculture, and education. Most of their programs are “vertical,” so called because they are designed and funded by external agencies according to Western priorities. Since 1991, international relief agencies have become an even bigger presence, bringing aid to Sierra Leonean refugees and internally displaced people who have fled the violence surrounding their homes.

GENDER ROLES AND STATUSES

Division of Labor by Gender. Women are the backbone of Sierra Leonean labor. Men do the physically intense work of clearing fields and plowing swamps, but planting, harvesting, weeding, gathering wood, cooking, cleaning, marketing, and child care are duties often shouldered by women. Young children, especially girls, are encouraged to help their parents with minor household chores and farm work, and early in life take pride in their ability to contribute to the welfare of the household.

The Relative Status of Women and Men. The relative status of women is a bit paradoxical. On the surface, they seem to have low status—women technically live under the authority of the men they marry, have fewer legal rights, less formal education, and lower literacy rates. Yet in reality, women’s relationship to men is more complementary than subordinate, due mostly to the considerable power and solidarity gained through the collective formed by the near universal membership in the women’s Bundu or Sande societies.

Though some have pointed out that the women’s societies stratify as much as they unify, others have noted how they provide substantial resources and skills that allow women to independently manage problems and control their lives. A society can, for example, autonomously determine laws that regulate proper social conduct and relations between genders, with codes as binding for men as they are for women. A girl’s initiation gives her womanly status, allowing her to marry and bear children, activities which help her gain further prestige. A less tangible but important benefit is that society membership often enshrouds women with a certain mystique that confounds men, who become unable to explain the “womanly knowledge” and secrets over which the society presides.

MARRIAGE, FAMILY, AND KINSHIP

Marriage. For all Sierra Leoneans, marriage is a mark of adult maturity and brings considerable prestige to both bride and groom. Specific customs vary by ethnic group and socioeconomic status, but usually begin when a man is able to assemble enough brideprice (often a mixture of money and fine cloth) to give to the prospective bride and her family. He may be able to amass this himself, but often has to ask his father and his father’s brothers for support. Almost all marriages used to be arranged between families, sometimes while the girl was still quite young. Increasingly, “love marriages” are more common, especially among those who have been to school.

Domestic Unit. The basic household structure is an extended family, organized for the majority of people around the farm and its rice production. Many households are polygynous, where a husband may have more than one wife; the first or “senior” wife usually has some authority over “junior” wives, such as in training and organizing them into a functional unit. Monogamy is also common, especially among urban and Christian families. Sierra Leoneans love children, and larger households tend to have more prestige. Having many children is in fact an investment of sorts, which, though initially expensive to maintain, eventually allows a family to accumulate wealth by creating a large and diverse labor pool, by gaining brideprice for its daughters, and by strategically marrying off children to create new alliances with other families.

Inheritance. Inheritance laws most often favor the male heirs. Upon the death of a male household head, rights of inheritance usually pass first to his eldest living brother. This is most often land and personal property, but may even include the deceased’s wives, if they are willing, and any young children. If there are no living brothers, inheritance passes to the eldest adult son. There are exceptions to this, most notably among the coastal Sherbro women, who may be heads of households, village chiefs, or even lineage heads; it is not unusual in these circumstances for women to become trustees of land or property.

Kin Groups. Kinship networks are extremely important in everyday matters, in that one is obligated to assist one’s family members throughout life. The majority of people are patrilineal, and so sons (and sometimes daughters) usually obtain rights to land through their father’s side. Kin groups also play an important part in hearing legal cases and settling disputes before they are referred to a neutral third party. Thus, upon marriage, a man and a woman may each prefer to settle near their own kin, as this confers them distinct political and economic advantages. Though rights and responsibilities exist on both sides of one’s family, maternal uncles are often particularly important figures, offering both obligations and entitlements to an individual.

A colonial period house in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

SOCIALIZATION

Infant Care. Mothers carry infants close to them at all times, strapped to their backs by a brightly colored cloth or lappa. Babies are breast-fed on demand, often for well over a year, although solid foods, usually rice pap, may be introduced at a young age. Both the extended family and the community share responsibility in rearing infants and children. It is not even unusual for a mother to “give” her child to a trusted friend or relative, though she of course would still play an active part in the child’s life.

Child Rearing and Education. Providing they can afford school fees, most parents will try to send their children to at least several years of formal schooling. This is often Western-style education, although Arabic schools are an option in many areas. Outside the formal system, the men’s and women’s societies have historically provided important instruction for proper behavior—boys may learn the arts of proper male social conduct, including conflict mediation and forest survival; girls similarly learn crucial social, household, and childbearing skills to prepare them for womanhood. Traditionally this instruction could last more than a year; increasingly, however, pressures from school and urban environments have shortened this time to a month or less.

Higher Education. Many schools outside Freetown (both primary and secondary) have been closed since the beginning of the 1991 conflict. There has thus arisen some social concern over what the effects may be of a generation raised without access to formal education. This is one advantage recognized by refugees who have crossed over into Guinea and Liberia—relief agencies usually provide free schooling for refugee children and youth.

ETIQUETTE

Sierra Leoneans as a rule are extremely polite and manner-conscious. Much attention is given, especially in urban areas, to one’s neatness of dress and style of presentation. Courteous and eloquent greetings are a way of life. Elders are especially respected. The “good” host is always a giving host, one who will call any passerby to join in a meal by a wholehearted, “Come, let’s eat.” It is polite as a guest to leave some food on the plate, thanking the host profusely for his or her generosity.

Churchgoers outside a church in Freetown. About 10 percent of the population is Christian, but Christians sometimes continue to observe indigenous religious customs.

RELIGION

Religious Beliefs. Reports often list Sierra Leoneans as 60 percent Muslim, 10 percent Christian, and 30 percent “indigenous believers.” These kinds of numbers often mask the degree to which religious beliefs in Sierra Leone may be flexible and accommodating. One can go to a Christian church on Sunday, for example, and still make a sacrifice to one’s ancestors for good fortune. Likewise, Muslim rituals may appear to dominate in some areas, yet these can become mixed with indigenous ideas or customs.

Religious Practitioners. Besides Muslim and Christian holy leaders, there are a number of indigenous religious practitioners who are able to mediate with the spirit world. These include diviners, healers, men’s and women’s society elders, and witchcraft specialists.

Rituals and Holy Places. Churches, mosques, and society clearings in the forest or town occupy central positions in Sierra Leonean religious life and serve as focal points for organizing religious activities, especially toward God or ancestral spirits. Water is often considered especially important and many religious rituals take place near the edges of lakes, rivers, or streams.

Death and the Afterlife. Specific burial customs may vary by region or religion, yet practically all of them encompass a firm conviction in the existence of God and the spirit world, and especially in the abilities of one’s deceased ancestors to intervene in the activities of everyday life. Sacrifices, ritual remembrances, and prayer are made in order enlist ancestors’ support and good favor.

MEDICINE AND HEALTH CARE

The United Nations estimates that Sierra Leone has the highest death rate in the world, and the second highest infant morality rate (195 out of every 1,000 infants die within a year of birth). Life expectancy at birth in 1995 was only 34.1 years, down significantly from previously improving figures.

Even factoring in war-related violence, malaria is still the number one health threat. Schistosomiasis, bloody diarrhea, tetanus, measles, and polio are also endemic in some areas. Access to clean drinking water and adequate sanitation, especially in the rural countryside, is limited.

Medical facilities are extremely strained and are continuing to decline, especially since the 1991 conflict began. Yet even before this, the centrally organized national health service reached only an estimated 35 percent of the population, with less than 1 percent of annual government expenditures being allocated to health care. There are also an array of widely used indigenous practitioners, including midwives, broken-bone specialists, herbalists, society leaders, and Muslim-based ritual specialists.

SECULAR CELEBRATIONS

Outside of the major Muslim and Christian holidays, Sierra Leoneans also celebrate New Year’s Day (1 January), National Independence Day (27 April), Labor Day (1 May), and National Day (9 August).

THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES

Support for the Arts. Government funding for the arts has been extremely limited and most artists are self-supported.

Literature. There are rich and lively traditions of storytelling across Sierra Leone. The most famous storytellers (sometimes endearingly called “liars”) can manage to earn a living from their trade, though mostly these traditions are informal affairs, and start when children gather around an elder under the full moon once the evening chores are done. There are also critically acclaimed Sierra Leonean novels, such as The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar, by Syl Cheney-Coker (Heinmann Books).

Graphic Arts. Among the graphic arts practiced in Sierra Leone are woodcarving, tie-dyeing, batik-printing, textile and fabric design, and basket making.

Performance Arts. A few famous Sierra Leonean musicians have gained widespread appeal both at home and abroad, such as “S. E. Rogers,” “Calendar,” “Dr. Oloh,” and “Salliah.” There is even a national dance troupe that travels around the world. To a large extent, however, participation in the arts is widely diffused and informal; dancing, painting, singing, storytelling, tie-dying, weaving, and drumming are widely practiced skills, the learning for which is often begun in childhood.

THE STATE OF THE PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Fourah Bay College (now the University of Sierra Leone) was the first university in West Africa, and was historically one of the centers for African scholars of law, medicine, and education. Its operation is currently severely strained, however, from inadequate funds, decaying infrastructure, and poorly paid professors. Several teachers’ colleges around the country have similarly become either strained or closed, especially since the 1991 conflict.

source: www.everyculture.com

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