Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone, which means “Lion Mountains”, is a very diverse country located on the west coast of Africa. Sierra Leone is impressively known for the country’s wealth in diamonds, also known as “blood diamonds” because of the blood that is shed to get these diamonds. The country is home to approximately 6.3 million people. Although English is the country’s official language, the languages of Temne, Mende, and Krio are also spoken. Sierra Leone’s inhabitant history, first contact with the Portuguese and British, transition from imperialism to freedom, and its modern nation is what makes the country unique. Limba, Capez, and Sape are believed by scholars to be the first inhabitants of Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone consists of about 18 different…

In the case of Sierra Leone, the war was prolonged primarily by greed with regards to the diamond resource (mis)management. After a “golden era” of democracy and good governance in 1961 with Sir Milton Margai as first Prime Minister, the politics of mismanagement started in 1964 when his brother Albert took over power (Iro, 2009; Hirsch, 2001). He regarded the state as an instrument for personal power and this way of thinking prevailed in Sierra Leone, dominating the mind-set of the political…

Sierra Leone was inhabited by early Africans over two thousand years ago but became part of the United Nations in 1961 when they gained their independence from the British. Sierra Leone had been a colony of Britain ever since 1808. As like the entire world, there was a great influence that came from Africa. Britain actually used Sierra Leone as a great educational ground by establishing the only University in Sub-Saharan Africa. However the British tried to over step their boundaries by…

The name "Sierra Leone" goes again to 1462, when Portuguese wayfarer Pedro da Cintra, cruising down the West African coast, saw the tall mountains ascending on what is currently the Freetown Peninsula and called them the "Lion Mountains," or " Serra Lyoa ." Successive visits by English mariners and later British colonization changed the name to "Sierra Leone." Despite different local varieties in dialect and neighborhood customs, Sierra Leoneans today are united by numerous components, for…

Sierra Leone is made up of some very harsh conditions in their country. The living conditions in this country are some of the worst in the world. The conditions, such as the housing, has not progressed in recent years. In fact, the so-called traditional house in Sierra leone is a clay and earth structure with a thatch roof (Henry). The houses are either round or rectangular with a veranda and two to three interior rooms (Henry). The kitchen is most often located outside of the house where the…

There are many reasons that could explain underdevelopment in Sierra Leone, and for that matter in many African countries with shared experiences and similar backgrounds. The eleven-year civil conflict in Sierra Leone resulted in a large scale devastation of the economy, and of basically everything else in the country. The conflict has been perceived as the most important cause of poverty and underdevelopment in the country today. However, a civil conflict doesn’t just simply boil up out of…

Introduction: Gender inequality towards women in Sierra Leone can be described as inequitable or impractical compared to the equality of women in developed/western countries. The roles women are expected to play are general expectations such as cooking, cleaning, and staying at home with the children, leaving women in Sierra Leone with very little to no chance of stepping out of these expected roles to prevent being stigmatized or possibly killed (Luna 2016). According to the Social Institutions…

In 1991, Abu and 30 other young men were kidnapped from their homes in Kuiva, a village in eastern Sierra Leone. Hundreds of children including Abu were forced by the Liberian mastermind Charles Taylor to fight with the rebels. With all of the drugs and alcohol that they are forced to take, Abu can’t remembered the first time that he killed. Charles Taylor, then President of Liberia, was charged with 11 counts of war offenses and crimes against civilization for the help to launch the Sierra…

The Sierra Leone Civil War began in March 1991 and ended in January 2002 after the signing of the Lomé Peace Accord three years earlier and the consolidation of power under President Kabbah. Under Foday Sankoh, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) invaded Sierra Leone in March 1991 from the South in conjunction with Charles Taylor’s NPFL forces, in an attempt to overthrow President Joseph Momoh’s government. Since the government was unable to respond effectively to the RUF, and since diamond…

of a poverty ridden community through the abusive use of power, place, and people and undocumented use of national resources for personal satisfaction, Sierra Leone is constantly fought over for the resources she holds. Many lobbyist groups exist who seek to control and address the policies about the abundant resources present in Sierra Leone, consequently the country is constantly crippling from within. To understand the inner reality of the diamond industry in Sierra Leone, there is a need to…