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Background, Sierra Leone

Jeremy Blackwood
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Sierra Leone derives its name from Portuguese explorers who, when first sighting the land in the year 1405 during a fierce storm, mistakenly interpreted the sound of thunder coming from the mountains as roaring lions. Other folklore tradition states that the Portuguese sailors said that the shape of the mountains "looked liked lions". Hence, they proclaimed it the land of "Sierra Leone" which literally translated means "mountain lions". This name stuck despite the fact that Sierra Leone eventually became a British colony. Sierra Leone gained commercial importance during the heyday of the rice plantation industry in the American colonies of South Carolina and Georgia.

European settlers had little experience with rice cultivation and were not suited for the climate. The demand for slaves with rice growing skills increased significantly and the ethnic groups in the surrounding areas of Sierra Leone were known to possess this agricultural knowledge. Thus the volume of slaves from the "windward coast" or "rice coast" of West Africa increased to keep up with the demand. As a result, many South Carolinian and Georgian African-Americans can trace their African ancestry through the slave trading period in Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone was also the first African country to resettle former American slaves. In the early 1800s, abolitionists in America and England raised money and solicited missionaries and teachers to bring back freed slaves from North America to West Africa. Due to their familiarity with and support from Great Britain's more liberal society, they decided to resettle in the territories under the colonial protection of England. In fact, Cinque, the leader of the Amistad's liberated African slaves was eventually returned to Sierra Leone in search of his village amongst the Mendes ethnic group. In addition, Sierra Leone boast Old Fourahbay College which was the first university in West Africa that was modeled after western teachings and most of the future African leaders of the Pan-African Movement of the 20th century received their formal education at this university.

Sierra Leone received its independence from British colonial rule and became a republic on April 27, 1961.

Sierra Leone is located in West Africa with Guinea as its neighbor on the north and east, Liberia as its neighbor to the south and the Atlantic Ocean on its west. It is a very friendly country, with smiling faces and a hospitable environment. The country has substantial mineral reserves and agricultural products but was unfortunately devastated by an economic crisis, followed by a civil war that lasted ten years. Freetown, the capital city, has the third largest natural harbor in the world and is a major commercial shipping port. The population of Sierra Leone is about 5 million with about 500,000 inhabitants in Freetown. The population is about forty-seven percent Christian and forty-seven percent are Muslims with the remaining six percent belonging to traditional African religions.

Sierra Leone recently held a successful presidential and parliament election campaign with Dr. Alhaji Ahmed Tejan Kabbah elected as President for another six year term and the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) gaining a ajority in parliament as well. The official currency is the Leone which is very similar to the American dollar system. The official language is English but most people speak other local languages such as Krio, Temne, Mende, and Limba. More importantly, everyone also speaks a "national" language which closely resembles the fascinating language of the Gullah people from South Carolina and Georgia in the United States. More info on: www.africa-ata.org