Meikai Myers
Sierra Leone
Map of Sierra Leone
Districts In Sierra Leone
 14 Districts
 149 Chiefdoms
 Northern Provinces: Bombali,
Kambia, Koinadugu, Port Loko,
Tonkolili.
 Southern Provinces: Bo,
Bonthe, Moyamba, Pujehun.
 Eastern Provinces: kailahoun,
Kenema, Kono.
 Western Provinces: Western
urban area, Western rural
area.
Flag of Sierra Leone
 Green: Agriculture,
Natural resources and
Mountains.
 White: Unity and Justice.
 Blue: Sea and Natural
Harbor in Freetown.
Natural resources
Agriculture
 Diamonds
 Fish
 Gold
 Coffee
 Bauxite
 Cocoa
 Iron ore
Population
According to the world bank The population of
Sierra Leone is at 6.092 million.
In 2012 there were 5,979,000 people in Sierra
Leone (WHO)
Freetown: 941,000 people
Estimated population growth rate: 2.33 % (2014)
Video
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDUCpTQPEFA
 1 minute clip
History
 1787- Freed slaves arrived from England, Nova Scotia, Jamaica to resettle in
Sierra Leone.
 April 27 1961- Sierra Leone gained independence from the British
 First prime Minister- Sir Milton Margai (1961-1964)
 Sierra Leone declared a republic (1971): First executive president was Siaka
Stevens.
Sir Milton
Margai
Siaka
Stevens
Civil War
 War was not an ethnic or religious dispute
 Poverty, Corruption and Diamonds
 1990- Foday Sankoh
 1996- Election
 1999- Rebels entered Freetown
Foday Sankoh
Charles Taylor
 ECOMOG sent to help the government of Sierra Leone
 1999-Lone peace accord was proposed to end the war.
 2002- January war was declared over
 Civil war 1991-2002 ( 11 Years)
Book: A long
Way Gone
After Civil war
 Many people lost their jobs/source of income
 Thousands of people lost their lives
 over a third of the population left displaced
 Lots of Infrastructure destroyed
Consequences of the War
 Literacy rate: 43.3% . Men: 54.7%, Women: 32.6%
 Life Expectancy: 46/47 years
 Persistent Poverty ( GDP $4.929 billion, Guinea: $6.193 Billion , Nigeria: $521.8
billion)
 Youth unemployment
 Limited access to clean water (40 % of the population)
 Poor sanitation ( 87% of the population unimproved sanitation)
 Poor Electricity
 Corruption:119/175 countries corruption perception index
Climate
 2 seasons
 Rain season (May to
October)
 Dry Season ( November
to April)
Harmattan
Season(December to
February)
Languages/Ethnic Groups.
 Common Language: Krio
 Official Language: English
 Ethnic & Tribal Languages:
 Temne
 Mende
 Mandingo
 Fullah
 Sherbro
 Kono
 Limba
 Loko
 Susu
 Yalunka
 Vai
 Kuranko
 Kissi
 Temne: 35% ( Northern provinces)
 Mende: 31% ( Southern provinces)
 Other ethnic groups: 34%
Religion
Christians: 26.8% of the population
Muslims: 71.5% of the population
Indigenous believers( Traditional religions:
1.9% of the population
Very religious tolerant country
Not unusual to be identified as “ ChrisMus”
Rural vs. Urban Life
Urban vs. rural
City vs. Village
Health care system
 No Health Insurance Coverage
 Free health care for children under five, pregnant women and lactating
mothers.
 No annual screenings or physicals
 3 physicians/100,000 people. ( WHO recommends 23 physicians/100,000
people)
 Majority of the population rely on Charity Organizations for health care
needs. ( Ex St John of God Catholic Hospital in Lunsar)
 Government or Private hospitals “ No Money No Treatment”.
 Lack of medical equipment to diagnose diseases ( Ex: CT Scan, MRI).
 Lead to other ways of treatment such as traditional herbalists
Common Health Issues
 Ebola
 Maternal Mortality: 1,100 deaths/100,000 Live births (US: 28/100,000, UK:
8/100,000)
 Malaria: According to 2013 world malaria report ranks Sierra Leone as the
5th country with the highest prevalence of the disease.
 Malnutrition
 Typhoid Fever
 Anemia
 Neonatal Infection
 Diarrheal disease
 Pneumonia
 Tuberculosis
 Cholera
 Mental health: Non existent
Common Health Beliefs
 Most uneducated people do not believe in western medicine.
 Some educated people try western medicine, but later go back to
traditional medicine
 “God is in control of everything”, “Its my time”.
Traditional Medicine
 Bang Baa: Traditional herb made from the roots of forest tree. Made for
malaria. Dry the root first then put it in water under the sun for a day before
drinking the juice.
 Ginger
 Tea Bush- Stomach ache
 Lemon Grass: Cold
Culture/Traditions
Holidays (2014)
Festivals
 Ballanta music festival: Mid
march. Two day festival.
Performances held in Freetown by
local musicians.
 Lantern festival: Organized
around the time for
Independence day celebration.

January 1: New Year's Day

January 13: Maulid-un-Nabi (Birth of the
Prophet)

April 18: Good Friday

April 20: Easter Sunday

April 21: Easter Monday

April 27: Independence Day

July 28 : Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)

October 4 : Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice)

December 25: Christmas Day

December 26: Boxing Day
Culture
Cont.
Marriages
 Traditional wedding: Man pays
dowry, takes wife home
 Polygamy- Chiefs marry more
than one wives
 Temne people: bride price
include Money, palm oil, rice, salt
and fabric.( All of this will be put in
a calabash)
Traditional food
Clothing
Kpokpo cloth
Music/Movies
Vick Fornah
Emmerson
Jimmy Bangura
Tourism