History of Sierra Leone
Archaeological finds show that Sierra Leone has been inhabited continuously for at least 2,500
years, populated by successive movements from other parts of Africa. Sierra Leone in the 9th
century, and by AD 1000, agriculture was being practiced by coastal tribes. Sierra Leone's dense
tropical rainforest largely protected it from the influence of any precolonial African empires and
Islamic colonization, which were unable to penetrate through it until the 18th century.
In 1462, a Portuguese explorer by the name of Pedro da Cintra mapped the hills surrounding
what is now Freetown Harbor, naming the shaped formation “Serra de Leão” (Portuguese for
Lion Mountains). Its Italian rendering is Sierra Leone, which became the country's name. Soon
after Portuguese traders arrived at the harbor and by 1495 a fort that acted as a trading post had
been built. The Portuguese were later joined by the Dutch and French; all of them using Sierra
Leone as a trading point for slaves. In 1562 the English joined the trade in slaves when Sir John
Hawkins bought 300 slaves.
In 1787, a plan was implemented to settle some of London's Black Poor in Sierra Leone in what
was called the “Province of Freedom”. A number of Black Poor and White women arrived off
the coast of Sierra Leone on May 15, 1787, accompanied by some English tradesmen. This was
organized by the St. George's Bay Company, composed of British philanthropists who preferred
it as a solution to continuing to financially support them in London. Many of the Black poor
were African Americans, who had been promised their freedom for joining the British Army
during the American Revolution, but also included other African and Asian inhabitants of
London.
Disease and hostility from the indigenous people nearly eliminated the first group of colonists.
Through intervention by Thomas Peters, the Sierra Leone Company was established to relocate
another group of former slaves, this time nearly 1,200 Black Nova Scotian's, most of whom had
escaped slavery in the United States. Given the most barren land in Nova Scotia, many had died
from the harsh winters there. They established a settlement at Freetown in 1792 led by Thomas
Peters. This group was later joined by other groups of freed slaves and became the first AfroAmerican haven for ex-slaves.
Though the English abolitionist Granville Sharp originally planned Sierra Leone as a utopian
community, the directors of the Sierra Leone Company refused to allow the settlers to take
freehold of the land. Knowing how Highland Clearances benefited Scottish landlords but not
tenants, the settlers revolted in 1799. The revolt was only put down by the arrival of over 500
Jamaican Maroons, who also arrived via Nova Scotia.
Thousands of slaves that were returned to or liberated in Freetown chose to remain in Sierra
Leone. These returned Africans were from many areas of Africa, but principally the west coast.
They joined the previous settlers and together became known as Creole or Krio people. Cut off
from their homes and traditions, they assimilated some aspects of British styles of inhabitants
and built a flourishing trade of flowers and beads on the West African coast. The lingua franca of
the colony was Krio, a creole language rooted in 18th century African American English, which
quickly spread across the region as a common language of trade and Christian mission. British
and American abolitionist movements envisioned Freetown as embodying the possibilities of a
post-slave trade Africa.
On April 27, 1961, Sir Milton Margai led Sierra Leone to Independence from the United
Kingdom. He was the country's first Prime Minister. He was a veteran medical doctor who had
been appointed Chief Minister after the Colonial Legislative Council and the Protectorate
Assembly were unified in 1951. His political party, the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), won
by large margins in the nation's first general election under universal adult suffrage in May 1962.
It also won majority of seat in parliament. Upon his death in 1964, his brother, Sir Albert Margai
succeeded him as prime minister. Sir Albert was highly criticized during his three-year rule as
prime minister. He tried to establish a one-party but met fierce resistance from the opposition All
People's Congress (APC) and he ultimately abandoned the idea.
In a closely contested general elections in March 1967, Sierra Leone Governor General Henry
Josiah Lightfoot Boston declared the new Prime Minister to be Siaka Stevens, candidate of the
All People's Congress (APC) and Mayor of Freetown. Hours after taking office, Prime Minister
Stevens was ousted in a bloodless coup led by Brigadier David Lansana, the Commander of the
Armed Forces however, a group of senior military officers overrode this action by seizing
control of the government on March 23, 1968, arresting Brigadier Lansana and suspending the
constitution. The group constituted itself as the National Reformation Council (NRC) with
Brigadier Andrew Juxon-Smith as its chairman. In April 1968, the NRC was overthrown by a
group of military officers who called themselves the Anti-Corruption Revolutionary Movement
(ACRM), led by Brigadier John Amadu Bangura. The ACRM imprisoned senior NRC members,
restored the constitution and reinstated Siaka Stevens as Prime Minister.
The return to civilian rule led to by-elections beginning in fall 1968 and the appointment of an
all-APC cabinet. Calm was not completely restored. In November 1968, Siaka Stevens declared
a state of emergency after provincial disturbances. In March 1971 the government survived an
unsuccessful military coup and in July 1974 it uncovered an alleged military coup plot. The
leaders of both plots were tried and executed. In 1977, student demonstrations against the
government disrupted Sierra Leone politics.
On April 19, 1971, Parliament declared Sierra Leone a Republic. Siaka Stevens, then prime
minister, became the nation's first president, and in March 1976 he was elected without
opposition for a second five-year term as president. In 1978, Parliament approved a new
constitution making the country a one-party stat. In the 1978 referendum the APC was made the
only legal political party in Sierra Leone.
President Sir Siaka Stevens retired in November, 1985 after being President for 14 years, but
continued to be chairman of the APC. The APC named a new presidential candidate to succeed
Stevens. He was Major General Joseph Saidu Momh, the commander of the Republic of Sierra
Leone Armed Forces, and Stevens' own choice to succeed him. Joseph Saidu Momoh was
elected President in a one-party referendum on November 28, 1985.
In October 1990, President Momoh set up a constitutional review commission to review the 1978
one-party constitution. Based on the commission recommendations a constitution re-establishing
a multi-party system was approved by Parliament; becoming effective on October 1, 1991.
Civil war broke out, under the command of former Sierra Leonean army corporal Foday Sankoh.
Who launched his first attack in villages in Kailahun District in eastern Sierra Leone on March
23, 1991. The government of Sierra Leone, overwhelmed by a crumbling economy and
corruption, was unable to put up significant resistance. Within a month of entering Sierra Leone
Reitred Coporal Sankoh Revolutinary United Front controlled much of the Eastern Province.
On April 29, 1992, a group of young soldiers apparently frustrated by the government's failure to
deal with rebels, launched a military coup which sent president Momoh into exile in Guinea.
They established the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) with Yahya Kanu as its
chairman. But Kanu was assassinated by fellow NPRC members, who accused him of trying to
negotiate with the toppled APC administration. On May 4, 1992, Captain Valentine Strasser took
over as chairman of the NPRC and Head of State of Sierra Leone.
In January 1996, after nearly four years in power, Strasser was ousted in a coup by fellow NPRC
members led by his deputy Maada Bio. Bio reinstated the Constitution and called for general
elections. In the second round of presidential elections in early 1996, Ahmed Tejan Kabbah,
candidate of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) defeated John Karefa-Smart of the United
National People's Party (UNPP).
In 1996, Johnny Paul Koroma was allegedly involved in an attempt to overthrow the government
of President Kabbah. He was arrested, tried, convicted, and imprisoned at Maxium Prison in
Freetown. But some top ranking Army officers were unhappy with this decision, and on May 25,
1997, a group of soldiers who called themselves the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council
(AFRC) overthrew President Kabbah's government. The AFRC released released Jonny Paul
Koroma from prison and installed him as their chairman and Head of State of the country. After
10 months in office, the junta was ousted by the Nigeria-led ECOMOG forces, and the
democratically elected government of President Kabbah was reinstated in March 1998.
In October, the United Nations agreed to send Peacekeepers to help restore order and disarm the
rebels. By January 2002, the war was declared over. In May, President Kabbah was reelected.
In August 2007, Sierra Leone held presidential and parliamentary elections. However, no
presidential candidate won a majority of votes. A runoff election was held in September, and
Ernest Bai Koroma was elected president of the Republic of Sierra Leone
THE PEOPLE AND CULTURE
It is clear from the few archaeological findings on Sierra Leone that people lived in the present
area of Sierra Leone a very long time ago. Examinations of tools discovered in a cave in
Yengema suggested that people inhabited that area at least 2,500 years before Christ. These
people lived in small communities. We do not know for certain who they were. By the time
Portuguese traders began to appear on the West African Coast in the mid-fifteenth century,
certain groups had already established themselves firmly in many areas in what is now Sierra
Leone. On the coast were a host of communities such as the Baga, Bullum, Krim and Vai. The
Portuguese called these coastal peoples the Sapes. In the North lived the Limbas. The Banta were
found in the south-west while the Kissi and Kono lived in the East. Each group tended to be
isolated from the others and there was very little internal migration. This was due to fear of war,
suspicion of people from other groups, problems of social cohesion within the group and
possible breakdown of traditions. These were all factors affecting ethnic diffusion.
The early peoples of Sierra Leone seem to have been affected by certain invasions, such as those
of the Mane. Some groups were absorbed in the process, and others were displaced, while new
groups were formed subsequently. Over a long period of time, new communities also came in a
rather peaceful manner and settled in various parts of the country. Like the early inhabitants,
these later immigrants also first lived separate from each others, but the growth of trade,
provision of western educational and medical facilities, improvement in transportation systems,
mining, agriculture and migration tended to draw the groups closer together.
Today, there are at least 17 ethnic groups in the country. These groups have been divided into
three language categories - Mende, Mel and Others. The Mende, Vai/ Gallinas, Kono, Loko,
Koranko, Soso, Yalunka and Mandingo belong to the Mande. The Temne, Bullum/ Sherbro,
Kissi, Gola, and Krim form part of the Mel group. The Others are Limba, Fula, Krio and Kru.
The two largest communities are the Mende and Temne, each accounting for about 31 percent of
the population.
The Mende, who are believed to be descendants of the Mane, were originally in the Liberian
hinterland. They began moving into Sierra Leone slowly and peacefully in the eighteenth
century. The Temne claim to have come from Futa Jallon, which is in present-day Guinea. The
Limba are the third largest and one of the oldest communities in Sierra Leone. They have no
tradition of origin and maintain that they have always lived in Sierra Leone. It is believed that
their settlement was around the Wara Wara hills in the northern interior. The Vai and the Kono
are related people who split up some time ago. Oral tradition states that there was shortage of salt
in Konosu, the original home of the Vai and the Kono, which is somewhere in present-day
Guinea. The people therefore decided to set out en masse in search of salt water. After travelling
for many months, some of them got tired and decided to settle in approximately the present Kono
homeland. The Loko are akin to the Gbandi of Liberia and the Mende. It is believed that the
Loko were offshoots of a Mane expeditionary force sent against one of the defected Mane
viceroys in the 1550s. The Koranko are related to the Mandingo. They are believed to have
began arriving in Sierra Leone from Guinea in about 1600. The Soso and the Yalunka are a
branch of the same people. Soso and Yalunka tradition maintains that they arrived in Futa Jallon
some time after the Temne and Baga had created a powerful state to the east of Futa. As a result
of the increase in population, the Soso began to spread out into north-western Sierra Leone in
about the seventeenth Century. The Bullum are among the oldest inhabitants on the Sierra Leone
coast. They were invaded by the Mane warriors in the Sixteenth century who in the process "cut
the Bullum tribe into two parts". The northern branch were assimilated by the Temne and the
Soso. The Southern branch came to be known as Sherbro, a name which was derived from
Sherabola, a Mane viceroy who imposed his rule on them towards the end of the Sixteenth
century. The Krim are a coastal people akin to the Sherbro and live to the south- east of the
Sherbro. The Gola, the majority of whom live in the Liberian hinterland, are also among the
earliest inhabitants of Sierra Leone. They occupy some land east of the Gallinas on the presentday Guinea. The Kissi say they migrated from upper Niger before the fifteenth cenutry. They
were attacked by the Koranko who pushed them towards the eastern border with present-day
Guinea. The Mandingo and the Fula began arriving in Sierra Leone in the seventeenth century.
The first immigrants were mostly traders and Islamic teachers. the Mandingo came mainly from
the Sankaran region in Guinea while the Fula came from Futa Jallon and Senegal. They
subsequently settled in various parts of the country. The Krio community, who largely inhabit
the Western Area, came into being in the mid-nineteenth century as a result of the integration of
such disparate groups as the Original Settlers, Nova Scotians, Maroons, Recaptives and
immigrants from the Sierra Leone hinterland. The Kru began arriving in the Sierra Leone colony
from Liberia in the 1790s. They were mostly seamen. As their numbers increased, land was
acquired for them near the shore beyond Sanders Brook in the west end of Freetown.
THE CLIMATE
The climate of Sierra Leone is tropical, with two seasons that determine the agricultural cycle. These
seasons are the Rainy season that lasts from May to November and the Dry season from December to
April. During the dry season there is a short spell of cool dry winds that blow in off the Sahara Desert.
This period is refered to as harmattan period. At times during the night, temperatures can go as low as
16 °C (60.8 °F).
GEOGRAPHY
The official name of Sierra Leone is the Republic of Sierra Leone, with its capital city Freetown.
It is situated on the West Coast of Africa, latitudes 7° and 10° North of the equator and
longitudes 10.50° and 13° West. It is bordered on the North and North East by the Republic of
Guinea, on the East and Southeast by Liberia and on the West and South by the Atlantic Ocean
with a coastline stretching some 300 miles.
The country has a total area of 71,740 square kilometers (27,699 square miles), divided into a
land area of 71,620 square kilometers and water of 120 square kilometers. The country has four
distinct geographical regions. In eastern Sierra Leone is the interior region of large plateaus
interspersed with high mountains, with the highest point being Mount Bintumani that is 1,948
meters (6,390 ft) above sea level. The next region is the south region were the upper part of the
drainage basin of the Moa River is located. In the central part of the country is the lowland plain
region. It contains forests, bushes and farmland that occupy about 43% of Sierra Leone's land
area. The fourth region is the coastline. The coastline stretches about 300 miles, giving it both
bountiful marine resources and attractive tourist potential. Within this area are low-lying
mangrove swamps, rain-forested plains and farmland. The nations capital Freetown sits on this
coastal peninsula, situated next to the Sierra Leone Harbor, the world's third largest natural
harbor.
The Republic of Sierra Leone is located on the West Coast of Africa, between latitudes 7 and 10
north and longitudes 10.5 and 13 west. The Republic of Guinea is to the north and northeast;
Liberia is to the east and southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean on the west and south. It has 300
miles of coastline.
From an approximate 70-mile coastal belt of low-lying land, the country rises to a mountain
plateau near the eastern frontier rising 4000 to 6000 feet with a rich timber forest region. The
Western Area encompasses the Sierra Leone Peninsula, on which the capital and main
commercial centre of Freetown stands; is 24 miles long and 10 miles wide.
A mountainous promontory, it rises in places to 300 feet above sea level - one of the few parts of
the West African Coast where the view is spectular and beautiful.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE SIERRA LEONE MINERALS SECTOR
Facts in Brief
· Sierra Leone’s primary mineral resources are diamonds, rutile, bauxite, gold and iron ore. The
mineral sector in Sierra Leone is made up of three sub-sectors: a) large-scale production of nonprecious minerals – rutile and bauxite; b) large scale production of precious minerals –
diamonds; and c) artisanal and small-scale production of precious minerals – mainly diamonds,
and to a much lesser extent, gold.
· The mining sector contributed around 20% of GDP and fiscal revenues equal to 8% of GDP
until the closure of the bauxite and rutile operations in 1995. It continues to supply 90% of
exports due to the thriving artisanal diamond component. Mining and quarrying employ about 14
percent of the total population.
Mineral Overview
AN OVERVIEW OF KEY MINERALS
Sierra Leone’s primary mineral resources are diamonds, rutile, bauxite, gold and small amounts
of iron ore and limonite.
Diamonds
The Sierra Leone diamond fields cover an area of about 7,700
square miles (about one quarter of the country) in the southeastern and eastern parts of Sierra Leone. The diamond producing
areas are concentrated in Kono, 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, gravel
residues in soils and swamps. Sierra Leone is known for producing mostly diamonds and timber.
MINING CADASTRE SYSTEM
A Mining Cadastre is the cornerstone of a secure mineral rights system and records the
geographical location, ownership and time validity of mining rights, and for compliance with the
payment of fees and/or other requirements to keep a concession valid. Security of tenure is very
important both to large and small scale mining operations both to ensure a return on investment
over the life of a mine and to avoid legal disputes over ownership.
Successful implementation of a modern mining cadastre requires the development of a database
of mining licenses with their status, location, ownership, fees and dues paid, and other relevant
information. Modern tools, such as specifically adapted Geographical Information Systems
(GIS), are used to provide an accurate location or minerals.
SECTOR TRANSPARENCY
Stemming the flow of Conflict Diamonds - The Kimberley Process
The Kimberley Process (KP) is a joint governments, industry and civil society initiative to stem
the flow of conflict diamonds – rough diamonds used by rebel movements to finance wars
against legitimate governments. The trade in these illicit stones has fuelled decades of
devastating conflicts in countries such as Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo and Sierra Leone.
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) imposes extensive requirements on its
members to enable them to certify shipments of rough diamonds as ‘conflict-free’. As of
September 2007, the KP has 48 members, representing 74 countries, with the European
Community and its Member States.
Transparency
Sierra Leone with its unique landscape, scenery and cultural heritage is waiting to be explored. It
has a coastal line of nearly 360 kilometres fringed with beautiful and un- spoilt white sandy
beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. The country offers visitors its historic heritage, exotic flora
and fauna, Mountains and natural beauty. A place where the lush green forest spills down
hillsides to meet the sandy beaches along the Atlantic Ocean. The tropical rain forest is home to
some of the rare and endangered species of monkeys, baboons, birds, butterflies and a wide
variety of Antelope and Buffalo families.
Behind its natural beauty, Sierra Leone can boasts of numerous waterfalls, mysterious lakes and
splendid hills, historical islands, some wearing the hallmark of slave trade.
Sierra Leone has much to offer its visitors. Its magnificent sandy beaches stretches for more than
30 miles along the Peninsula coast, interspersed with tree-clad bays and coves which are easily
accessible along the scenic marine drive that provides an ideal setting for holidays in the sun.
An ambitious road development program, linking principal towns and centers throughout the
country is opening up new areas of potential tourist interest.
On one of Sierra Leone's lovely beaches, the Lumley beaches are modern hotels specially
designed for holiday visitors. The hotels have their own cabanas on the beach, restaurants and
night clubs and a casino that uniquely stands overlooking one of Sierra Leone's romantic bays.
The beaches of Sierra Leone provide a perfect scenic view and beautiful natural setting.
Tokeh beach
Bureh beach
Island beaches
Lumely beach
Kiva beach
Number 2 river beach
Lumely beach
Number 2 river beach
Bureh beach
Visit Sierra leone
Archaeological finds show that Sierra Leone has been inhabited continuously for at least 2,500
years, populated by successive movements from other parts of Africa. Sierra Leone by the 9th
century, and by AD 1000 agriculture was being practiced by coastal tribes. Sierra Leone's dense
tropical rainforest largely protected it from the influence of any precolonial African empires and
Islamic colonization, which were unable to penetrate through it until the 18th century.
In 1462, a Portuguese explorer by the name of Pedro da Cintra mapped the hills surrounding
what is now Freetown Harbour, naming the shaped formation “Serra de Leão” (Portuguese for
Lion Mountains). Its Italian rendering is Sierra Leone, which became the country's name. Soon
after Portuguese traders arrived at the...
National Anthem
High we exalt thee, realm of the free;
Great is the love we have for thee;
Firmly united ever we stand ,
Singing thy praise, O native land.
We raise up our hearts and our voices on high,
The hills and the valleys re-echo our cry;
Blessing and peace be ever thine own,
Land that we love, our Sierra Leone.
One with a faith that wisdom inspires,
One with a zeal that never tries;
Ever we seek to honor thy name
Ours is the labor, thine the fame.
We pray that no harm on thy children may fall,
That blessing and peace may descend on us all;
So May we serve thee ever alone,
Land that we love our Sierra Leone.
Knowledge and truth our forefathers spread,
Mighty the nations whom they led;...
National Pledge
I pledge my love and loyalty to my country Sierra Leone;
I vow to serve her faithfully at all times;
I promise to defend her honor her good name;
Always work for her unity peace, freedom and prosperity;
And put her interest above all else.
So help m God.
The National Flag
The Flag of Sierra Leone consists of three horizontal stripes of equal width, green at the top,
white in the middle and blue below. The normal size of the flag for official use should be be in
the proportion of nine (across) to six (down).
The colors of the flag have the following significance:
(a) Green for Sierra Leone's agriculture, natural resources and her mountains;
(b) White for unity and justice;
(c) Blue for the hope that Sierra Leone's unique natural harbor may make its contribution to
peace throughout the world in the years that lie ahead.
The national Coat of arms
The Coat of arms of Sierra Leone were designed and adopted in 1960.
The arms show a lion beneath a zizzag border, representing the Lion Mountains after which the
country was named. It also shows three torches which are meant to symbolize education and
progress. At the base are wavy bars depicting the sea.
The supporters of the shield are lions, similar to those on the former colonial badge. The three
main colors from the shield are green, white and blue. The Green represents agricultural and
natural resources, the Blue represents the Harbor of Freetown and the White represents unity and
justice.
At the base of the arms is the motto Unity – Freedom – Justice
It is clear from the few archaeological findings on Sierra Leone that people lived in the present
area of Sierra Leone a very long time ago. Examinations of tools discovered in a cave in
Yengema suggested that people inhabited that area at least 2,500 years before Christ. These
people lived in small communities. We do not know for certain who they were. By the time
Portuguese traders began to appear on the West African Coast in the mid-fifteenth century,
certain groups had already established themselves firmly in many areas in what is now Sierra
Leone. On the coast were a host of communities such as the Baga, Bullum, Krim and Vai. The
Portuguese called these coastal peoples the Sapes. In the North lived the Limbas. The Banta were
found in the south-west while the Kissi and Kono lived.
The people of Sierra Leone and culture
The official name of Sierra Leone is the Republic of Sierra Leone, with its capital city Freetown.
It is situated on the West Coast of Africa, latitudes 7° and 10° North of the equator and
longitudes 10.50° and 13° West. It is bordered on the North and North East by the Republic of
Guinea, on the East and Southeast by Liberia and on the West and South by the Atlantic Ocean
with a coastline stretching some 300 miles
The country has a total area of 71,740 square kilometers (27,699 square miles), divided into a
land area of 71,620 square kilometers and water of 120 square kilometers. The country has four
distinct geographical regions. In eastern Sierra Leone is the interior region of large plateaus
interspersed with high mountains, with the highest point being Mount Bintumani.
The climate of Sierra Leone is tropical, with two seasons that determine the agricultural cycle.
These seasons are the Rainy season that lasts from May to November and the Dry season from
December to April. During the dry season there is a short spell of cool dry winds that blow in off
the Sahara Desert. This period is refered to as harmattan period. At times during the night,
temperatures can go as low as 16 °C (60.8 °F).