TRENDING FASHION IN SIERRA LEONE
Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is known for the white-sand beaches lining the Freetown Peninsula. Freetown, its capital city, commemorates the nation’s slave trade history with Cotton Tree landmark and King’s Yard Gate known as refuge ground for returned slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries. Sierra Leone is also known globally for its blood diamonds, which were mined and sold for weapons during the country’s violent civil war. The official language in Sierra Leone is English, although Krio language is widely spoken as a lingua franca. It has population of about 7.9 million persons. There are 60% muslim, 30% Christian and 10% Animist. There are about 8 ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, but the largest groups are the Mende and Temne people.
ACCESSORIES IN SIERRA LEONE
There are wonderful accessories in Sierra Leone, especially accessories made from expensive diamond.
TRIBES IN SIERRA LEONE AND THEIR FASHION
The Mende people
They are one of the two largest ethnic groups in Sierra Leone. The Mende belong to a large group of Mande people that live throughtout West Africa. They are mostly farmers and hunters. The traditional religion of the Mendes includes belief in a supreme creator god, ancestral spirits and nature deities. For modern traditional dressing in Mende, the women dress in a colourful Africa fabric or stripped dress with headgear, while the men can put on same design sown into trouser, jacket and a cap.
The Fula people
The Fula of Sierra Leone is the third largest major ethnic group in Sierra Leone. They make up about 10% of Sierra Leone population. The Sierra Leonean Fula are traditionally a nomadic, pastoralist, trading people, herding cattle, goats and sheep across the vast dry hinterlands of their domain. 99% of Fula are Muslims of the Sunni tradition of Islam.
Usually, Fula men wear a hat with multi-colour design. The women wear ornaments made of henna, which they use to decorate their arms, legs and hands, then a colourful blouse with a skirt or wrapped round. The women also adorn themselves with accessories, beads and bracelets.
TOURIST AND HISTORICAL PLACES IN SIERRA LEONE
Best places in Sierra Leone include;
Turtle Island – most picture perfect tropical paradise with gorgeous white sand beaches.
Tokeh – bamboo parasols rustle in the Atlantic breezes; sand shimmer in gleaming golden-yellow hues.
Tiwai Island – one of the famous conservation spots in the country, engulfed by the weaving, winding capillaries of Moa River as the main channel splits in the heart of Sierra Leone’s Southern Province.
Freetown – the amazing Tacugama Chimpanzee sanctuary where mind-boggling primates swing.
Sherbro Island – a large land that fragments from Sierra Leone and point straight to Atlantic Ocean.
Outamba Kilimi National Park – hippos in muddy waters of Kilimi River, elephants, bongo antelopes.
Makeni – bustling and industrial city that ticks over to the sounds of Krio chatter and Star football team.
Lungi – best known for the bustling international airport as well as luxurious resort hotels.
Kenema – the country’s third largest city and the best gateway to the chimp and colobus monkey-spotted wilds of the South Kambul Hills Forest Reserve.
Kabala – it is a pretty spot, peppered with low-rise bungalows and tin-roofed builds, imbued with lively local farmers’ markets and surrounded by bucolic swathes.
Gola Forest Reserve – the reserve commands the attention of nature lovers and conservationists. It displays rare diversity of old-growth woodland, colourful butterflies, forest elephants, pygmy hippos etc.
Bunce Island – it offers glimpse into the darker days of West African history.
Bo Town – a cool and industrial place by nature, the place is driven by diamond prospecting and mining.
Banana Island – languishing off the coast of the Western Area. The finger of the land that forms the Banana Island has all the shimmering, alasbaster-hued beaches and lush rainforest you did expect of a place so deep in the tropics.
MUSIC IN SIERRA LEONE
Music in Sierra Leone is a combination of native, French, British, West Indian and Creole musical genres. Palm wine music is representative, played by an acoustic guitar with percussion in countries throughout coastal West Africa. Sierra Leone, like much of West Africa is open to rap, reggae, dancehall, R&B and grime.
Some musicians in Sierra Leone include:
Emmerson Amidu Bockarie
Khady Black
some art work in Sierra Leone include;
MEALS IN SIERRA LEONE
The most commonly eaten food in Sierra Leone is rice, which is typically served as part of every meal.
Leaf stew plasas – a stew made with various green leaves, it is served with rice.
Groundnut soup or stew – it is prepared by grinding groundnut to paste, then seasoned with chopped onion, chillies, tomato paste, maggi cube and fish or meat.
Fry stew – it is the base of other Sierra Leone recipe made from onion, pepper, tomato, meat and spices.
Fry fry – variety of foods; fried plantain, garri cake, akara, chicken, french fries, and spaghetti.
Fried cassava bread with gravy – tortilla-like discs of cassava bread with an oily fish sauce.
Foofoo – made from fermented cassava, cooked by stirring into bulky wet paste, then rolled into ball.
Leaf stew plasas
Groundnut soup or stew
Fry stew
Fry fry
Fried cassava bread with gravy
Foofoo
Binch (bean) dishes – a dish popular for breakfast, often served with boiled plantain, garri or yam.
Street cake/snacks – a popular street snacks, that is sold by mobile vendor.
Pumpkin stew – leaf-based plasas known as punky in Krio, seasoned with onion, pepper and served with rice.
Poyo – a palm wine, Salone’s favourite native adult beverage.
Pepper soup – a soup made with onion, garlic, maggi, fish or meat, with lots of pepper, served with rice.
Local seafood – it is prepared from fresh fish and seafood like oysters, lobster and crabs.
Leaf-wrapped agidi, oleleh – custard like snack, traditionally wrapped and steamed in banana leaves.
Binch (bean) dishes
Street cake/snacks
Pumpkin stew
Poyo
Pepper soup
Local seafood
Leaf-wrapped agidi, oleleh
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION AND HABITAT PROTECTION IN SIERRA LEONE
About 31% of Sierra Leone is forested, according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation. 4.1% out of it is classified as primary forest, the most biodiverse and carbon-dense form of forest. The kind of trees in Sierra Leone are red mangrove, oil palm, cotton tree and red ironwood tree. The Gola rainforest is the largest remnants of upper Guinean Tropical rainforest left in Sierra Leone.
The Environmental Protection Agency was established in Sierra Leone is ensure follow up and protect the environment of Sierra Leone.
EFFECT OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN SIERRA LEONE
The result of climate change due to the development of infrastructure, mining activities and poor waste disposal have significantly affected the quantity and quality of water that residents get from the surface runoffs and natural water-springs, which used to be the main source of water.
Climate change in Sierra Leone have led to extreme drought, flooding. Many lives and properties have been lost to this adverse effect.
GENDER EQUALITY IN SIERRA LEONE
In Sierra Leone, progress has been made expanding opportunities for girls to promote gender equality and empowerment of women. Nevertheless, gender inequality and denial of women’s right are still prevalent at all levels in Sierra Leone. Women who have attained higher education exercise their rights than the ones in the rural communities.
Some prominent women in Sierra Leone include;
Haja zainab Hawa Bangura – Sierra Leonean politician and social activist, who served as Director General in United Nations office at Nairobi.
Sia Nyama Koroma – biochemist and psychiatric nurse in Sierra Leone, as well as first lady 2007 – 2018.
Nanette Thomas – a politician in Sierra Leone, who served as Minister of political and public affairs.
Nabeela Farida Tunis – Sierra Leonean politician who has served as country’s Foreign Minister.
Haja zainab Hawa Bangura
Sia Nyama Koroma
Nanette Thomas
Nabeela Farida Tunis
Femi Claudius Cole – the first Sierra Leonean woman to form political party, Unity Party.
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr – a politician and current mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Mabinty Daramy – a former Deputy Minister in Sierra Leone and current Ambassador of Sierra Leone to the Republic of Guinea.
Priscilla Schwartz – first women to serve as Attorney General and Minister of Justice in Sierra Leone.
Femi Claudius Cole
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr
Mabinty Daramy
Priscilla Schwartz
