Sierra Leone

By: Siena Cornacchini, Emily Nour, and Drew Bowling

Location West side of

Africa, next to the Atlantic Ocean

Between 7 and 10 degrees N, and 10.5 and 13 degrees W

Capital-Freetown, located in western Sierra Leone

Religion60% Muslim, 30%

Indigenous African Religion, and 10% Christian

The government allows freedom of religion and does not tolerate the abuse of that right.

Mosques and churches are spread out all over Sierra Leone. Members of the Indigenous African Religion often pray under a tree or in a forest.

Money• The currency is the

Leone, and one US dollar is equal to 3093.94 Leones.

• The value of the Leone has gone down over the past year.

• The value is not very stable because of the 10-year civil war.

Front

Back

Government

• It is a democracy

• The president is Ernest Bai Koroma, and the vice president is Samuel Sam-Sumana

• In 1990, a ten-year civil war broke out due to government corruption and arguments of possession of diamond resources

LanguagesLanguages

• The official language is Krio, the native language of the Creole

• Other languages include English, Themne, Susu, and Vai.

English Word Krio Word

hello Kusheh

friend Pady

goodbye A de go

Girl Titi

Boy Bobo

Child Pickin

Mother Mama

Father Papa

Walk wakka

Many, very much bohku

Traditions/Customs

There are no dowries in Sierra Leone-the groom must always pay brideprice. Every evening, after the children finish their chores, it is a common habit to sit down and listen to someone tell a story.A common way to celebrate New Year’s is to climb up a mountain, and then kill one of your livestock to eat.Sierra Leone celebrates Islamic, Christian, and National Holidays, including Christmas, New Year’s, Independence Day (April 27), Eid-Ul-Fitri, Moulid Ul Nabi, and Eid-Ul-Adah

Food The basic diet of Sierra Leone is rice. It is eaten at every meal.Western foods are almost unheard of in rural areas but they are becoming increasingly more popular in areas like Freetown. Most of the food is sold in stallsWhatever is bought must be eaten quickly because there is no electricity to preserve the food in many parts of Sierra Leone.

Clothing

• Most Sierra Leoneans wear garas, a traditional tie-dye cloth.

• There are a lot of shorts and other cotton clothing.

• Some is similar to clothing we have here.

The ArtsoThe main styles of music in Sierra Leone are

Palm Wine, Gumbe, and Afropop.oThe war has caused a decrease in traditional

Sierra Leonean artists.oSierra Leone is well known for its dance

groups and ivory carvings.

SOURCESEducation in Sierra Leone. 12 January 2006. Free The Children Program. 20 February 2009 <http://www.freethechildren.com/programs/schoolbuilding/schoolbuilding_buildinginsierraleone.htm>.

 

Visiting Sierra Leone. 27 June 2008. Otolo Web Solutions. 18 February 2009

<http://www.visitsierraleone.org/testimonials.asp>.

 

Customs of Sierra Leone. 19 April 2008. Yellow Pages. 23 February 2009

<http://encarta.msn.com/sidebar_631522256/customs_of_sierra_leone.html>.

 

Culture of Sierra Leone. 4 February 2009. Advameg Incorporated. 20 February 2009 <http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Sierra-Leone.html>.

 

Traveler’s Diarrhea. 7 February 2009. Wikimedia Foundation. 17 February 2009.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveler%27s_diarrhea#cite_note-CDC_TD-3>.

 

Sierra Leone. 23 February 2009. Wikimedia Foundation. 16 February 2009.

< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone#Religion>.

 

Sources Cont.

Education in Sierra Leone. 17 November 2008. Wikimedia Foundation. 18 February 2009. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Sierra_Leone>. Bunce Island. 27 June 2008. Otolo Web Solutions. 18 February 2009 <http://www.visitsierraleone.org/bunce–island.asp>. Animal Info – Sierra Leone. 19 February 2006. Animal Information. 18 February 2009.< http://www.animalinfo.org/country/sierra_l.htm>. "Sierra Leone." Encyclopedia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 23 February 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/543356/Sierra-Leone>. Gordon, Raymond G. “Languages of Sierra Leone.” Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. 2005.  Freetown. 23 February 2009. Wikimedia Foundation. 18 February 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown>.