The purpose of my research is to share with History professors and students the history of Sierra Leone. In order to share the history of this country, the audience must understand the culture. One of the problems experienced in this country to the lack of adequate health care and medicines for diseases. Sierra Leone is a country on the west coast of Africa. It is one of the countries with freed slaves who were ruled by the British after it was founded by the Portuguese in 1462. The country small compared to other West African countries. This country has lived peacefully until the Civil War in 1991 which lasted for ten years. Apart from this mishap in which thousands of people were killed, the citizens of Sierra Leone remain a friendly, accepting, and content people (American Field Services, n.d.).

Family life in Sierra Leone is not just the parents and their children. There are extended family members including the grandmothers and grandfathers, who possessed the honor of being the head of the family. The families share food and everything else provided by the father who works. Today, the mother works, and the children go to school (Countries and their Cultures, n.d.). In the rural areas with farms, the men, some women, and children go to the farm while the grandmother and other family members stay at home and cook for the family.

Sierra Leone has eighteen tribes with their own dialect customs. Their tradition include speaking Krio, the national language that everyone speaks. An example of one of the traditions for the creole tribe is called “Put Stop” an engagement ceremony. The parents of the groom visit the family of the bride with items such as kola nuts, a Bible with an engagement ring inside, calabash, and a bottle of liquor. There is a ceremony performed by the groom’s family before they are welcomed into the house. There are other traditions and customs in Sierra Leone according to one’s race or tribe. There are a few tribes that have the similar customs such as “female mutilation or circumcision” for all females giving them Rites of Passage. Men preparation for marriage is called “Poro.” There are other secret societies based on one’s tribe and culture.

Each artifact or mask is worn for a specific occasion by the wearer from that tribe. The mask is worn by a woman from the Bundu society which is the female circumcision or mutilation. They are well-dressed wearing real gold necklaces and bracelets with lots of dancing and singing with the beating of drums and Marrakesh in their neighborhood, house, or in the street that signify these girls are now available for marriage. Suitors are also welcome with open arms.

Sierra Leone civil war: For the past few years Sierra Leone had a civil war that lasted for ten years in which a lot of people were murdered, and some had to leave the country to a neighboring country they thought were safe. Thousands of lives were lost during the civil war that originated from Liberia and its President who was trying to take the diamond mining area which is part of Sierra Leone. This was the first fatality that shook up Sierra Leone (Encyclopedia Britannia, 1991).

In 2014, there was an Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone with thousands of deaths. This crisis started in the rural area or the provinces down to the capital city Freetown. This devastated the country to the point of having houses quarantined because entire families or whole yards were infected with the Ebola virus disease (EVD). Instead of graves, trenches were built to bury the dead (Friden, & Damon, 2015). Agencies such as the United Nations (UN), World Health Association (WHO), Center of Disease and Prevention (CDC) was there along with the health personnel in the country to helped during this crisis. There is no treatment for the Ebola virus, so management medication was administered to the very ill while researchers and scientists were doing their research. There were fluids and antibiotics to manage the different infections and symptoms that appeared. After two years and four thousand deaths from the Ebola virus disease Sierra Leone was declared Ebola free. Medication is needed for prevention of the disease.

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In 2017, after three days of continuous rain and flood, there was a mudslide in Sierra Leone on one of the hillside villages. There were 560 missing persons, leaving the survivors homeless and looking for their missing family members. The government find housing for people to reside and had to build trenches to bury the corpses from the mud-slide. The city of Freetown was also flooded, the heavy rain took houses, children, anything and anyone in its path (Clark, & McCann, 2017).

Mudslide Photo: https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/14/africa/sierra-leone-mudslide/index.html

I would say I was excited to do my research on my hometown of Sierra Leone. Reflecting on its history, culture, traditions, and its people is very exciting for me. my home which made it very easy and interesting to do a research on this country. I was glad that my topic was approved because I have been gone from Sierra Leone for over forty-five years but is aware and in touch with what is happening there. I was able to catch up with stories that I have been told and confirm the details with some of the articles I researched. I was able to compare the times I was living thee and present time today. It is so different from back then.

My view points are Sierra Leone had been a wonderful country when it was ruled by the British until they asked for independence. After, the then President died (Sir Milton Margai), it was nothing but corruption and bad governing. Sierra Leone does not have to be a poor country because they had resources (i.e. diamonds) that was sold to the outside world. After the former President and his cabinet squandered all the financial help they had, the country now has to ask for help wherever they can get it.

My feelings about this project about Sierra Leone leaves me with great grief for a country I grew up and went to school, a country I knew very well. Children were happy and paid no attention to poverty, they played with one another regardless of class and who are attending private or public schools. The country now leaves a bad taste in my mouth whenever the discussion comes up. Finally, the goal of this research was to find support and relief in the form of medication or finances for the people in Sierra Leone.