The Beginning of Sierra Leone

The first contacts that came upon Sierra Leone were the Portuguese in 1415, with was found by Pedro da Cintro. They were in the search for spices, fabrics, gold, and other commodities on their explorations.   

Two Portuguese with Manillas

The Portuguese originally built temporary forts along all of their trading routes including some in Sierra Leone to protect themselves from rival European Traders. This enabled them to trade commodities such as ivory, and gold which were among the most popular items. The Portuguese would sometimes even trade something as simple as kitchen utensils with the people of Sierra Leone to obtain these things.  In the 1600s, the Portuguese even contributed to the slave trade which supplied Europe and a few other countries with slaves. These were just few of the events which lead to the Portuguese to dominating the trade industry for about years.

                       Sapi-Portuguese Medium: Ivory

Unlike other settlers in Africa, the Portuguese experienced less of a culture sock in comparison to other settlers. It was said that many of the cities in Sierra Leone mimicked Europe’s, and the Portuguese belief in the magic, the super natural, and the way to cure illness were very similar to the practices of the people of Africa.  Many of the Portuguese men even married Sierra Leone women who were daughters of very important chiefs. These relationships not only created a bridge between the two groups, but it also created a cultural fusion between the two groups.

Many would say that the blending of the Portuguese and the people of Sierra Leone was very peaceful in comparison to other countries at the time, and the influence of the Portuguese can still be seen through Sierra Leone’s culture today.

Resources:

http://sierraleone365.com/scrolling-news/portuguese-were-the-predominant-europeans-in-early-sierra-leone

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/agex/hd_agex.htm

http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/africa-portugal

More Diamonds

Workers pan for diamonds in a government-controlled diamond mine near Kenema, Sierra Leone, on June 15, 2001.

Sierra Leone is known for being a mining country that yields natural resources such as bauxite, gold, rutile, but diamonds are the most popular that are yielded.

Sierra Leone is the 10^th largest producer of diamonds in the world. The country relies heavily on diamonds for revenue, and it is also responsible for half of the country’s export. During the countries 11 year civil war, the countries mining nearly came to a halt, and it’s affected the countries’ revenue exponentially.

Even though diamonds are one of the largest natural resources of Sierra Leone, they have not always been a blessing for the country. Blood diamonds (conflict diamonds) became a popular reference for the areas where diamonds originated which were used to fund military action opposed to the government, which field the war. This also enables the illegal trade that took place between groups with the diamonds.

 These blood diamonds also effected Sierra Leone’s people personally. Some of the people were enslaved in the means that they were made to gather diamonds at any means necessary for the opposing groups in the country.

This issue has also affected Sierra Leone’s trade. The Kimberley Process was produced in South Africa which is an agreement that promises and ensures that every diamond that they trade is not a diamond that helps fuel violence. The only issue with this is that Africa has not seen much relief from the trade of blood diamonds.

Overall, Diamonds remain one of Sierra Leone’s largest natural resources, and even though they come with many issues. They still fuel much of Sierra Leone’s revenue.

 References:

Armstrong, P. (2012, May 16). How Africa Fuels Africa's Conflict. Retrieved June 12, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/26/world/africa/blood-diamonds/

Sierra Leone. (2015). Retrieved June 12, 2016, from http://www.resourcegovernance.org/our-work/country/sierra-leone 

Myth and Religion : Sierra Leone

Muslims Reciting the Lord's Prayer

Throughout history Sierra Leone’s people were known to worship ancestors, the earth, and also many gods.  Not until a few hundred years ago this all started to change. Sierra Leone’s current religion diversity consists of Islam, Christianity, The Limba Religion, and some are also know to practice Interfaith Fusion.

Islamic practices have made a huge impact on Sierra Leone, ever since it was introduced in the 18^th century. In today’s society, 60 to 70 percent of the country’s population identify as Muslim. The reason why Islam was so widely accepted by the people of Sierra Leone was because of the similarities that existed between Islamic practices, and the traditional values of the people of Sierra Leone. The people seemed to gravitate to the fact that Islam accepted polygamy, and also regular prayer.

In comparison to Islam, Christianity has not had a huge effect on the people of Sierra Leone. Between 10 to 30 percent of the population identify as Christians in the small country. The majorities of the Christian community in Sierra Leone are protestant, and choose to follow a very strict church doctrine. Many of the people have not favored or chosen to follow the Christian life, because of the church’s rejection of the traditional practices. Many of the people who have a strong cultural identify are not able to accept the Christian lifestyle, and because of this standards, Islam is the more favorably choice for the people.

One of the most commonly known myths in response to religion is the Limba Religion. The Limba Religion was originally developed by the Limba people who are one of the oldest groups of people that were believed to be the first to inhabit Sierra Leone.  The Limba religion is based on folklore where the Limba people believed that they were placed here on earth by God, where he taught them how to grow food, perform certain task, responsible for Limba’s cultural values, and also was the one who provided them with their first chief. They also believe that this is why there is a significant logistic difference between people the Limba and other languages. The Limba people religion connects them to all aspects of their life. They also believe in sacrifices, celebrations, and the supernatural is an important part of their lives. In today's, culture some can even witness some Limba people following Christianity and also Islam in certain areas in Sierra Leone

Interfaith fusion is commonly practiced in Sierra Leon, because of the freedom people have to choose and change their religion at any time. Many of the people in Sierra Leone have adopted practices from each religion, and use it in their very own life. For example, a Muslim person can be seen praying in a Christian church and vice versa, and people can be seen switching from different religions frequently.

References:

- Manson, Katrina/ Knight, James/ McClanahan, Piage (CON). Bradt Sierra Leone. Globe Pequot Pr,   2013. Page 37

- Clark, Agatha, and Demand Media. "Religion and Beliefs of Sierra Leone | The Classroom | Synonym." Religion and Beliefs of Sierra Leone | The Classroom | Synonym. Web. 02 June 2016.