Information About Sierra Leone

People of Sierra Leone

the country of Sierra Leone comprises of some 16 ethnic tribes within the country. The dominant one among them is the Mende. The others include the Temne, the Limba, the Kono, the Koranko, the Yalunka, the Loko, the Soso, the Madingo, the Fula, the Bullom, the Sherbro, the Krim, the Vai, the Gola, the Kissi and the Krio.

Arts, Culture and Music of Sierra Leone

Art: the art in the country of Sierra Leone comprises mainly of traditional native forms. Apart from performing arts like dance that revolve around the country's religious ceremonies, the handicrafts of Sierra Leone like textile weaving, leather-crafts, basket weaving, pottery and rug making are immensely popular.

Culture: culture and tradition in Sierra Leone is a rich remain of the country's historical past along with its national disturbance. Most of the cultural aspects and practices in the country, however, carry down via hierarchy. Of these the oral tradition is of immense importance. It not just preserved and propagated the native language, it also kept alive the legends and myths of the land that would otherwise have been lost. Also the proverbs from the Kiro district keep alive the wisdom of the ancestors of the land.

Music: the music of Sierra Leone is a rich mix of the native traditions with French traits thrown for good measure. One of the renowned musical genres originating in Sierra Leone is called the "Palm Wine".

The genre gets its name from a drink by the same name, which were served at places that played this type of music. You can hear versions of it all along the west coast of Africa. The Palm Wine is performed to the accompaniment of an acoustic guitar and drum. The formal name for the genre is "Maringa".

Flag of Sierra Leone

the flag of the country of Sierra Leone has a simple rectangular shape. It is dominated by three colors, which appear in three equal horizontal stripes on the rectangular flag. The colors in the flag are light green, white and light blue (top to bottom). The color green is representative of the natural resources in the country, agriculture and the mountains that cover its terrain; the color white symbolizes justice and unity; and the color light blue is an emblem of hope that peace will be restored to the country.

Economy of Sierra Leone

despite being a very beautiful country the fact remains that Sierra Leone is an economically reduced nation. Adding to it is the fact that the national income distribution is extremely disparate. However, the country has quite a few important natural resources. Of them, diamonds, fishes and agricultural products are the most important. So, mining diamonds and rutile is a major industry in the country. The primary agricultural produce includes cacao, coffee, palm kernels and rice. All these, along with canned food and fishes, make up the export commodities of the country.

More Information About Sierra Leone

Profile of African Countries