Sierra Leone — books & literature

The story of Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone's coast was named by Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra in 1462, who called the hills around its great natural harbour 'Serra Lyoa' (Lion Mountains). For centuries the interior was home to Temne, Mende, and other peoples, while the coast became a hub of the Atlantic slave trade, most infamously at the fort on Bunce Island. In 1787, British abolitionists founded Freetown as the 'Province of Freedom', a settlement for freed and formerly enslaved people from Britain, Nova Scotia, and the Caribbean , one of the earliest such settlements in Africa. It became a Crown Colony in 1808, and the freed settlers' descendants formed the Krio community, whose language spread to become the country's lingua franca. Britain extended a protectorate over the interior in 1896, and Sierra Leone gained full independence on 27 April 1961 under Prime Minister Milton Margai. A devastating civil war (1991-2002), fuelled partly by control of diamond fields, was followed by the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic , both of which the country has worked hard to recover from, rebuilding through mining, agriculture, and a resilient literary and cultural tradition.

Timeline — key moments

1. 1462

   Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra names the coast 'Serra Lyoa' (Lion Mountains).

2. 1787

   British abolitionists found Freetown as the 'Province of Freedom' for freed and formerly enslaved people.

3. 1808

   Freetown becomes a British Crown Colony.

4. 1896

   Britain declares a protectorate over the Sierra Leone interior.

5. 1961

   Independence from Britain on 27 April under Prime Minister Milton Margai.

6. 1971

   Sierra Leone becomes a republic.

7. 1991-2002

   Civil war, partly fuelled by control of diamond fields, displaces millions.

8. 2002

   President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah declares the civil war formally over (18 January).

9. 2014-2016

   West African Ebola epidemic hits Sierra Leone especially hard.

10. 2018

    Julius Maada Bio elected president in a peaceful democratic transition.

Top 10 things to know about Sierra Leone

1. Sierra Leone's name comes from 'Serra Lyoa' (Lion Mountains), given by a Portuguese explorer in 1462.
2. Freetown was founded in 1787 as a haven for freed and formerly enslaved people , one of the earliest such settlements in Africa.
3. Independence from Britain came on 27 April 1961.
4. Sierra Leone is one of the world's major sources of alluvial diamonds, which tragically helped fuel its 1991-2002 civil war ("blood diamonds").
5. Krio, rooted in the language of Freetown's founding settlers, is the lingua franca spoken by most of the population.
6. Temne and Mende are the two largest of Sierra Leone's many ethnic groups.
7. Freetown sits on one of the largest natural harbours in the world.
8. Bunce Island, near Freetown, was a major Atlantic slave-trading post with direct historical ties to the Gullah Geechee communities of the US coast.
9. Sierra Leone was one of the countries hit hardest by the 2014-2016 West African Ebola epidemic.
10. Rice is the staple of the Sierra Leonean diet, central to nearly every meal.

Famous people from Sierra Leone

Say it in Sierra Leone's language

Did you know?

• ★Sierra Leone's flag colours , green, white, and blue , represent agriculture and mountains, unity and justice, and Freetown's natural harbour.
• ★Freetown's harbour is one of the largest natural harbours on Earth, historically able to shelter huge naval convoys.
• ★Bunce Island, a slave-trading fort near Freetown, is directly linked to the Gullah Geechee people of the US Sea Islands, prized by traders for their rice-farming skill.

Sierra Leone culture

• Rice is central to almost every meal, often paired with cassava-leaf or groundnut stew.
• Independence Day, 27 April, is the biggest national holiday, marked nationwide with parades and celebration.
• Traditional secret societies , Poro for men and Bondo/Sande for women , play a major role in rites of passage among several ethnic groups.
• Freetown's Krio culture blends West African, British, and Caribbean-American influences, a legacy of its founding freed-slave settlers.

Why read Sierra Leone's books

Sierra Leonean writers have turned the country's hardest chapters , the slave trade, civil war, and recovery , into some of the most powerful memoirs and novels of the past century. These books are where that story continues.