Editing Sierra Leone (section)

== Culture ==

=== Polygamy ===

{{Further|Polygamy in Sierra Leone}}

As of 2019, 30% of women and 14% of men were in a polygamous unions in Sierra Leone. "The percentage of women with one or more co-wives has decreased gradually over time, from 37% in 2008 and 35% in 2013 to 30% in 2019."<ref>{{Cite journal |date=October 2020 |title=Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey 2019 |url=https://dhsprogram.com/publications/publication-FR365-DHS-Final-Reports.cfm |journal=The DHS Program|last1=Statssl |first1=Statistics Sierra Leone- }}</ref>

=== Food and customs ===

{{Further|Sierra Leonean cuisine}}

[[File: Sierra Leone rice farming.jpg|thumb|Rice farming in Rolako]]

Rice is the [[staple food]] of Sierra Leone and is consumed at virtually every meal. The rice is prepared in numerous ways, and topped with a variety of sauces made from some of Sierra Leone's favourite toppings, including [[potato]] leaves, [[cassava]] leaves, [[Corchorus|crain crain]], [[okra]] soup, [[fried fish]] and [[peanut|groundnut]] stew.<ref>{{cite book|last=Massaquoi|first=Rachel C. J.|title=Foods of Sierra Leone and Other West African Countries: A Cookbook|year=2011|publisher=AuthorHouse|isbn=9781449081546|page=5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bKwN7Absx6AC|access-date=17 June 2014}}</ref>

Along the streets of towns and cities across Sierra Leone, one can find foods consisting of fruit, vegetables and snacks such as fresh [[mangoes]], oranges, pineapple, fried [[Plantain (cooking)|plantains]], [[ginger beer]], fried potato, fried cassava with pepper sauce; bags of popcorn or peanuts, bread, roasted corn, or skewers of grilled meat or shrimp.

Poyo is a popular Sierra Leonean drink. It is a sweet, lightly fermented [[palm wine]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Albala|first=Ken|title=Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia|year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313376276|page=165|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zG1H75z0EYYC&pg=PA165|access-date=17 June 2014}}</ref>

=== Media ===

{{Main|Media of Sierra Leone}}

[[File:Radio listener in Sierra Leone.jpg|thumb|A radio listener in [[Kailahun]]]]

Media in Sierra Leone began with the introduction of the first [[printing press]] in Africa at the start of the 19th century. A strong free journalistic tradition developed with the creation of several newspapers. In the 1860s, the country became a journalist hub for Africa. At the end of the 19th century, the industry went into decline, and when radio was introduced in the 1930s, it became the primary communication medium in the country.

The [[Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service]] (SLBS) was created by the colonial government in 1934 making it the earliest English-language radio broadcaster service in West Africa. The service began broadcasting television in 1963, with coverage extended to all the districts in the country in 1978. In April 2010, the SLBS merged with the [[United Nations]] peacekeeping radio station in Sierra Leone to form the [[Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.icfj.org/node/37444 |title=At Long Last, Recruitment Begins at Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation {{pipe}} ICFJ – International Center for Journalists |publisher=ICFJ |date=17 March 2011 |access-date=20 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194354/http://www.icfj.org/node/37444 |archive-date=29 October 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.slbc.sl/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/SLBC-REPORT-Final-Copy.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130811043953/http://www.slbc.sl/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/SLBC-REPORT-Final-Copy.pdf |archive-date=11 August 2013 |title=Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) Maiden Report 2010-2011}}</ref> the government-owned current national broadcaster in Sierra Leone.

The Sierra Leone constitution guarantees [[freedom of speech]], and [[freedom of the press]]; however, the government maintains strong control of media, and at times restricts these rights in practice.<ref>{{cite web |author=Reporters Without Borders |url=http://www.trust.org/item/20131024140514-sg47u/ |title=Sierra Leone – Editorial criticizing president prompts multiple proceedings |publisher=Trust.org |date=24 October 2013 |access-date=20 March 2014 |archive-date=2 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140402160721/http://www.trust.org/item/20131024140514-sg47u/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/sierra-leone-editors-arrested-after-publishing-article-comparing-president-to-a-rat/2013/10/21/168d8172-3a53-11e3-b0e7-716179a2c2c7_story.html | archive-url=https://archive.today/20131025175049/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/sierra-leone-editors-arrested-after-publishing-article-comparing-president-to-a-rat/2013/10/21/168d8172-3a53-11e3-b0e7-716179a2c2c7_story.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=25 October 2013 | title=Sierra Leone editors arrested after publishing article comparing pres... | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=25 October 2013 | access-date=27 January 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Greenslade |first=Roy|author-link=Roy Greenslade |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/oct/25/press-freedom-sierraleone |title=Editor arrested for comparing Sierra Leone president to a rat {{pipe}} Media |journal=The Guardian |date=25 October 2013 |access-date=20 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/sierra-leone-editors-arrested-after-publishing-article-comparing-president-to-a-rat |title=Sierra Leone editors arrested after publishing article comparing president to a rat |publisher=Fox News |date=23 October 2013 |access-date=20 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.africareview.com/News/Sierra-Leone-intensifies-media-crackdown/-/979180/2043834/-/u0oloaz/-/index.html |title=Sierra Leone intensifies media crackdown – News|first=Kemo|last=Cham |publisher=africareview.com |date=21 October 2013|access-date=20 March 2014 |archive-date=18 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718035744/http://www.africareview.com/News/Sierra-Leone-intensifies-media-crackdown/-/979180/2043834/-/u0oloaz/-/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/201310250762.html |title=Sierra Leone: In Sierra Leone, Journalists Held On Libel, Sedition Charges |publisher=allAfrica.com |date=24 October 2013 |access-date=20 March 2014}}</ref> Some subjects are seen as taboo by society and members of the political elite; imprisonment and violence have been used by the political establishment against journalists.<ref>{{cite web
 |last =Wilson
 |first =Harry
 |year =2005
 |title =Press Freedoms and Human Rights:2005 Year End Press Freedom Brief
 |publisher =Commonwealth Press Union
 |url =http://www.cpu.org.uk/pf_2005_review.html
 |access-date =20 April 2008
 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071124131843/http://www.cpu.org.uk/pf_2005_review.html
 |archive-date =24 November 2007
 |url-status =dead
 |df =dmy-all
 }}</ref><ref name="Annual06"/>

Under legislation enacted in 1980, all newspapers must register with the Ministry of Information and pay sizeable registration fees. The Criminal [[Libel]] Law, including Seditious Libel Law of 1965, is used to control what is published in the media.<ref name="Annual06">{{cite web
 |year =2006
 |title =Sierra Leone – Annual report 2006
 |publisher =Reporters without Borders:For Press Freedom
 |url =http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=17400
 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20090614032911/http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=17400
 |archive-date =14 June 2009
 |access-date =20 April 2008
 |url-status =dead
 |df =dmy-all
 }}</ref>

In 2006, President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah committed to reforming the laws governing the press and media to create a freer system for journalists to work in.<ref name="Annual06"/> {{As of|2013}} Sierra Leone is ranked 61st (up two slots from 63rd in 2012) out of 179 countries on Reporters Without Borders' [[Press Freedom Index]].<ref>{{cite web |year=2013 |title=Press Freedom Index 2013 |publisher=Reporters without Borders |url=http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2013,1054.html |access-date=2 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215183842/http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2013%2C1054.html |archive-date=15 February 2013}}</ref>

[[Print media]] is not widely read in Sierra Leone, especially outside Freetown and other major cities, partially due to the low levels of [[literacy]] in the country.<ref name="BBC"/> In 2007 there were 15 daily newspapers in the country, as well as those published weekly.<ref>{{cite web |last =Jalloh |first =Tanu |date =28 December 2007 |title =Sierra Leone: Newspaper Development |location =Freetown, Sierra Leone |publisher=Concord Times |url =http://allafrica.com/stories/200712310637.html |access-date =19 April 2008}}</ref> The majority of newspapers are privately run and are often critical of the government. The standard of print journalism tends to be low owing to lack of training, and people trust the information published in newspapers less than that found on the radio.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |date =June 2007 |title =Media use, and attitudes towards media in Sierra Leone:A comprehensive baseline study |work=[[BBC World Service]] |url =http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/trust/pdf/media_report_2007.pdf |access-date =19 April 2007}}</ref>

[[File: Isata Mahoi radio editor and actress.jpg|thumb|[[Isata Mahoi]] shown editing radio programmes in Talking Drum studio [[Freetown]]; she is also an actress in the Sierra Leone radio soap opera ''[[Atunda Ayenda]]'']]

Radio is the most popular and most-trusted media in Sierra Leone, with 85% of people having access to a radio and 72% of people in the country listening to the radio daily.<ref name="BBC"/> These levels do vary between areas of the country, with the [[Western Area]] having the highest levels and [[Kailahun]] the lowest. Stations mainly consist of local commercial stations with a limited broadcast range, combined with a few stations with national coverage – [[Capital Radio Sierra Leone]] being the largest of the commercial stations.

The United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL) ran one of the most popular stations in the country, broadcasting programs in a range of languages. The UN mission was restructured in 2008 and it was decided that the [[United Nations Radio|UN Radio]] would be merged with SLBS to form the new Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). This merger eventually happened in 2011 after the necessary legislation was enacted. SLBC transmits radio on [[FM broadcasting|FM]] and has two television services, one of which is uplinked by satellite for international consumption. FM relays of the [[BBC World Service]] (in Freetown, Bo, Kenema and Makeni), [[Radio France Internationale]] (Freetown only) and [[Voice of America]] (Freetown only) are also broadcast.

Outside the capital Freetown and other major cities, television is not watched by a great many people, although Bo, Kenema and Makeni are served by their own relays of the main SLBC service. There are three free terrestrial television stations in Sierra Leone, one run by the government SLBC and the other two are private stations in Freetown, Star TV which is run by the owner of the ''Standard-Times'' newspaper and AYV – Africa Young Voices. Several religious funded TV stations operate intermittently. In 2007, a pay-per-view service was also introduced by GTV as part of a pan-African television service in addition to the nine-year-old sub-Saharan Digital satellite television service (DStv) originating from Multichoice Africa in South Africa. GTV subsequently went out of business, leaving DStv as the only provider of subscription satellite television in the country. ITV and SATCON are currently operational.

Internet access in Sierra Leone has been sparse but is on the increase, especially since the introduction of 3G/4G cellular phone services across the country. There are several main [[internet service providers]] (ISPs) operating in the country. Problems experienced with access to the Internet include an intermittent electricity supply and a slow connection speed in the country outside Freetown.

=== Arts ===

{{Further|Art in Sierra Leone|Music of Sierra Leone}}

The arts in Sierra Leone are a mixture of tradition and hybrid African and western styles.<ref>{{Cite book|last = Banham|first = Martin|title = A history of theatre in Africa|publisher = Cambridge University Press|year = 2004|page = 171|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RZXtk9bCZ-8C&pg=PA171|isbn = 978-0-521-80813-2|access-date = 17 June 2014}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last =Conteh |first = Prince Sorie |title = Traditionalists, Muslims, and Christians in Africa: interreligious encounters and dialogue|publisher =Cambria Press |year =2009|pages = 23–24|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=HpAuyiMRTDcC&pg=PA23|isbn=978-1-60497-596-3|access-date=17 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1 =Manson |first1 =Katrina |first2=James |last2=Knight |title = Sierra Leone|publisher = Bradt Travel Guides|year =2009|pages = 42–45|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=VxRcEzkFs-wC&pg=PA43|isbn=978-1-84162-222-4|access-date=17 June 2014}}</ref>

In 1963 the Sierra Leonean National Dance Troupe was created by John Akar in order to showcase Sierra Leone's national cultural heritage.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Muci |first=Luigi Vittorio |title=From Dakar to Pyongyang: Imagining Pan-Africanism and the Global South through Sierra Leone’s National Dance Troupe (1966–1988) |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13696815.2025.2476056 |journal=Journal of African Cultural Studies |volume=0 |issue=0 |pages=1–16 |doi=10.1080/13696815.2025.2476056 |issn=1369-6815}}</ref>

<gallery>
File: Temne. Ode-Lay Mask Brooklyn Museum.jpg|Odelay mask by [[Temne people]]. [[Brooklyn Museum]].
File: Sierra Leone Koindu dance.jpg|The [[Koindu]] dance
</gallery>

=== Sports ===

{{Main|Sport in Sierra Leone}}

[[File:Sierra Leone National Stadium.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|[[National Stadium (Sierra Leone)|National Stadium]] in [[Freetown]]]]
[[Association football]] is by far the most popular sport in Sierra Leone. Children, youth and adult are frequently seen playing [[Street football (association football)|street football]] across Sierra Leone. There are organised youth and adult football tournaments across the country, and there are various primary and secondary schools with football teams across Sierra Leone.

The Sierra Leone national football team, popularly known as the [[Leone Stars]], represents the country in international competitions. It has never qualified for the [[FIFA World Cup]] but participated in the [[1994 African Cup of Nations|1994]] and [[1996 African Cup of Nations]]. When the national football team, the Leone Stars, have a match, Sierra Leoneans across the country come together united in support of the national team.

Many of the Sierra Leone national team footballers play for teams based in Europe although virtually all of them started professional football in the [[Sierra Leone National Premier League]]. Many of the national team footballers are celebrities across Sierra Leone and they are often well known by the general population. Some of Sierra Leonean international footballers include [[Mohamed Kallon]], [[Mohamed Bangura (footballer)|Mohamed Bangura]], [[Rodney Strasser]], [[Kei Kamara]], [[Ibrahim Teteh Bangura]], [[Mustapha Dumbuya]], [[Christian Caulker]], [[Al Bangura|Alhassan Bangura]], [[Sheriff Suma]], [[Osman Kakay]], [[Medo Kamara]], [[Umaru Bangura]] and [[Julius Wobay|Julius Gibrilla Woobay]].

The [[Sierra Leone National Premier League]] is the top professional football league in Sierra Leone and is controlled by the [[Sierra Leone Football Association]]. Fourteen clubs from across the country compete in the Sierra Leone Premier League. The two biggest and most successful football clubs are [[East End Lions]] and [[Mighty Blackpool]]. East End Lions and Mighty Blackpool have an intense rivalry and when they play each other the national stadium in Freetown is often sold out and supporters of both clubs often clash with each other before and after the game.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

Many Sierra Leonean youth, children and adults follow the major football leagues in Europe, particularly the English [[Premier League]], Italian [[Serie A]], Spanish [[La Liga]], German [[Bundesliga]] and French [[Ligue 1]].

The [[Sierra Leone cricket team]] represents Sierra Leone in international cricket competitions and is among the best in West Africa. It became an affiliate member of the [[International Cricket Council]] in 2002. It made its international debut at the 2004 African Affiliates Championship, where it finished last of eight teams. But at the equivalent tournament in 2006, Division Three of the African region of the World Cricket League, it finished as runner-up to [[Mozambique]], and just missed promotion to Division Two.

In 2009, the Sierra Leone Under-19 team finished second in the African Under-19 Championship in Zambia, thus qualifying for the Under-19 World Cup qualifying tournament.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cricinfo.com/other/content/story/403002.html |title=Cricinfo article Uganda and Sierra Leone Win Through |publisher=Cricinfo.com |date=5 May 2009 |access-date=20 May 2012}}</ref> However, the team was unable to obtain visas to play in the tournament.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cricinfo.com/other/content/story/423890.html |title=Visa Issues End Sierra Leone's World Cup Dream |publisher=Cricinfo article |date=7 September 2009 |access-date=20 May 2012}}</ref>

Sierra Leone is the first African country to join the [[International Floorball Federation]].