Sierra Leone achieved independence on the 27th of April 1961. the country attained republican status on the 19th April 1971. Since independence many changes have been experienced politically and economically and in the social society of Sierra Leon
In 1787, British philanthropists founded the "Province of Freedom" which later became Freetown, a British crown colony and the principal base for the suppression of the slave trade. By 1792, 1200 freed slaves from Nova Scotia joined the original settlers, the Maroons. Another group of slaves rebelled in Jamaica and travelled to Freetown in 1800.
the name Sierra Leone dates back to 1462, when a Portuguese explorer sailed down the coast of West Africa. There seems some dispute whether it was the shape or climatic conditions that influenced Pedro da Cintra to come up with “Sierra Lyoa” meaning Lion Mountains.
Some say the coastal regions looked like “lion’s teeth”. Others suggest he thought the thunderstorms over the mountainous peninsula sounded like the roar of a lion
Sixteenth century English sailors called it Sierra Leoa which evolved in the 17th Century to Sierra Leone. The British officially adopted the name Sierra Leone in 1787.
In all there are 16 ethnic groups in Sierra Leone. The largest of these is the Mende, found in the Southern and Eastern Provinces. Next to them in number is the Temne in the North. The third largest group is the Limba, also in the Northern Province, followed by the Kono in the Eastern Province.
There's also the Koranko in the North as well as Yalunka, Loko, Soso, Madingo and Fula. On the coast, north and south are the Bullom and Sherbro followed by the much smaller groups of Krim, Vai, Gola, with the Kissi further inland in the Eastern Province. The Western area, including Freetown, is more mixed in population, but is basically the home of the Krio.
The liberalization of Sierra Leone’s telecoms sector after the end of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) war in 2002 has come along with tremendous growth in the number of telecoms operators in the country. There are very many billboards and posters across the country of the state owned enterprise Sierra Leone Telecommunications Company Limited (Sierratel) and private run mobile companies including Africell, Zain and Comium.
Sierra Leone has substantial mineral agricultural and fishery resources. However the economic and social infrastructure is not well developed and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. The seizure of power by the new Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) in May 1997 led to UN sanctions and a sharp drop in GDP.
About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Bauxite and rutile mines have been shut down by civil strife. The major source of hard currency is found in the mining of diamonds the large majority of which are smuggled out of the country.Tuesday, February 15, 2010
WHEN: 9:00 a.m.
WHAT: The Broadcasting Board of Governors Discussion on "The New Media Revolution and U.S. Global Engagement":
- 9 a.m.: Former CNN President Walter Isaacson; Alec Ross, director of the Office of Citizens' Outreach at the State Department; Rebecca MacKinnon, co-founder of Global Voices; Rebecca McMenamin, new media director of the International Broadcasting Bureau, participate in a session on "Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting in the New Media Era"
- 10:15 a.m.: Session on "Censorship, Signal Blocking and Cyberjamming - Can the U.S. Keep Up?"
- 10:40 a.m.: Session on "North Korea, Iran, and Cuba: Bringing Accurate Information to Closed Societies"
WHERE: Room 562 Dirksen Senate Office Building
CONTACT: 202-203-4400
NOTE: RSVP requested
WHEN: 10:00 a.m.
WHAT: House Budget Committee Hearing on "The President's FY2012 Budget." Witness: Office of Management and Budget Director Jacob Lew
WHERE: Room 210 Cannon House Office Building
CONTACT: 202-226-7270; web site: http://www.budget.house.gov
WHEN: 10:30 a.m.
WHAT: Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Hearing on "A Ticking Time Bomb: Counterterrorism Lessons from the U.S. Government's Failure to Prevent the Fort Hood Attack." Witnesses: Charles Allen, former Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis, and Chief Intelligence officer; Gen. John Keane, retired vice chief of staff of the Army; J. Philip Mudd, senior global adviser at Oxford Analytica; and Samuel Rascoff, assistant professor of law at New York University School of Law, testify
WHERE: Room 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building
CONTACT: 202-224-2627; web site: http://www.hsgac.senate.gov
WHEN: 10:30 a.m.
WHAT: The Heritage Foundation Book discussion on "Deadly Embrace: Pakistan, America, and the Future of Global Jihad." Speakers: Author Bruce Riedel; and Kim Holmes, Vice President of foreign and defense policy studies at the Heritage Foundation
WHERE: Heritage Foundation, 214 Massachusetts Avenue NE, Lehrman Auditorium, Washington, DC.
CONTACT: 202-675-1752, lectures.seminars@heritage.org; web site: http://www.heritage.org
