Countries · Freetown
Sierra Leone
Krio language and settlement history, secret societies and a mountainous coast.
Sierra Leone's cultural record combines older Mende, Temne and Limba traditions with the distinctive Krio culture of Freetown, founded by returnees from across the Atlantic.
We are collecting oral history with elders, Krio family narratives and craft knowledge along the coast and in the interior.
Main languages
Krio · Mende · Temne · Limba · Fula
Places in focus
Freetown · Bo · Kenema · Banana Islands
General cultural context; verified records are added community by community.
Krio memory
Freetown's Krio language, architecture and family histories record one of the most unusual returns in Atlantic history.
Initiation societies
Community societies hold teaching, healing and performance knowledge, and decide what may be shared.
Coast and mountain
Fishing settlements below the Freetown peninsula hills carry their own place-name histories.
Sierra Leone on the map
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From the archive
Sierra Leone
From the community
Contributed to Sierra Leone
Submissions from contributors, published after cultural review.
No community submissions have been published for Sierra Leone yet. Yours could be the first.
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Short facts, objects and traditions from the archive. Tap a card to read the full entry and its source.