A Long Way Gone: Sierra Leone Background Write the information in GREEN!

Who is Ishmael Beah? Click on link

Sierra Leone Profile  Full Name: Republic of Sierra Leone  Population: 5.7 million (2009)  Capital: Freetown  Major Languages: English, Krio, and various African languages  Major Religions: Islam (60%) and Christianity (10%) Other indigenous  Monetary Unit: Leone  Major Exports: Diamonds,Cocoa, Coffee, and Fish

History of Sierra Leone  Sierra Leone: Name means “Lion Mountains”  1462: Portuguese explorers arrive in Sierra Leone, which was also already occupied by several African tribes that had migrated to the area.  1500s-1700s: Traders stopped in Sierra Leone to exchange cloth and metal goods for ivory, timber, and slaves. *Abolitionists later help slaves return to Africa in what is now the “Province of Freedom” or Freetown in Sierra Leone. They came to be called Krio.

History of Sierra Leone  1808: Sierra Leone became a British crown colony  1839: Slaves aboard the Amistad revolt to secure their freedom. Their leader is Sengbe Pieh (Joseph Cinque), a young Mende from Sierra Leone.  Amistad film trailer: Click here Amistad film trailer: Click here  1951: A constitution is enacted by the British to begin the process of decolonization (or when a colony becomes self-governing)  April 27, 1961: Sierra Leone becomes independent with Sir Milton Margai as its first prime minister. Sengbe Pieh (Joseph Cinque) Sir Milton Margai

History of Sierra Leone  1971: Sierra Leone was declared a republic, and Siaka Stevens became executive president.  1978: Sierra Leone became a one- party state with the All People’s Congress as the sole legal party.  1985: Stevens retired and appointed Major General Joseph Saidu Momoh the next president. Momoh’s APC rule was marked by increased abuse of power. Siaka Stevens

Civil War in Sierra Leone  March 1991: The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) began attacking villages in eastern Sierra Leone. *Goal: To rid the country of the APC government * Rebel leader: Foday Sankoh  April 1992: The National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) was established, but it proved to be as ineffective as the APC at repelling the RUF.  1995: The RUF held much of the countryside in their control.

Civil War in Sierra Leone  : Sierra Leone tries various campaigns to stop the RUF, including signing a peace deal in 1996 that unraveled in  1999: The United Nations finally became involved in the effort to disarm the rebels  2001: A second peace agreement was signed that allowed disarmament to begin as the government regained authority in rebel-held areas.  January 2002: President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (elected in 1996) declared the civil war officially over.

Recovery in Sierra Leone  2002: British troops left Sierra Leone and President Kabbah is reelected.  Summer 2002: A Sierra Leone Special Court begins holding a series of war crimes trials that lasted until  2003: Rebel leader Foday Sankoh died.  Many child soldiers, like Ishmael Beah, also had to begin a personal healing process to restore their sense of humanity and to forgive themselves.

Ishmael Beah  At 15, UNICEF removed Beah from fighting and helped him begin rehabilitating.  In 1998 he moved to the U.S. and finished high school. He graduated from Oberlin College in  He is a member of the Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division Advisory Committee and speaks on behalf of children affected by war.  He began the Ishmael Beah Foundation to help former child soldiers.

The Diamond Trade in Sierra Leone  During the civil war in Sierra Leone, people who purchased diamonds in the West unknowingly funded the mission of Foday Sankoh and the RUF  These diamonds came to be known as “blood diamonds” or “conflict diamonds”  These diamonds were specifically mined in war zones of Africa to fund the invading army’s efforts.  Liberia would trade weapons and training to Sierra Leone in exchange of their diamonds (Charles Taylor).

Blood Diamonds in Sierra Leone Click here to watch video Click here for BBC Video

Kimberley Process Certification Scheme  Created in 2002 to control the flow blood diamonds.  A Kimberley Certification must be presented by a gem’s owner before it can leave the country.  This forces the government to keep track of the diamonds they are importing and exporting and their value.

Blood Diamonds in the U.S.  Executive Order ( Jan 2001) and (May 2001) specifically ban the importation of rough diamonds from Sierra Leone and Liberia.  Clean Diamond Trade Act (2003): U.S. recognizes that as a major consumer of diamonds, it has a responsibility to severe its ties to any diamond trade that funds war and conflict.  This was crucial to the success of the KPCS.

Sierra Leone After the War: Profile (let’s talk numbers)  Serra Leone is continually on the list of the top 20 poorest countries in the world (70% living in poverty).  Per capita income: $340/year (US dollars)  Life expectancy: 55 years of age  The country is slightly smaller than South Carolina  Sierra Leone has one of the world’s highest infant mortality rates (11 th highest in world) and 70% of these deaths are caused by malaria.  According to 2010 estimates, Sierra Leone has the 5th highest maternal mortality (female deaths per live birth) rate in the world.  Almost 50% of Sierra Leone’s population is between the ages of 0-14 and uneducated because of the Civil War.  Mother’s median age at first birth: 19  Children under the age of 5 years old underweight: 18.6%  School life expectancy: 7 years old  Child labor (ages 5-14): 48% (2005)  31% of nation is literate

Ebola in Sierra Leone  An outbreak of Ebola hit Sierra Leone in March By early December, it is estimated to have killed about 1,660 people in Sierra Leone, and there were about 7,635 suspected and confirmed cases of it in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control. It is the worst outbreak since the virus was first identified almost 40 years ago. In order to contain the virus, Sierra Leone instituted a 3-day lockdown on the country and an army police, soldiers, and about 30,000 volunteers went door to door looking for victims.  Guinea closed its borders to Sierra Leone to help contain the spreading of the virus, which originated in Guinea, as more new cases of the disease were being reported in Sierra Leone than in Guinea. Aside from the human cost, the outbreak was severely eroding the economy. By September 2014, with the closure of borders, the cancellation of airline flights, the evacuation of foreign workers and a collapse of cross-border trade, the national deficit of Sierra Leone and other affected countries was widening to the point where the IMF was considering expanding its financial support.