In 1961, Sierra Leone became independent of the UK. A West African country, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia.

The month of April is significant in Sierra Leone since it marks the country’s independence celebration. Today, I’d like to highlight five positive facts about Sierra Leone.

Why just the positive?

As we all know, any country has both a positive and a negative side. Today, I’m choosing to focus on the positive because, from my experiences, the negatives of the country are overshadowing the positives. Most people remember “Sweet Salone” (another name for Sierra Leone) for the civil war that occurred years ago or the ebola disease that was spreading in the country. Though some do remember it for its diamonds and natural resources, there are still some people who didn’t even know that this beautiful country existed.

Some history about Sierra leone

In 1961, Sierra Leone became independent of the UK. A West African country, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia.

Official name: Republic of Sierra Leone
Capital city: Freetown
Population: 6.8 million (July 2021 est.)
Major languages: Krio, Temne, Mende, English
Major religions: Muslim 77.1%, Christian 22.9% (2019 est.)
Time zone: UTC 0 (Greenwich Mean Time)

– Source: The WorldFact Book

You should know five positive facts about Sierra Leone.

Brother’s keepers

Sierra Leoneans are kind and welcoming and make excellent hosts. The majority of Sierra Leoneans live in harmony and form life-long relationships with their neighbors, colleagues, friends and so on. Most of the people I call cousins now are because we were neighbors or were my parents’ friends; there is no biological tie. In Sierra Leone, it’s easy for a neighbor to become a family member and look out for each other.

Diamond and other resources

Diamonds, iron ore, bauxite, rutile, and gold, are a significant part of the Sierra Leone economy. According to the WorldFact Book, in 2017, Sierra Leone produced almost 450,000 carats of diamonds, placing it sixth in the world. With all of these resources, Sierra Leone has the potential to be a great country if equitable investment and competent management are implemented.

Great food

The staple food in Sierra Leone is rice. We eat rice with a variety of stews. Plasas is a common name for stew made with green leaves such as cassava leaves, potato leaves, spinach, etc. And, because Sierra Leoneans cook rice a lot, it is safe to say that we are the best rice-cooking country. If you’re visiting and don’t like rice, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! There are several more meal and snack alternatives available, such as acheke, groundsoup, banana cake, butterscotch, and so on.

inter-religious country

Sierra Leone is known as one of the world’s most religiously tolerant countries. You can hardly hear about religious violence in the country. Both Christians and Muslims, Sierra Leone’s two largest religions, coexist peacefully.

Beautiful Scenery (beaches)

You’ll never be too far away from a beach in Sierra Leone. If you want to unplug and unwind, the beaches are a terrific spot to visit. Weekdays or early mornings are the best times to visit for a more calm and serene feeling. The bars and restaurants come alive in the evenings and more, especially during the weekends.

More about Sierra Leone

There are many more fascinating facts about Sierra Leone that I have not highlighted. Please let me know in the comments if you’d want to learn more. It does not have to be solely about the nice things; we can also discuss the not-so-good things!

If you lived in or have visited Sierra Leone, what’s your favorite thing about this country?

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