How did Sierra Leone get its name?

It was a Portuguese explorer by the name of Pedro da Cintra, back in 1492, who named the area, “Sierra Lyoa” meaning, “Lion Mountains.”  There is some question as to whether it was named for the shape of the mountains or because the thunder sounded like a lion’s roar, upon his arrival.  In 1808 when it became a British Crown Colony, the name was misspelled to Sierra Leona and then later modified to Sierra Leone.  Sierra Leoneans call their country “Salone,” a Franco Krio name.   A nickname for Sierra Leone is “The Little Jewel,” as it is known for its gold and diamonds.

Where is Sierra Leone located?

Sierra Leone lies on the west coast of Africa.  It is bordered by Guinea to the north and northeast, Liberia to the south and southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.  It has a tropical climate with two seasons; the dry season is from Nov-May and the rainy season is June-Oct.  It has a coastal belt of mangrove swamps, a wooded hill country, an upland plateau and mountains.

A brief history of Sierra Leone

Archaeological findings show that Sierra Leone has been inhabited for thousands of years.  Different tribes and invaders organized themselves in small political units of kingdoms and chiefdoms.  Muslim traders brought Islam to the country.  It was the Portuguese sailors, who were the first Europeans to detail their adventures along the coast of Sierra Leone.

Located near the capital port city of Freeport was the Rokel estuary, which was established as an important source of freshwater for sea traders.  Initially, it was a place to trade for swords and kitchen items, in exchange for beeswax and fine ivory works.  By the mid 1550s, it was the slaves that were traded.  The English, French, Dutch and Danish all had interests in the area.  Trade was established through African rulers who prohibited European traders from entering the interior of the continent. 

In 1787, British philanthropists founded the “Province of Freedom.”  It later became known as Freeport and was the principal base for the suppression of the slave trade.  Some 1200 slaves were relocated there from Nova Scotia in 1792, along with a group of slaves from Jamaica.  By 1855, over 50,000 freed slaves called Freetown home, and they became known as the Krios.

Sierra Leone gained independence on April 27, 1971.  Since independence it has experienced many changes politically, economically and in their social norms.  The 1990s brought a horrific civil war that led to intervention by the International community.  The war ended in 2002 and the process of rebuilding continues to this day.

As if recovering from civil war is not hard enough, Sierra Leone was hit in May of 2014 with the deadly Ebola virus.  The Ebola virus transmission was deemed  to be stopped in 2016, however there was a new strain found in bats in 2018 that once again alarmed scientists.  Although there are many travel warnings about visiting Sierra Leone, some bloggers say they have the most beautiful beaches and friendliest people in all of West Africa.  Despite its diamonds and gold, due to fighting and the skimming of resources, it is a poor country, one of the poorest in the world.  It is however, making strides and one day may become one of the world’s hottest, new travel destinations.

Sierra Leone Culture

The majority of Sierra Leoneans still live a traditional life, including subsistence agriculture, with ruling chiefs and religions which preserve social stability.  They also preserve local music, customs and traditions.

One interesting feature is the secret societies of Sierra Leone.  They are a fundamental part of the culture. There is the men’s secret society called the Poro and the women’s secret society is called Bundu.  These are where life lessons are taught and essential skills and knowledge concerning reaching puberty are passed on to contribute to the important roles of their society.

They also practice an interesting way of settling disputes called, palaver.  You may see two or three people yelling at each other quite aggressively and then immediately stop and hug each other like they are best friends.  This avoids anyone holding a grudge.

There are 16 different ethnic groups in Sierra Leone with the Temne in the north and Mende in the south, which is the largest.  The official language is English but Krio is the most universal.  Animist and Muslim are the two most practiced religions, followed by Christianity.

The Limba tribe plays a very important role in Sierra Leonean culture as they are the only people who can tap palm wine, also called poyo.  Other villages will put up signs trying to recruit good wine tappers in hopes that their village won’t run out of the naturally fermented, alcoholic drink.

Sierra Leone Cuisine

Sierra Leone’s cuisine is influenced by West Africa, in general.  Rice is considered a staple and they have multiple words in creole to describe the many ways it is consumed, like: pounded rice, steamed rice and the crusty part that forms on the bottom of a pot.  There is a saying there that, “If I haven’t had my rice, I haven’t eaten today.”  The rice is served with all sorts of stews and sauces, typically made with greens from cassava and potato leaves.  Other popular ingredients include: palm oil, onions, tomatoes, yams, ginger and chili peppers.  Protein is usually derived from ground-up nuts and beans, but also from fish, chicken goat meat and pork.  Being along the coast, oysters, lobster and crab are also frequently consumed.  The majority of the calories however, will almost always be from rice.

Fruits are also abundant in the lush, tropical regions of Sierra Leone and include: oranges, bananas, limes, lemons, pawpaws, avocados, watermelon, mangoes, guava and pineapples.  Fruit is typically consumed as a snack.  Plantains are fried and served as chips.  The stock cube, maggi, is also prominent in the cuisine, adding an umami, salty flavor, for which West African cuisine is well known.

Food is typically cooked over firewood or charcoal in large pots, placed directly over the flame.  It is only prepared by women or girls.

So let’s enjoy a Sierra Leone meal:

The Menu

Appetizer

Grilled Oyster with Lime

Main Dish

Cassava Leaf Stew with Rice

Dessert

Ginger Cake

the meal served with:

Ginger Beer

We set the scene with colors of the Sierra Leone flag; green white and blue.  The green is symbolic of the agriculture and natural resources of the country.  White symbolizes justice and the blue is for the ocean and harbor of Freetown.  A lion figure was placed to represent the name of the country, as well as a coconut and a few palm fronds.  Rice, ginger and peanuts were added, as these are the staples of Sierra Leone.

Our first course was fresh, grilled oysters.  I have always eaten oysters raw and this was my first experience to grill them.  They actually open up on the grill and are incredibly succulent and delicious. They are simply served with a fresh squeeze of lime juice.  Grilling is a perfect way to enjoy oysters for those who are squeamish about eating oysters raw.  Oysters are abundant in the swampy mangroves that line the coast.  They are also an important source of income for the locals who harvest and sell them.

Our main course was cassava leaf stew, with sauce and served with steamed, rice balls.  It had a bit of beef in it, which is a luxury ingredient in Sierra Leone.  Cassava leaves were bought already pounded and the addition of eggplant, maggi, peanut butter, onions and smoked fish made this dish rich and flavorful.  It was a delight to the palate.

We set our plate in the center of the table and made little balls with the rice, which were then dipped into the sauce.  Food is to be eaten only with the right hand.  Typically, the men get the best pieces of meat, then the boys.  The women and girls get what is left.  It is important however, to only eat what is directly in front of where you are seated.  It is considered rude to reach over the platter.  It is also considered rude to talk during the meal.

For dessert, we enjoyed what is called, ginger cake.  I found it more like a bread than a cake but it was very tasty and a lovely way to end our meal; a sweet bite, topped with powdered sugar.

We enjoyed the whole meal with a very popular drink that is loved all over West Africa called, ginger beer. This was the non-alcoholic version and we loved it.  The ginger adds a surprising amount of heat to the drink.  The ginger settles on the bottom of the glass and can be added to your desired level of heat.

After dinner, we sat down and watched the adventure movie called, Blood Diamonds.  The movie depicts Sierra Leone during the civil war when diamonds were traded for weapons.  It was a tragic and violent time in this country’s history. 

As we say goodbye to Sierra Leone, I leave you with a few proverbs:

“A black cow gives white milk”

“To try and fail is not laziness”

and

“It is better to be loved than feared”

Until next time,

Good bye in Krio, “a de go”

Warmest regards,

Darlene Longacre

How did the Seychelles get its name?

Just hearing the name Seychelles conjures up dreamy, white sand beaches and oceans of every shade of green and blue.  It is known to be an island getaway and is very popular as a honeymoon destination.  It is pronounced, “Say-shells.” 

The name of one of the islands, Mahe’, was renamed by the French in 1776 after King Louis XV’s Minister of Finance, Jean Moreau de Sechelles, named it “Isle de Sechelles.”  The name has since been anglicized as Seychelles and is applied to the whole archipelago.

Where are the Seychelles located?

The Seychelles are an archipelago of 115 islands.  The islands are located in the Indian Ocean, about 1000 miles off the coast of Kenya in East Africa, and northeast of Madagascar.  The Seychelles are considered to be part of Africa but they do meet at the crossroads of Asia as well. 

The capital city is Victoria, which is on the largest island of Mahe.  About half of the islands are of granitic origin, with narrow coastal strips and ranges of hills.  The highest range is Morne Seychellois, which rises to just shy of 3000 ft.  The rest are coral atolls, many of which are uninhabited.  All together the islands are about the size of the tiny country of Andorra.

A Brief History of the Seychelles

The beautiful and bountiful islands were a must stop for early Islamic traders and they were known to be a sanctuary for pirates in the early 17^th century.  In fact, to this day, it is thought the famous pirate known as The Buzzard, hid his treasure there, which still remains undiscovered.  The Seychelles were charted by both Portuguese and Asian explorers.  However, it was the French who originally inhabited and colonized the islands, having laid claim in 1756 to establish spice and coconut plantations. 

The first settlers were slaves and French planters who arrived in 1770.  When they arrived, one of the biggest problems they faced were saltwater crocodiles.  It is believed they became nearly extinct around 1819.  It was ultimately the British who ended up with the Seychelles in 1814 as part of the Treaty of Paris, after the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.  The Seychelles became a crown colony, separate from Mauritius in 1903.

The British transformed the islands economically with the establishment of cinnamon, vanilla  sugar cane, coconut and tea plantations. They also built up the capital city of Victoria (renamed after the Queen).  There are many landmarks that remain today which were built in the early 1900s.

The Seychelles gained independence in 1976, which was then quickly followed by a coup and eventually socialist rule.  It has been a newly established, free country since the 1990s.  Tourism is the main industry, making up most of the country’s revenue.

Today the Seychelles is known for its pristine beaches, fishing, birding and scuba diving as well as a honeymooner’s haven.

Seychelles Culture

The locals are called Seychellois and are a melting pot of cultures, mainly from Africa, Europe, India and Asia.  They speak Creole, English and French, all of which are official languages.  The Seychellois’ government is heavily invested in protecting the integrity of the Creole language.  The national newspaper is printed in both Creole and English.

The main religion is Roman Catholic, practiced by about 90 percent of the population, but there are members of other Christian denominations as well.  There are also Hindi Muslims and adherents to the Baha’i Faith.

Many Seychellois believe in ghosts.  In fact, there is an entire island, Moyenne Island, that is believed to be haunted, (many believe that is where the buried treasure is hidden.)  Shaman, known as bonom di dwa or man of the woods, are regularly consulted for solving problems through supernatural guidance.

The Seychellois family unit is matriarchal.  Institutional marriage is not widely practiced and unwed mothers are the societal norm.  The law, however, does hold fathers accountable for financial support for their children.  Nearly 75 percent of the children are born out of wedlock.  This structure is known as en menage and it carries no negative social stigma.

Under the constitution women enjoy the same status as men and comprise 45.8 percent of the total number of delegates; having one of the highest numbers of women in parliament in the world.  Despite the country being a land of many colors, racism is non-existent.

Music is very important to the Seychellois and has evolved over the years.  African influences dominate, mainly in the moutia and sega music, that are often accompanied by dance.  The moutia dates back to the days of slavery and is a slow, erotic dance that was actually banned by the British.  Sega has a Calypso like rhythm and is also very popular in Mauritius.  This is the dance where your feet are not lifted from the ground. 

Seychelles Cuisine

The original French settlers arrived with their legendary skills in the kitchen.  Their ability to blend spices and herbs was adapted to island living, where seafood is particularly abundant.  Coconut, mango, papaya, banana, pumpkin and the golden apple are often used to make tangy salads.  It is said that if you eat breadfruit on the Seychelles it will guarantee your return.  Pork, chicken and beef are available but seafood remains king.

When the British arrived, they added their influence to the Creole cuisine with tea, cakes, custards and crumbles, as well as corned beef.  This influence however was mild compared to what the Chinese brought with their love of noodles and rice, the Indians who introduced, curries, beans, chilies and dahls, and the Africans  who contributed their use of creamy coconut milk, cassava and bananas.  Add in the local spices such as: vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and lemongrass and you get a fusion Creole that is simply mouthwatering.  Fruit bat curry is considered one of the Seychelles specialties along with boudin, a blood sausage, sausage rougay (pork sausages in a rich tomato sauce.)  Freshly barbecued fish and kebabs can all be found in the night markets. 

So let’s enjoy a Seychellois meal:

The Menu

Appetizer

Molouk (Crispy Fried, Flavored Dough)

Salad

Smoked Fish Salad

Main Course

Octopus Curry over White Rice

Dessert

Daube de Banana (Caramelized Bananas)

We set the scene with the national flower, an orchid, called tropicbird.  We included other tropical things like palm leaves, coconut and bananas to the décor, as well as cinnamon bark and the vanilla bean, as they remain huge exports.  A bit of sea life and shells were added, (after all it is the Seychelles.) 

We lit two candles, one of which had a picture of the famous tortoise, named Esmeralda, who is still living at 170 years of age on Bird Island.  He is the biggest and heaviest, free-roaming tortoise in the world, weighing a whopping 670 pounds.  Bird Island is home to the largest wild Aldabra tortoise population in the world and is a UNESCO world heritage site.  Speaking of large, every visitor to the Seychelles will learn about the Coco de Mer or “Love Nut.”  It’s the largest seed in the world and stands out due to its voluptuous shape.  The other candle we lit had a picture of the black parrot, the threatened national bird.  With candle light glowing, we put on Calypso music to set the island mood.

For the first course, we loved nibbling on molouk, as it is called there.  In India it is called murruku.  Molouk is served in most bars on the islands as a popular snack.  They are made with rice and chickpea flour with added spices, such as hot chili powder and cumin.  The dough is drawn through a noodle press to shape it into thick noodles with curves.  We enjoyed them with an icy cold beer, which is also quite popular there. 

For our next course we had the smoked fish salad.  Salads of all types are served in the Seychelles.  This one was made with smoked marlin, shredded cabbage, carrots and onions.  It was served with a lime and olive oil dressing.  I think I could savor this salad every single day.  A true keeper recipe from the Seychelles and I am certain any type of smoked fish would be equally amazing.

For the main course, we served octopus curry and quickly learned why some consider it the most famous dish in the Seychelles.  It is a creamy curry made with coconut milk but so flavorful as it is spiced with masala and chilies.  Octopus is one of my favorite seafoods and we absolutely loved this curry over steamed white rice.  The original version comes from the island of Praslin and is a must try recipe.

For dessert, we wanted to enjoy something with bananas.  The Daube de Banana was perfect.  Bananas are loved and abundant on the islands.  What an absolute joy to savor this dish with all the special flavors that come from the Seychelles like: vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon and of course, coconut.  This was yet another perfect ending to an International Cuisine meal.  The Seychellois cuisine was reminiscent of delicious Mauritius, which makes sense since they share much of the same history. 

As we say goodbye to the beautiful island nation of the Seychelles, I leave you with a poem written by  Terry Brewer called, Thoughts from the Seychelles Islands:

The sun carresses this granite isle

Where quietness rules the day.

The other world is sometimes grim,

here we smile, it is the Seychelles way.

Morne Seychellois stands tall, touching his cloud

Guarding, watching, massive and proud.

While flying foxes, sea birds, giant tortoises roam

Making this peaceful green island their home.

Red earth roads scurry through verdant hills

Clinging to mountains with desperate wills.

Sometimes destroyed by furious rains,

Making cataracts where there are no drains.

In Victoria, the Cathedral clock strikes twice at noon

Reminding time – move on, slowly, well soon!

Why hurry, there’s time to do what is to be done

And time goes slower if you stand, so much quicker if you run.

We trade with the world, who know not quite where we are

Vanilla, salt fish, green snails, beche de mer, copra

Go to far distant lands with a skilled sailors ease,

In schooners creaking slowly through fickle green seas.

Praslin Island is not too far away

The Garden of Eden, General Gordon did say

With the Coco de Mer in the Valley de Mai

Black parrots, peace and the silence of creation day

No airstrip yet intrudes and defiles

These untouched, unique, so, so beautiful isles.

Though there will be one soon, I’ver heard them say

Sadly, progress will change the quiet Seychelles way

Until next time,

Oo-rer-vwa  (“Goodbye” in Creole)

Darlene