Liam Salas
10/3/17
Fernando P3
Sierra Leone Paragraph Questions
Research the biography of Ishmael Beah. Who is he? Where did he live? Why is he famous?
Ishmael Beah was born on November 23, 1980 in Sierra Leone. In 1991, the Sierra Leonean Civil War broke out, and Ishmael’s entire family was killed. Two years after the civil war, at the young age of 13, Ishmael Beah was recruited to be a soldier to fight for the government, where he would be forced to kill rebels. He is so famous because after the UN saved him, he spo
Research PTSD—What is it? Who gets it? What are the causes, symptoms and treatments?
PTSD stands for “Post Traumatic Stress disorder. Anybody can get it, after seeing or doing something very traumatic such as taking the life of another person, seeing loved ones suffer and die, or being in hyper-stressful situations. Symptoms of PTSD include but are not limited to nightmares, flashbacks, and excessive fidgeting. Treatments include antidepressants, and exposure, which is repeatedly talking about the traumatic situation until the traumatic situation is more tolerable.
Research the civil war in Sierra Leone. The RUF—Revolutionary United Front—started in 1991. Make a timeline of the important events leading to the Civil War into which Beah was recruited, and what the aftermath was. Put in your own words so you will understand the key events/places and people. Provide your citations.
1961 Sierra Leone gained independence from Britain
1985 Saidu Momoh becomes president
1991 former army corporal foday, sankoh, and the ruf campaign against the president and capture towns on the liberian border
1992 Momoh is kicked out of the presidency by a military coup by Valentine Strasser, who was mad the rebels were not being dealt with
1996 Strasser is ousted by his own defense minister
1996 Kabbah is put into office and signs a peace corps with the rebels
1996 (May) Kabbah was removed from power
1996 Karoma leads army
1997 constitution is suspended and protests are banned
1997 UN cuts off weapon supply from Sierra Leone
1997 Rebels attack Freetown in an important area, Kill 5k people, destroy city
1999 UN tries to intervene but fails
2000 Rebels try to fight again
2000 British forces capture rebel leader
Next 4 years: UN launches missions to disarm rebels, 2004 70k rebels are disarmed
2. What are blood diamonds? These are also known as conflict diamonds. What was their role in the civil war in Sierra Leone? Provide your citations.
Blood diamonds are diamonds mined in war-ridden areas and are sold to fund war. The people mining the blood diamonds are subject to many human rights violations such as slave labor. Whoever had control over the diamond industry had control of the country, which in this case, is the government. The civilians did not like this, and decided to rebel against the government.
Sierra Leone–Important cultural aspects which may include coming of age ceremonies, festivals, celebrations, gender roles, or superstitions.
Sierra Leoneans take pride in their food, many of which are different stews served over rice. Additionally, they are very invested in the arts, and frequently have festivals that celebrate the arts, such as the Sierra Leone International Art Festival and the lantern festival. The men in Sierra Leonean culture do all of the physically strenuous work such as clearing fields and swamps, while the women do the more tedious work such as marketing, planting, and harvesting. Sierra Leoneans have a “witch-gun” superstition, in which they believe herbalists can kill people at will.
Research Charles Taylor, former President of Liberia, and his role in Sierra Leone. Who is he? When was he in power? What are the actions he took as the President of Liberia. Where is he now and why?
Charles Taylor was president of Liberia from August 2, 1997 to August 11, 2003. He started the Sierra Leonean Civil War in 1989. During his six years governing, he committed 11 war crimes. Additionally, Charles Taylor would sell diamonds to fund war, and he supplied weapons and ammunition to a violent group of rebels who were infamous for hacking off the hands and legs of innocent civilians during the civil war. After his time as governor, he was forced into exile in Nigeria. Today, Taylor is serving a jail sentence in the UK.
Works Cited
“Sierra Leone – History and Culture.” Adventure Tourism – Experiential Travel Guides, IExplore, www.iexplore.com/articles/travel-guides/africa/sierra-leone/history-and-culture.
“Sierra Leone.” Countries and Their Cultures, www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Sierra-Leone.html.
“Sierra Leone.” Countries and Their Cultures, www.iexplore.com/articles/travel-guides/africa/sierra-leone/festivals-and-events+.
“'Witch-Gun' And Superstition In Guinea And Sierra Leone By Leo Igwe.” Sahara Reporters, Sahara Reporters, 7 Sept. 2013, saharareporters.com/2013/09/07/%E2%80%98witch-gun%E2%80%99-and-superstition-guinea-and-sierra-leone-by%C2%A0leo-igwe.