Talk:Sierra Leone/Archive 1

Archive 1

Spam

Dossier about Sierra Leone from Freedomhouse.org seems to be a spam. Isn't it? Dr Bug  (Volodymyr V. Medeiko) 16:14, 29 Jul 2004 (UTC)

I don't think so. It looks legit to me. What makes you think it is spam? --Ben 16:38, 10 Oct 2004 (UTC)

The phrase "Although there has been a significant amount of news coverage of the war in Sierra Leone" to me seems a little strange. I personally don't remember what I would consider a "significant amount of news coverage" regarding the civil war in Sierra Leone. There were reporters there but western media did not really pick up the stories. Maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough though. --Ben 16:34, 10 Oct 2004 (UTC)

Districts

I have a made a page with the Districts of Sierra Leone and explained how the final 12 parliamentary seats are filled. Admittedly, I just obtained this information and am a bit confused on whether the Western Area is considered an administrative district or not. Most sites say Sierra Leone has 12 districts, but the Western Area would be 13. Can anyone clarify? - Gantry 03:53, 19 Dec 2004 (UTC)

The administration of the Western Area (which is essentially the city of Freetown) is seperate from that of the 3 provinces. Government systems for the Western Area are different and I think some property laws are different.Nick.annejohn 21:59, 4 February 2006 (UTC)

The square km figures given for the western rural district and the western urban district appear too high by an order of magnitude. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.92.55.230 (talk) 04:43, 22 November 2013 (UTC)

Deleting the literature and film section

If no-one has any objections I will remove the literature and film section in a few days as it is really just a list of trivial facts. 124.171.186.168 (talk) 15:27, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

Yes, some of us do object. Why would you want to delete the section? It could use a few more cited sources to be sure but that is a reason to improve not delete. Cheers. L0b0t (talk) 16:10, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

For the same reasons as why the Borat movie isn't discussed in the Kazakstan article. The whole section is embarrassing. 203.56.233.122 (talk) 04:23, 24 December 2008 (UTC)

Well, I don't think embarrassment is an acceptable reason to delete sourced sections of an encyclopedia article. The Borat film would certainly merit a mention in the Kazakhstan article (there was quite a stink raised by the Kazakh president when he met with President Bush) but we already cover the film in Media of Kazakhstan. What part of the section embarrasses you? L0b0t (talk) 03:14, 25 December 2008 (UTC)

I've logged in so you know who you're talking to. Appropriate content for the lit. and film section would be examples of notable Sierra Leonean authors, playwrights, etc. It shouldn't contain lists of Hollywood movies about Sierra Leone. I can't see any other way to improve the article other than to delete the entire section. ExitRight (talk) 02:36, 26 December 2008 (UTC)

Denial of Visas to athletes

I recently read an article on yahoo that talked about several nations refusing to give athletes from SL permission to come to their countries and participate in events. Found it interesting and think it would go great under the header in the sports section which currently says nothing. not sure where they sourced it from if someone wants to help out (the article is from reuters). we can talk about it here. it'd also be interesting to know how this affects events like the olympics or world cup Curtbash (talk) 05:49, 13 August 2008 (UTC)

Etymology of the name

The name Sierra Leone was adapted from the Spanish version: Sierra León, and in turn, from the Portuguese Serra-Leão, which stands for "lioness mountains."

"Leão" means lion, and not lioness, in Portuguese. Lioness is "leoa" and, in fact, the modern name of the country in Portuguese is "Serra Leoa". The article History of Sierra Leone states that

Portuguese explorer Pedro da Cintra mapped the hills surrounding what is now Freetown Harbour, naming the oddly shaped formation Serra Lyoa (Lion Mountains)

"Lyoa" could well be an archaic version of "leoa", but probably not of "leão". So, it seems to me that one article contradicts the other (on the original name in Portuguese -- if they are both in fact referring to the original name; maybe Lyoa was the original name and then later it changed to Leão) and are both contradictory within themselves, as one translates Lyoa as lion, and the other Leão as lioness.

Does anyone have information to clarify this? --Cotoco 10:22, 28 August 2005 (UTC)

This article must be reviewed. In Portuguese it is "Serra Leoa" and in Spanish it is "Sierra Leona", both meaning "Lioness Mountains" and not "Lion Mountains". The name was originally in Portuguese, and not in Spanish, as the text suggests. Could we correct it as soon as possible? Tonyjeff 17:19, 14 November 2005 (UTC)

I think this is arguable. It could be that the word leoa was used as an adjective, and thus needed to agree with serra, which is feminine. The basic idea seems to have been that the mountain range was shaped like a lion, which I suppose works just as well for a male as it does for a female. FilipeS 21:54, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

Google book search reveals that the Portuguese name used in the past was "Serra de Leôa"[1] [2], "Serra-Leôa" [3] or "Serra de Leoa" [4]. I have changed the name. --Stomatapoll (talk) 00:08, 25 June 2014 (UTC)

External links

Suggest that the external link to Vanessa Without Borders be removed. Wikipedia is generally known for its objectivity in its articles. This link to a personal blog appears to have been inserted by one of the article's earlier editors and, quite frankly, comes across as self-indulgence. The link could be included in a biographical article on the individual herself or possibly an article on the particular NGO she is working with, but not an article on an entire country. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.73.96.170 (talk • contribs) 22:54, 13 November 2006.

---

Why is there poverty? Because the wage system is a slave system, & USA forces it on the world! Once we can see the wage causes world poverty, we should end it! Millions of people are suffering so much, & every year 11 million children die of starvation related illnesses. We must end the wage to create a vortex that would "force" all nations to end their wage systems & say all people must OWN all things to end world poverty! Ending the wage will make the world almost perfect immediately. Let's just do it. Sundiiiaaa 03:58, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

How could anyone do that to another human being! That's just so horrible! **about the Blood Diamond conflict(s)** (Is the U.S. a big consumer of *blood* diamonds??

164.116.126.140 18:49, 8 March 2007 (UTC)Researcher007

Has anyone validated the information presented by the author of the Sierra Leone article? I suspect not. I sincerely hope nobody relies upon the information as fact.

introduction should be re-evaluated and possibly re-written

The current introduction gives the impression that the country is known only for being a colony. There should be a more comprehensive introduction, like in some other country articles. Congolese 04:19, 28 October 2007 (UTC)

Current introduction needs editing for brevity (a lot of info, especially history and current status, can be moved to body sections,) as well as significantly more citation. Motion for re-evaluation and possible rewriting seconded. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 47.208.174.57 (talk) 18:41, 27 March 2017 (UTC)

"It was recently nominated by the United Nations to be the worst country to live in ever."

Even though the statement is sourced, it is a long stretch to call it the worst country to live in EVER, don't you think?! I don't want to edit it as I am not a registrered member, I just thought I should point it out. 130.226.7.3 (talk) 20:21, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

It now says the worst country to live in in history which is simply wrong. The HDI indicates how Humand Development was ranked in all those countries in the year 2005. It's not a historic kind of measurement. I removed the words 'in history' from the article. 213.132.129.27 (talk) 22:48, 29 November 2007 (UTC) Re , Last time I have checked the UN was merely an USA registered company, but how many know this. Thus it has no mind no heart and no conscience. It makes statements though. Myself, a mere earthling, I guarantee I lllloooove living in Sierra Leone, because of its unequalled people, geography, natural resources, economic opportunity. The arts, music, dance, sculpture, painting, carving, weaving, fashion, have flored me. The west and the world is being secretly enriched by its generous traditions being brought abroad by immigrants and tourists. Just alow the locals to show you the love they have for you and be immersed in their world of wonder. They will show you the beaches rivers savanas jungle mountains and hidden wonders. Most locals live life to enjoy not to enrich, just try stretching your mind a little nex time you visit. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.7.157.75 (talk) 01:39, 19 June 2015 (UTC)

Population of Districts

Several unregistered users have been making apparently random changes to the population figures. Official 2004 census figures are available from two sources. User Sittaconde requests, in last edit to article, that 2007 estimates be used. I have found no source for these. Are they original research? I have asked for a source to be cited. Can Sittaconde or any other Wikipedian provide this, or is it the case that this and other Wikipedia articles are being misused? Dbfirs (talk) 09:28, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

I have reinstated confirmed 2004 census data to this and a number of related articles. Games are being played with distances between cities (I must find my atlas!), and names of well-known people. Does anyone know which of these are genuine and which are fictitious? dbfirs 22:09, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

A recent edit by unregistered user 71.163.213.244 claims authority for population figures from “the country’s official website”. In fact Sierraeye.net was set up in December 2007 and is administered by someone called Davide Baldoni who appears to live in Ancona, Italy. Information from this website cannot be as reliable as the official 2004 census data available elsewhere on the web (see footnotes and external links). This user, who refuses to engage in discussion, has changed the population figures many times, replacing the genuine figures with strangely varying values. I propose to reinstate the genuine figures. Please let me know if you disagree. I would be particularly pleased to hear from 71.163.213.244 or any of the other editors who have been playing games with the numbers. dbfirs 10:31, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

• We now have reasonable estimates from three different sources for the populations of major towns. Unfortunately, these three sources do not agree. I would prefer to keep 2004 census figures where available, but I have left the conflicting estimates because some editors seem to feel strongly about the drop in urban populations during the civil war, and I agree that urban areas will have recovered much of their former populations by now. Does anyone know of reliable recent estimates? dbfirs 21:04, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

Population-of.com website seems to give reasonable-sounding estimates. Does it just take the last census figure and apply an inflation formula, or does it use a more reliable method? In either case, the figures ought to be rounded sensibly if the numbers are estimates rather than counts. Does anyone know? dbfirs 13:06, 2 April 2008 (UTC)

Confused Over Official Languages Status

I read this article and it mentions that Bengali is one of the two official languages of Sierra Leone, and there are two sources in the article to confirm it, but I want a clarification just in case, because I'm doing a school report about Sierra Leone, please and thanks. =) Kotakkasut (talk) 11:13, 22 March 2008 (UTC)

It was someone's strange idea of a joke, of course. Dbfirs 07:02, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

It is not a joke. The acting president after the civil war gave Bengali language an honorary title among the others, in recognition of the positive contribution of peace keepers of India, clearly from Bengal, to the peace efort. 😊 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.7.157.75 (talk) 01:11, 19 June 2015 (UTC)

All WP articles mentioning this fact link ultimately back to a single article from a Pakistani newspaper. I have been unable to find any Sierra Leonian government publication that even mentions the Bengali language. If anyone can point to one, it would be greatly appreciated. Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 20:24, 27 February 2017 (UTC)

A quick google search yielded three articles stating that Bengali is an official language of Sierra Leone , though they don't have any references themselves so they could all link back to the newspaper article mentioned. I also have not found any government publications related to this. Sofaclass (talk) 23:18, 2 April 2017 (UTC)

EDIT: oops, this has previously been discussed in more detail further down this page. Sofaclass (talk) 23:26, 2 April 2017 (UTC)

First inhabited

The current article claims that certain tribes were the "first" inhabitants. This is unlikely, historically, but may well be true if we have some dates rather than just "first" which could mean any date in the last 60,000 years. I propose to change the wording to "early inhabitants include" if no-one can come up with approximate chronology. Dbfirs 07:02, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

I've made the change I suggested, but I'm not convinced that the information is accurate. One cited reference (from 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica) says:
"Sierra Leone is inhabited by various ethnic groups, the chief being the Timni, the Sulima, the Susu and the Mendi. From the Mendi district many curious steatite figures which had been buried have been recovered and are exhibited in the British Museum. They show considerable skill in carving. Of semi-negro races the Fula inhabit the region of the Scarcies. Freetown is peopled by descendants of nearly every negro tribe, and a distinct type known as the Sierra Leoni has been evolved; their language is Kreo is a vernacular language of its own right, order and substance, equivalent to any other world language. Kreo is equally influenced by French, Portugese, Yoruba and other local languages. It has its own grammar and structure. Since 1900 a considerable number of Syrians and Lebanese migrants have settled in the country as traders. Most of the African population are pagans and each tribe has its secret societies and fetishes. These are very powerful and are employed often for beneficent purposes, such as the regulation of agriculture and the palm-oil industry. There are many Christian converts (chiefly Anglicans and Wesleyans) and Muslims. In the Northern areas are some Muslim tribes, as for instance the Susu. The majority of the Sierra Leonis are nominally Christian. The European population numbers about Soo. Towns. - Besides Freetown (q.v.) the capital (pop., Igor, 34,463), the most important towns are Bonthe, the port of Sherbro, Port Lokko, at the head of the navigable waters of a stream emptying itself into the Sierra Leone estuary, and Songo Town, 30 m. S.E. of Freetown, with which it is connected by railway. In the interior are many populous centres. The most noted is Falaba, about 190 m. N.E. of Freetown on the Fala river, a tributary of the Little Scarcies. It lies about 1600 ft. above the sea. Falaba was founded towards the end of the 18th century by the Sulima who revolted from the Muslim Fula, and its normadic inhabitants soon attained supremacy over the neighbouring villages and country."
Obviously, the situation has changed since 1911, but I wonder how accurate are the statements in the Wikipedia article. I'm not qualified to judge. Does anyone know? Dbfirs 07:27, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

Population inflation

Further inflated figures have been entered for population figures. Some of these edits are so obviously false that one wonders what is the motivation for such edits (e.g. adding 100,000 to official census figures). Would the false editors care to reply? Dbfirs 08:24, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Official Language

Below are some of the sources that state English as the only official Language of Sierra Leone:

• United Nations Development Programme Sierra Leone.
• The BBC
• Sierra Leone Embassy (an official Sierra Leone government source)
• U.S.A Government (CIA) profile of Sierra Leone

Below are some of the sources that state both English and Bengali as the only official Languages of Sierra Leone:

• New York University.
• Vanderbilt University, USA.
• Sierra Leone Business Law Handbook.
• CNN.

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Fuadorko2‎ (talk • contribs)

I can only find the newspaper articles The Daily Times (2002) from Pakistan that reports Bengali as an official language.

I don't know if this was an official language at the time of the newspaper report but in order to include this in the article an official source from Sierra Leone will be needed that says Bengali is an official Language of the country. --Kaly99 (talk) 21:11, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

Agreed, though we should include the report somewhere in the article. Dbfirs 15:53, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

I notice that the account of the announcement in 2002 has been removed from the article, so people keep adding Bengali back as an official language, thinking that they are adding genuine information. Could we put back the report, mentioning that it was a gesture that was never implemented? Dbfirs 16:23, 29 June 2013 (UTC)

This more recent source from December 2015 by the Canadian Professor Jacques Leclerc, one of the leading experts in international language policy who also cites language laws in the original English as well as a translated French version, agrees that only English is the official language of Sierra Leone. — BTW it is EXTREMELY expensive to make a new language official: you need skilled personnel at all levels (national to communal/municipal), you need to develop a consistent vocabulary for an entirely different legislation, you need to design legal forms, to say nothing of the educational system, public signage, etc. Guess why so many countries have only one official language even though they have a lot more indigenous languages. Love —LiliCharlie (talk) 15:30, 25 January 2017 (UTC)

This is a bad case of Chinese whispers starting from one unreliable news article. Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 08:28, 30 March 2017 (UTC)

I called the Sierra Leone embassy in USA and they confirmed that Bengali is an official language. The reason they dont have official documents that say this is the same reason they dont have official documents saying anything about Temne, Mende, or Krio, or EVEN ENGLISH. They are a small country and don't really care so much to document everything. Since they don't have any documents about these 3 languages + English, why are these 3 languages still on the page/no one argues about that, but when it comes to Bengali, people have a problem with it? Even though there are so many different sources?? Here is a reliable source (not a news media) saying Bengali is an official language alongside English -> Here is black people in Sierra Leone singing in Bengali -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5-wKnVZ_H8 — Preceding unsigned comment added by Fuadorko2‎ (talk • contribs)

If Bangla is not recognised as an official language of Sierra Leone by other countries, and there is no legislation within Sierra Leone, then we have only a statement made a long time ago. You will notice that I didn't remove your referenced claim, I just moved it to a statement of fact later in the article. Perhaps your contact at the Embassy could inform the CIA? Dbfirs 20:23, 30 March 2017 (UTC)

It is possible that the claim in the article is the result of a misunderstanding or mistranslation. If the President did announce an official policy change at that time, it is reasonable to expect that the news would have appeared in other publications around the same time, but there is no such evidence. Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 20:35, 30 March 2017 (UTC)

Read the top of this talk section where I added more sources. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Fuadorko2‎ (talk • contribs)

Of the three sources, the CNN article is from their iReport section, which is open for contributions by non-journalists. If you look down the page, you will see that it says "Not verified by CNN". The Section in the Business Law Handbook is quite clearly copied from Wikipedia itself - they haven't even bothered to remove the superscripted footnote numbers! It is WP:CIRC. That leaves the Vanderbilt U page, which hasn't been updated in 4 years at least, and just seems like something a student once threw together. I don't think any of it counts as definitive evidence. Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 23:36, 30 March 2017 (UTC)

Stop denying the truth in spite of overwhelming evidence. Also, why would you remove it EVEN THOUGH I PUT THE DISPUTED TAG. THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF THE DISPUTED TAG! Since Vanderbilt University is a reputed US university, and since it is on their OFFICIAL website, you cannot deny that. Also the section in the lawbook isn't copied from wikipedia. They use superscripts for their own sources, not wikipedia. According to Wikipedia's reliable sources section it says "Academic and peer-reviewed publications are usually the most reliable sources. Other reliable sources include university textbooks, books published by respected publishing houses, magazines, journals, and mainstream newspapers." Since there are university publications and mainstream newspapers which are reporting this, it is fair under Wikipedia rules.

I have added yet another US university source -> This time New York University (NYU)... Can't fight against that!— Preceding unsigned comment added by Fuadorko2 (talk • contribs) 00:14, 31 March 2017 (UTC)

READ THIS WHICH SAYS UNIVERSITIES ARE RELIABLE ENOUGH SOURCES -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Introduction_to_referencing_with_Wiki_Markup/4 — Preceding unsigned comment added by Fuadorko2 (talk • contribs) 00:57, 31 March 2017 (UTC)

Just adding a DISPUTED tag does nothing. You need to take steps to resolve the dispute. I have put in a request at the Dispute Resolution Noticeboard, where you can make your case [5]. For the time being, I have removed the claim from the body of the article, but left it in the infobox. Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 01:06, 31 March 2017 (UTC)

Removed everywhere - we need government sources. University clubs and culture centers are not reliable sources in such matters - their material is not reviewed by authorities. Materialscientist (talk) 02:22, 31 March 2017 (UTC)

Agreed. I would have reverted completely, but didn't want to fall afoul of 3RR. Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 02:36, 31 March 2017 (UTC)

User:Materialscientist You cannot determine the rules to determine if it is reliable enough or not. The OFFICIAL WIKIPEDIA RULES says that the source is reliable enough. So follow the actual Wikipedia rules or I will report you for not following rules. Please read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Introduction_to_referencing_with_Wiki_Markup/4 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 185.189.113.52 (talk) 07:31, 31 March 2017 (UTC)

also it's not a "university club", it's professors at the university itself, so it's a reliable, primary source. (according to Wikipedia, not me) Also for supporting evidence, read the comments in a very recent news article of bangladesh biggest newspaper -> http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/foreign-affairs/2017/02/23/bangla-language-sierra-leone/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by Kadeeny (talk • contribs) 07:53, 31 March 2017 (UTC)

also, something you guys fail to understand is that Sierra Leone is an impoverished 3rd world African country with only 7 million people. Do you really think they give a shit when it comes to maintaining official records nicely? They have bigger problems than worrying about internet records, websites, and all that. Nowhere in Sierra Leone's official sources say that their languages are Temne, Mende, etc. but we still include them since it is reported in other places. Same thing with Bengali.

• Please continue any further discussion of this issue under the Bangla section as suggested by the dispute resolution administrator. Thank you. Dbfirs 13:19, 31 March 2017 (UTC)

Population of Bo district

I've reverted the change I made to the population figures for Bo district after checking the official figures (from Statistics Sierra Leone). The mistake came about because for local government the Bo district administration area is split into Bo district and Bo Township and it was Bo district local council figures on the other site under Bo district. There's only minor variations between the figure in the table and the official 2004 census results so it may be a good idea to change so they are in line with this and then use this as the source for the data. What do people think? --Kaly99 (talk) 19:52, 9 June 2008 (UTC)

Excellent suggestion. There are many differing current estimates, so the 2004 census provides valuable stable figures. This source appears to be the definitive version, so it would be best to adjust to this. Would you like to do so, or shall I? Dbfirs 08:57, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

I've corrected the figures to the official 2004 census figures and left a comment next to the table asking people not to change these without discussion. --Kaly99 (talk) 19:49, 23 June 2008 (UTC)

Population figures

The latest official figures for population are the 2004 census figures, however if there is consensus for including newer estimates an extra column could be made in the table. I think we should just stick with the 2004 figure but what do other people think? Also the site these figures are on doesn't seem to be a reliable source, I'll see if I can find some 2008 estimate on a reliable website. --Kaly99 (talk) 17:25, 24 June 2008 (UTC)

I've added the figures back in but left the districts with 2008 estimates for now. Checking the website it is run by one person who makes the estimates himself from the official figures and comments that "census figures are more accurate than estimates and that figures officially issued by the national or local statistical agency are more accurate than figures from other sources". This being the case I don't think this qualifies as a reliable source and I don't think these figures should be used in the article. What do other people think? --Kaly99 (talk) 06:25, 25 June 2008 (UTC)

I found a photo of Sierra Leone's State Hous, the official home of the country's president. Can someone please post it on the Sierra Leone wikipedia page?

I found a photo of Sierra Leone's State Hous, the official home of the country's president at this website:http://picasaweb.google.com/meyega/SierraLeone2007/photo#5051394963698884306. Can someone please post it on the Sierra Leone wikipedia page?

I found a beautiful picture of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Can someone please put the image on wikipedia?

I've found a beautiful photo of Freetown, Sierra Leone at this website:http://www.sierra-leone.org/Freetown/content/postcard07_Freetown_skyline__large.html. Since i do not know how to upgrade photos onto wikipedia, can someone please upgrade this pretty photo of Freetown on Freetown, Sierra Leone wikipedia page. Thank You

These photo's are copyrited and are unavaliable to be used on wikipedia. Enlil Ninlil (talk) 06:19, 13 August 2008 (UTC)

Image copyright problem with File:Milton Margai.png

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• That there is a non-free use rationale on the image's description page for the use in this article.
• That this article is linked to from the image description page.

This is an automated notice by FairuseBot. For assistance on the image use policy, see Wikipedia:Media copyright questions. --09:02, 6 January 2009 (UTC)

sierra leone

                                       SIERRA LEONE

The Portuguese were the first europeans to explore the land and give sierra leone its name,which means "lion mountains".In 1808 the coastal area became a british colony, and in 1896 a british protectorate was proclaimed over the hinterland.sierra leone became an independent nation on april 27,1961.

In 1462, it was visited by the portuguese explorer Pedro da cintra, who gave it itss name serra de leano, meaning "lion mountains" 1808, the interior of the country became a british protectorate; in 1961, the two combined and gained independence.

independence

-from the united kingdom:april 27, 1961 -republic declared:april 17, 1971

In 1787, the british established sierra leone as a place for freed african slaves to live,it later became a british colony and then gained independence in 1961.they were colonized by the british —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.249.224.148 (talk) 01:35, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

Biased Article

This article, while informative, ignores the responsibilities of many of the major players of the Sierra Leone civil war. Unfortunately, the article parrots the beliefs and propaganda of the Occident and of the Western companies that are raping Sierra Leone of it's resources, it's wealth and it's people. Atrocities were committed by all sides, including by the foreign mercenaries and international "Peace Keepers." Please remember to see conflict through the eyes of the disavowed and forgotten, not through the eyes of a politician who has everything to gain from misinformation and deceit. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Druyaden (talk • contribs) 21:01, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

I agree that the viewpoint of the article should be neutral and unbiased, and that mistakes are made in any "war". Have you examined your own opinion for bias? Dbfirs 18:55, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

Dbfirs seems to be taking the above criticisms personally, I wonder why. No I don't, I already know. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.32.43.224 (talk) 16:27, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

Well you seem to know more than I do, because I didn't know that I was taking it personally, or why you think I was. My only connection with Sierra Leone is that I know someone who used to live there (and had no connection with politicians or with western companies). Are you Druyaden? Dbfirs 07:13, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

kids]

they get nikerd —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.42.7.5 (talk) 12:16, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

Introduction and Early History

The introduction at present has "Tyra" as a Sierra Leone group; there are no Tyra people.

Early History: Archaeological data in SL show solid evidence for occupation from about 5000 years ago (calibrated radiocarbon date for the earliest layer at Kamabai Rock Shelter). It's very likely that SL was occupied thousands of years earlier (early level at Yengema Cave), but there are no direct radiometric dates. The date for the introduction of iron in the article is approximately correct.

References:

Carleton S. Coon, Yengema Cave Report (1968); John H. Atherton, "La Préhistoire de la Sierra Leone," L'ANTHROPOLOGIE (1984) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Kpelle (talk • contribs) 02:49, 24 March 2009 (UTC)

I would like to know about the main occupation of the people in Sierra Leone, whether it is fishing or what? What is the scope about Fisheries there in Sierra Leonea? pLS SOME BODY HELP —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.188.105.25 (talk) 22:53, 2 September 2009 (UTC)

Bangla?

This has become a forum for abusive sockpuppets, which should be reverted, reported and blocked on sight
The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.
I don't think this should be listed as an "official language".--Jimbo Wales (talk) 19:41, 23 September 2009 (UTC) I agree. I have removed this several times, and added the report just in the running text lower down, but I notice that someone has removed this and someone else has recently put Bangla back in the info box. I'll move it again. Dbfirs 15:52, 31 January 2010 (UTC) This is great. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.80.11.31 (talk) 16:25, 31 January 2010 (UTC) It wasn't me this time who put Bangla up in the info box again. Thanks for putting the report in the running text.Ratibgreat (talk) 12:54, 30 June 2010 (UTC) I've taken it out of the info box yet again. Dbfirs 18:52, 2 November 2010 (UTC) I don't think newspaper articles are reliable source for the official language of a country. As this has been going on for sometime I've posted on the reliable sources notice board to get some input. Kaly99 (talk) 16:02, 25 February 2011 (UTC) It's not an official language, of course, but the president seems to have made some statement. Would it be preferable to report that some newspapers reported the president's statement? Dbfirs 20:31, 25 February 2011 (UTC) I see that this claim has been added back by an IP editor and two new editors who are possibly all the same person. I've moved the claim to later in the article, along with the references. The claim seems to be often reported, but is not in the most reliable sources such as the CIA factbook. Dbfirs 08:38, 29 March 2017 (UTC) I called the Sierra Leone embassy in USA and they confirmed that Bengali is an official language. The reason they dont have official documents that say this is the same reason they dont have official documents saying anything about Temne, Mende, or Krio, or EVEN ENGLISH. They are a small country and don't really care so much to document everything. Since they don't have any documents about these 3 languages + English, why are these 3 languages still on the page/no one argues about that, but when it comes to Bengali, people have a problem with it? Even though there are so many different sources?? Here is a reliable source (not a news media) saying Bengali is an official language alongside English -> If Bangla is not recognised as an official language of Sierra Leone by other countries, and there is no legislation within Sierra Leone, then we have only a statement made a long time ago. You will notice that I didn't remove your referenced claim, I just moved it to a statement of fact later in the article. Perhaps your contact at the Embassy could inform the CIA? Dbfirs 20:15, 30 March 2017 (UTC) note from a DRN volunteer : I'd like to inform you all that a related case was filed at WP:DRN. I've closed the case because involved parties had not had extensive discussion here. If anyone here is interested, he/she could file another case after more extensive discussion here and listing all parties who have participated in the discussion. Thank you! Yashovardhan (talk) 04:22, 31 March 2017 (UTC) I think the weight of evidence strongly suggests that Bengali is an not an official language and people are taking one old newspaper article far too seriously. If it were implemented as an official language, there would be abundant evidence of that. Everyking (talk) 13:47, 31 March 2017 (UTC) Agreed. Pasting in my summary from the DRN page: The claim that Bengali is an official language of Sierra Leone seems to stem from a article in a Pakistani newspaper, which reported an official announcement by the then-President of Sierra Leone. The claim was subsequently picked up in other newspapers in Bangladesh and India. However, no contemporaneous reports of this announcement have been located in spite of a comprehensive search. Additionally, no reports have been found in Sierra Leone government publications referring to the Bengali language. However, as this claim has remained on Wikipedia for long stretches of time since at least 2009, it has made its way into numerous blogs, articles, and even publications by less reputable groups, making it something of an urban legend. Given the dramatic nature of the claim (a South Asian language being made official in a West African country with almost no speakers of that language!), I believe the standard of evidence should be higher than usual - an official government source, or primary reporting by a reputed publication on the announcement. Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 21:44, 31 March 2017 (UTC) It just goes to show how important it is to watch out for misinformation and remove it quickly. I agree about the standard of evidence: that single article is nowhere near enough to prove such a remarkable claim, or even to make it worthy of mention. While we often rely on the press for information, we also have to have sense enough to notice when a news article may be mistaken and to expect corroborating sources. Everyking (talk) 00:58, 1 April 2017 (UTC) I have just read all these points, but I would like to add that, recently, there has been renewed media coverage in Bangladesh about Sierra Leone having Bengali as official language. Recently, the ".bangla" domain was put up. There was a battle between Bangladesh and Sierra Leone (and also West Bengal in India) as to who will get the domain. Now, if Bangla isn't part of Sierra Leone, why would they try to go for it? Because of this, I think this is more evidence that Bangla is in fact part of Sierra Leone's official language list. Here is one article of the recent domain battle. "Indian state of West Bengal and Sierra Leone, one of whose official languages is Bangla, had also applied for the internationalized domain name (IDN) label-dot bangla." http://www.thedailystar.net/country/pm-opens-dot-bangla-domain-tomorrow-1337839 I must admit that I was amazed to see the claim that Sierra Leone applied for the domain ".bangla". Is this report reliable? If so then there will be evidence from outside Bangladesh. It is clearly believed in Dhaka and Bangla-speaking areas that the language has some status in Sierra Leone, but without evidence from outside that community, I don't see that we can put the claim into Wikipedia as if it were a fact. Dbfirs 10:44, 9 April 2017 (UTC) Here is an African news source of the battle http://domainnewsafrica.com/bangla-domain-goes-live/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:646:8E00:2517:9016:DB59:3AFF:57ED (talk) 01:21, 10 April 2017 (UTC) This news article, and all others referencing this news are based on a Facebook post by a Bangladeshi MP, in which she claims that Sierra Leone and the Indian state of West Bengal also applied for the .বাংলা domain name. This is incorrect. For one thing, .বাংলা is an Internationalized ccTLD, which allows browsers to display existing ccTLDs in non-Latin scripts in browsers. It allows users from that country to write an abbreviated version of the country's name in its native scripts. Neither India nor Sierra Leone could have applied for it, because neither of those countries have names that abbreviate to "bangla". In fact, the people of the Indian state of West Bengal applied for and received a completely different IDN - .ভারত, which is the Indian endonym "Bharat" in Bengali script. Here is a list on ICANN's website of all currently assigned IDNs. Sierra Leone does not appear in the list. Additionally, here is the delegation record for the .বাংলা domain name, and a more detailed report with a chronology. Neither one mentions Sierra Leone. Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 20:31, 10 April 2017 (UTC) First of all, none of your 3 links work. When I click them, it gives 404 error. Also why would the MP lie? Everytime there is a Bangladeshi source (news, person) you assume it is a lie. Stop being biased please. She was there in person when the countries battled it out therefore she is a PRIMARY source so she is most reliable source. Of course it won't show up in ICANN's records, because Sierra Leone nor West Bengal won the domain. Only the winner is mentioned. They never specify so and so country which bid for it, etc. They only show final results. Also "because neither of those countries have names that abbreviate to "bangla" is not a requirement. You dont need a domain name that abbreviates to your country name. It is not a requirement. It is just that most countries do. Even if it IS a requirement, it doensn't stop countries like Sierra Leone from applying (albeit hopelessly). Again, this is a high ranking official. Why would she lie so publicly like that? Is there anything to gain by saying that SL applied for it? No.. — Preceding unsigned comment added by RalphEarnshaw (talk • contribs) 00:46, 11 April 2017 (UTC) Fixed the links, sorry. Also, countries don't "battle it out" for TLDs. That's not how the system works. Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 01:17, 11 April 2017 (UTC) Here is more evidence that supports that Bangla is an official language. This is a video of Sierre Leonese people singing in English and Bengali a famous Bengali song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5-wKnVZ_H8&feature=youtu.be It's almost funny that despite so much evidence, you guys are still denying Bengali as a second official language of SL. Please explain the Minister's post and Sierra Leone people singing in Bengali of all languages. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:646:8E00:2517:11B0:C5CF:AF1E:A187 (talk) 05:04, 12 April 2017 (UTC) We have no doubts about the fact that there are people in Sierra Leone who can sing in Bengali, just as there are here in England. We find it almost funny that this Urban legend has persisted for so long. Dbfirs 06:35, 12 April 2017 (UTC) Here's a video showing Americans singing in Tamil. Interestingly, Tamil is not an official language of the US. Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 19:53, 12 April 2017 (UTC) I have to support view of Bangla of Sierra Languages. Because video of Sierra people sing Bangla is very professional type... Also Tarana Halim is vary honest politics person. She never lie before... — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bennyiopolos (talk • contribs) 00:30, 14 April 2017 (UTC) We are not doubting the integrity of Tarana Halim. Many politicians sincerely believe urban myths. Dbfirs 06:12, 14 April 2017 (UTC) Whoa, hold on a minute Dbfirs. Gamesmater9 said that Tarana Halim is the SOURCE of the 'sierra leone tries to get .bangla domain'. The ALLEGED urban myth (not proven to be urban myth) is that Sierra Leone official language is Bangla. This doesn't have to do with SL trying for .bangla domain. Also Tarana Halim was at the Internet Domain meeting place at the conference. So she must have seen it herself that SL tried to get .bangla domain. I don't see what else could lead her to say that SL tried to get the domain. Sure, she may believe that SL has official language as Bangla. But for her to say that SL tried for the domain must mean she had to see it herself physically, in real life. You wanted official sources, I gave one. You wanted outside-Bengal sources, I gave one (the african news website). You wanted more credible sources, I gave the top USA university sources (NYU and Vanderbilt Uni). The evidence in favour of SL having Bengali as official language is too high to deny. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:646:8E00:2517:D17D:CB7C:9950:7EA1 (talk) 08:00, 14 April 2017 (UTC) Her belief may have prompted an off-the-cuff comment. I don't see any strong evidence. Dbfirs 09:06, 14 April 2017 (UTC) Country representatives do not attend ICANN meetings in person.Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 21:16, 14 April 2017 (UTC) Gamesmasterg9 Yes, they do. Don't falsify facts. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 73.158.16.211 (talk) 04:58, 22 April 2017 (UTC) (Sigh!) Here's the minutes of of the ICANN meeting where the .বাংলা domain was approved. The list of attendees is at the top. Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 05:47, 22 April 2017 (UTC) Omg, this link will put the argument to rest finally. This is AN OFFICIAL UN SOURCE that says that Bangla is official language of Sierra Leone! Took some digging but here's the quote: "The uniformed peacekeepers from Bangladesh have directly contributed in aiding vulnerable communities with medical assistance, clearing some of the most dangerous lands of mines and unexploded ordnance, and also building capacity of the national institutions. Sierra Leone's admiration towards Bangladeshi peacekeepers bloomed into a cultural bond when the government of Sierra Leone declared Bangla as an honorary official language of the nation." and here is the link: http://www.un-bd.org/Docs/Publication/UN%20RC%20Peacekeepers%20Day%20Journal%20Article%20Final%20(10%20May%202016).pdf I win :D — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:646:8E00:2517:D17D:CB7C:9950:7EA1 (talk) 08:07, 14 April 2017 (UTC) There is no doubt that people in Bangladesh believe that the announcement was made and confirmed after the report in the newspaper in December 2002. The question is whether President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah ever did anything about his promise. What is the status of "Honorary"? Dbfirs 09:03, 14 April 2017 (UTC) I would go further and add that it is not even clear that the President made that announcement. Given the lack of reporting, it may have been a comment about his gratitude to Bangladesh that got misreported. Typically, for the declaration of an official anything, there would need to be either an act of parliament or a Presidential decree. Those, in turn would have been reported on by local media. Until we see something along those lines, I would not consider the claim to be proved. Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 21:16, 14 April 2017 (UTC) On a different note, Fuadorko, why is it so important to you to insert this unverified claim into the page? The gratitude of the nation of Sierra Leone towards Bangladeshi peacekeepers is well-documented on WP. The importance of the Bangla language itself derives from the corpus of great works written in that language, not from some artificial status. Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 21:16, 14 April 2017 (UTC) Dbfirs when you say " I don't see any strong evidence. ". According to Wikipedia, the evidence is strong enough. It doesn't matter what you think. Wikipedia rules override your opinion. According to Wikipedia's reliable sources section it says "Academic and peer-reviewed publications are usually the most reliable sources. Other reliable sources include university textbooks, books published by respected publishing houses, magazines, journals, and mainstream newspapers." Since there are university publications and mainstream newspapers which are reporting this, it is fair under Wikipedia rules. Gamesmasterg9 dominance of language comes when other countries make it their own, like English. Stop suppressing Bengali people's language just like the Pakistanis in 1971 and before. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 73.158.16.211 (talk) 07:50, 21 April 2017 (UTC) There is no suppression going on here, and neither my opinion nor yours is of any consequence. I have yet to see any WP:Reliable sources. Dbfirs 10:52, 21 April 2017 (UTC) I have to agree with the other guy/girl that the sources are reliable enough according to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Introduction_to_referencing_with_VisualEditor/5 where it says "Academic and peer-reviewed publications are usually the most reliable sources. Other reliable sources include university textbooks, books published by respected publishing houses, magazines, journals, and mainstream newspapers." At this point, it doesn't really matter if it is true or not. Since there are mainstream sources that state that Bangla is official in SL, and since those sources are deemed to be (according to Wikipedia) reliable, then this information must not be removed from WP if someone puts it here. They are simply following Wikipedia rules. Personal judgment should not have any say in this since Wikipedia has explicitly said the sources used to confirm that Bangla is official are reliable sources for use on WP. I don't think there is anything else to argue about, and Bangla should be reinstated on this page as official language of SL! — Preceding unsigned comment added by N0sBro94 (talk • contribs) 19:34, 21 April 2017 (UTC) I have to wholeheartedly agree with you N0sBro94, I created a dispute since these admins keep removing Bengali as an official language despite all the evidence we provide them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Dispute_resolution_noticeboard#Talk:Sierra_Leone — Preceding unsigned comment added by Fuadorko (talk • contribs) 04:16, 24 April 2017 (UTC) Since there is a dispute resolution in process, I have added Bengali as official language with a disputed inline tag. Please do not remove until the dispute is resolved. Because that's the whole point of the disputed tag, amirite? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Fuadorko (talk • contribs) 04:24, 24 April 2017 (UTC) I disagree with your addition, but agree with the disputed tag. My compromise was to mention the reports in the running text. By the way, some of "these admins" are not admins at all, but just ordinary editors like you who are concerned that an urban myth has gained momentum through the false claim in Wikipedia. Dbfirs 06:36, 24 April 2017 (UTC) I'm going to post all the sources here so it is easily viewable at a single location (copied from dispute noticeboard): Below are some of the sources that state both English and Bengali as the only official Languages of Sierra Leone: New York University. Vanderbilt University, USA. Sierra Leone Business Law Handbook. Indian Express (mainstream newspaper in India). Dhaka Tribune (Mainstream newspaper in Bangladesh). Al Jazeera News (Mainstream Middle East News Network). The next source has a statement directly from Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina: bdnews24 (#1 Bangladeshi English Newspaper). Mount Holyoke Unviersity. United Nations. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Fuadorko (talk • contribs) 08:32, 24 April 2017 (UTC) The following sources show that Sierra Leone tried to get the ".bangla" internet domain name (like .com, .ca, etc.) Daily Star (Mainstream Bangladeshi news network). Domain News Africa (Mainstream African English News Network). FB post by Tarana Halim (Bangladeshi Minister of State, Post and Telecommunications Division. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Fuadorko (talk • contribs) 08:19, 24 April 2017 (UTC) I would question whether these sources are independent and reliable, or whether they feed on each other and on the former Wikipedia entry. Is your Daily Star a more reliable source than the UK's Daily Mail which is considered unreliable on Wikipedia? I'm also curious about the identity of User:N0sBro94 who contributed above. Dbfirs 09:53, 24 April 2017 (UTC)

GDP per capita is wrong

According to the world factbook, the gdp per capita is $900 USD —Preceding unsigned comment added by Macsonn (talk • contribs) 17:45, 13 October 2010 (UTC)

Redirection

I motion for a redirect to Blood Diamond at the top of this page. 68.123.103.119 (talk) 07:10, 24 October 2010 (UTC)

If noone objects, I will put this into place 68.123.103.119 (talk) 03:26, 26 October 2010 (UTC)

Anyone at all? If not, I will make the edits. 71.193.63.112 (talk) 00:08, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

I don't think you mean a "redirection". Obviously, this would be immediately reverted as vandalism. Dbfirs 18:50, 2 November 2010 (UTC)

Actually, you may be reverted as vandalism. 67.166.152.205 (talk) 01:32, 5 December 2010 (UTC)

Are you replying to me? Are you the proposer of the redirect? Dbfirs 21:09, 24 February 2011 (UTC)

Section removed

The section on NPRC Junta was removed as part of extensive edits. There may well be good reasons for the removal. Dbfirs 21:09, 24 February 2011 (UTC)

The information's been moved to the History of Sierra Leone article. I've been moving information to the sub-article as the History section was (and still is) significantly longer then the 4-6 paragraphs mention in the countries project guidelines. Happy for anyone the change things back or to discuss the best way forward. Kaly99 (talk) 21:24, 24 February 2011 (UTC)

Thanks for the quick explanation. I'd missed spotting the move — it sounds sensible. I'll delete the text of the moved section from this page since you've preserved it elsewhere. Dbfirs 21:33, 24 February 2011 (UTC)

object of preposition missing - founded by whom?

"In 1787 a settlement was founded by in Sierra Leone in what was called the "Province of Freedom"."01:40, 30 April 2011 (UTC)

Portuguese title

That the name "Sierra Leone" comes from Portuguese is not mentioned until a late stage in the article. It would be good if a fundamental fact such as this went earlier in the article. ACEOREVIVED (talk) 16:24, 7 March 2012 (UTC)

It doesn't come from Portuguese, at least not directly. It cames from the Italian translation of the Portuguese Serra Leoa. The words "Sierra" and "Leone" don't exist in Portuguese. 187.20.11.36 (talk) 01:56, 2 November 2013 (UTC)

Chronological nonsense

So in 1967 there was an election, and Stevens was appointed Prime Minister in April 1967, and then ousted in a coup by the military officer, and then there was another coup by a different military officer in March 1967. As it stands, this chronology does not make sense.Eregli bob (talk) 10:15, 1 September 2012 (UTC)

Freetown Local Government

I have a question. Freetown is located in the Western Area Urban District, but does the urban area of Freetown have an associated local government below that the Western Urban Area District? Or, is "Freetown" simply an urban settlement without an associated government within the Western Urban Area District? Judging by maps I've seen, there doesn't seem to be in chiefdoms in the West Urban Area, but the article seems to mention on a number of occassions that Freetown is a "municipality", which makes me think that there might be a local government apart from the government of the wider district. Are there any other local governments/councils in the Western Urban Area outside of Freetown municipality? --Criticalthinker (talk) 07:57, 2 September 2012 (UTC)

Does anyone have an answer for this question, or just generally how local government works in Sierra Leone? --Criticalthinker (talk) 11:05, 22 November 2015 (UTC)

Colonial Era History

This section isn't in chronological order, and could use some reorganizing. Wikipedian192 (talk) 05:33, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Pronunciation

How is the country's name pronounced in Krio? Rotcaeroib (talk) 13:46, 3 April 2014 (UTC)

Good question! Oreo Priest ^talk 08:38, 30 July 2014 (UTC)

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• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20080217052144/http://www.health.sl/drwebsite/publish/healthcare.shtml to http://www.health.sl/drwebsite/publish/healthcare.shtml
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External links modified

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• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20131126085732/http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/printer_200517413.shtml to http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/printer_200517413.shtml
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20141027211932/http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AFR51/019/1998/en/dab1072b-d9ac-11dd-af2b-b1f6023af0c5/afr510191998en.html to https://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AFR51/019/1998/en/dab1072b-d9ac-11dd-af2b-b1f6023af0c5/afr510191998en.html
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20140219174312/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-11/24/c_123995695.htm to http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-11/24/c_123995695.htm
• Corrected formatting/usage for http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/pdf/list_en.pdf
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20141006141855/http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200526223.shtml to http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200526223.shtml
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130717070939/http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/emergency/ircsl.stm to http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/emergency/ircsl.stm
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External links modified

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• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20140222185702/http://news.sl/drwebsite/exec/view.cgi?archive=2&num=106 to http://news.sl/drwebsite/exec/view.cgi?archive=2&num=106
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• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130927081948/http://www.xpointumc.org/missions/report-of-sierra-leone/ to http://www.xpointumc.org/missions/report-of-sierra-leone/
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20140304145132/http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200524820.shtml to http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200524820.shtml
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20080607085717/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/sierraleone.htm to http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/sierraleone.htm
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• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20140228053733/http://www.religionsforpeaceinternational.org/what-we-do/stop-war/conflict-transformation to http://www.religionsforpeaceinternational.org/what-we-do/stop-war/conflict-transformation

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Bengali/Bangla

I see that this "Official Language" has been put back with references. Obviously some publishers picked up the original presidential declaration and took it as fact, but, as far as anyone has been able to determine, the announcement long ago was never made official. Do we remove the claim again? Dbfirs 08:26, 13 March 2018 (UTC)

Thank you to Zakawer for taking out the claim yet again. I agree that the sources cited were insufficiently reliable for such an important claim. Dbfirs 15:58, 14 March 2018 (UTC)

I've seen the same bad sources showing up again and again. Until we see an authoritative Sierra Leonean source showing an official status for Bengali, I intend to remove these claims as soon as I see them. Thanks to Zakawer for catching it quickly. Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 00:53, 16 March 2018 (UTC)

Thank you both. We are all agreed that any reinsertion of these old claims should be removed immediately. Dbfirs 07:47, 16 March 2018 (UTC)

I have been watching the edit war over this recently. I am a regular visitor to Sierra Leone and have been since 1999. I can assure all that Bengali is NOT an official language and is not used by any Sierra Leoneans. Davidbstanley (talk) 05:47, 16 April 2018 (UTC)

Check out WP:SOURCE https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Reliable_sources which says among other things "academic and peer-reviewed publications are usually the most reliable sources" & "Editors may also use material from reliable non-academic sources, particularly if it appears in respected mainstream publications" & "Other reliable sources include: University-level textbooks, Books published by respected publishing houses, Magazines ,Journals, Mainstream newspapers". Since there is a source from all of these types that state that Bengali is an honorary official language, I think it should be on the page. Note that this is what Wikipedia policy says - NOT my personal opinion. So we should follow Wikipedia policy, no? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.232.79.19 (talk) 23:47, 16 April 2018 (UTC)

Please read the discussion further up this page. The sources you present have already been discussed and found to be unreliable. If you are able to find an original Sierra Leonean source that confirms your claim, the topic can be revisited. Please also note that disruptive reverting on this point will lead to an immediate block. Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 00:19, 17 April 2018 (UTC)

"The sources you present have already been discussed and found to be unreliable" Not according to Wikipedia policy of reliable sources. You cannot determine if source is reliable. That determination must be made according to Wikipedia policy, and according to that, it is reliable. Your statement about needing to "find an original Sierra Leonean source" is not a requirement as per Wikipedia policy. That is a requirement you made up, from your own personal opinion. What do you have to say to this? What's funny is that according to Wikipedia policy, it is YOU who is doing the "disruptive editing" and vandalism, not me. So that means if you revert my changes, YOU should be the one who gets blocked. Corrupt admin.

You can request arbitration if you believe that. Please keep WP:ADVOCACY in mind. Gamesmaster G-9 (talk) 02:21, 17 April 2018 (UTC)

Maternal Mortality Section

Hello! I am considering adding a section about Maternal Mortality in Sierra Leone. The current section on maternal and child health only has a few sentences. I would like to create an article that goes more in depth on the issue of maternal mortality in Sierra Leone. I am currently in the very early stages of putting together an article Mlb13 (talk) 04:05, 6 September 2018 (UTC)

Sierra Leone page has become a mess

Some no doubt well intentioned editing of the page has to my mind turned it into a mess. I am particularly thinking of the 'Gender equality' edits. Whilst they do have some valuable information, the consequence of the edits is that much of the page is turned into an article on gender equality. Subjects such as the war and Ebola should not be sub headings in the gender equality section. So I propose a clean-up and possibly reverting some edits. I don't want to cause offence to those responsible, but I think the contributions have done too much damage.Davidbstanley (talk) 22:37, 15 December 2018 (UTC)

Agreed. I tried to reorganize things a bit but it still needs some work. I think the Gender equality section should probably be a separate page if it's kept at all. It seems that it was added as part of an international studies course, same with the Energy section. Pelirojopajaro (talk) 08:54, 16 December 2018 (UTC)

I would agree with having separate pages for these sections. As I said, I do not disagree that the information is useful. It is just in the wrong place.Davidbstanley (talk) 16:25, 16 December 2018 (UTC)

My two cents: just make sure that the topic is "gender equality in Sierra Leone", which lets you delete explanations about gender equality, but keep the topic on this page as it should be. I am going to chop the Lead down, as noted, it is way too detailed. cheers, Ben — Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.141.106.240 (talk) 18:35, 2 June 2019 (UTC)

Three years later and it is still not great. The Gender Equality section is way to large for the size of the article. No other article on a country has such a large section. Also a lot of the text in the section is based on a single study. Ashmoo (talk) 10:33, 24 January 2022 (UTC)

@Ashmoo: My bold suggestion would be to copy paste that section entirely to Women in Sierra Leone, and trim to a paragraph here (as a subsection to Society) with a main link to the aforementioned article. A small dent into this 114kb prose article, but a start. CMD (talk) 10:40, 24 January 2022 (UTC)

Victor Ajisafe case

Do we really need a long paragraph about this one man's arrest in the Religion section? 2602:306:CFEA:170:9C2:BFA4:EFC9:7F9F (talk) 16:03, 6 April 2019 (UTC)

I would like to add that the whole introduction is too long (On 29 April 1992, a group of Junior soldiers etc).

Jacquesverlaeken (talk) 17:18, 9 April 2020 (UTC)

Bangla language

Further information: Talk:Sierra Leone/Archive 1 § Official Language, and Talk:Sierra Leone/Archive 1 § Bengali/Bangla

There have been repeated attempts over the last few years to add Bangla as an official language for Sierra Leone. It is not. The reason by this I believe was a declaration by former President Kabbah when he thanked Bangladeshi peace keepers for their support in Sierra Leone. He said something on the lines of 'we will declare Bangla an honorary language'. Though a good gesture, it did not make Bangla an official language and Bangla is not used in the country. There used to be a discussion here, I think and the consensus was not to list Bangla as an official language. However, there is an ongoing edit war. Davidbstanley (talk) 20:04, 17 April 2019 (UTC)

Yes, there have been long discussions over this, and we agreed that the announcement, though reported in some sources, was never implemented. We remove Bangla whenever it appears under Sierra Leone because it is clearly not official. Dbfirs 20:07, 17 April 2019 (UTC)

@Davidbstanley and Dbfirs: This editorial in the Bangladeshi newspaper The Independent explicitly debunks the myth. I think this will help to keep the unreliable information out from this page and Bengali language. –Austronesier (talk) 10:10, 11 August 2020 (UTC)

New official Sierra Leone government source (August 2023), confirming Bengali is indeed an official language: https://slembassy-germany.org/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.45.156.244 (talk) 01:56, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

@Dbfirs@Davidbstanley @Gamesmasterg9 This is years in the making (been fighting for this since 2017), but thought I should let you know I finally found an official Sierra Leone government source confirming that Bengali is an official language. I hope we can peacefully end the edit war, and please no more goalpost shifting. An official government source is what you all wanted, and that is what I have delivered here. https://slembassy-germany.org/ 98.45.156.244 (talk) 02:06, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

What was placed on the embassy website in Germany in 2021 is an unattributed word for word copy of the first four paragraphs of Sierra Leone as of 25 May 2010. It is WP:CIRCULAR, so may not be used as a source. --Worldbruce (talk) 02:43, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

File:British_Expeditionary_Force_in_Freetown,_1919.jpg

The building to the left has an inscription saying "[unreadable] de l'Afrique occidentale". This suggest that this is somewhere in French West Africa, not the English-speaking colony of Sierra Leone. --Randykitty (talk) 16:55, 29 August 2019 (UTC)

Neutrality/Sourcing

The introductory header contains lines like "Sierra Leone has been very peaceful and has had an uninterrupted democratic government from 1998 to present." and "The country is regarded as one of the most religiously tolerant countries in the world. Muslims and Christians collaborate and interact with each other very peacefully, and religious violence is very rare." without citations, so Im wondering how accurate they are and whether they fit into a neutral article with that tone. jonas (talk) 01:05, 18 November 2020 (UTC)

The article would benefit from a considerable rewrite, preferably by a scholar specializing in Sierra Leone's history and current political environment. As written, the article lacks sources and citations for many of its claims, and the language is not unbiased. As an example, I just removed the word "very" 15 times (ex. "very rich," "very tolerant, "very important"). There are also several lines in the lead that are repeated verbatim in later sections, and repetition is an issue with the article. I just deleted a sentence about Sierra Leone being "very religiously tolerant" from the lead because it was repeated word-for-word in the religion section.

Administrative Divisions

The table is out of date, whereas Subdivisions of Sierra Leone has it correct. I'm pondering fixing it but I've never edited a Wikipedia table before. Hayttom (talk) 11:41, 30 June 2021 (UTC)

Have a go! I'm happy to try if you are unable to. The changes I see needed are splitting the Northern Province, and adding two new districts. Is that correct? CMD (talk) 13:22, 30 June 2021 (UTC)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 29 August 2018 and 22 December 2018. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): BrownOso.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 09:20, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 28 August 2018 and 22 December 2018. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Fall319.

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Province of Freedom -- manifestly inconsistent

411 set out, 96 dies en route, and "about 460" arrived. How does that add up?

Qemist (talk) 01:41, 21 January 2022 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion

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For a start...

Just to address one point: mechanically removing all unsourced material and leaving only sourced text in the article will not automatically improve the article. Compare the "Sports" and "Tourism" sections in the trimmed version and the preceding version. Yes, obviously "Sports" and "Tourism" contained lots of unsourced material, but at least were more or less coherent. Cn-tagging, carefully removing less relevant material and at the same trying to find sources for apparently substantial information would be a good way to handle this. The mechanically "cleaned" version, however, only leaves a torso of random information that is hardly more encyclopedic than before.

Also, "Sports" actually is just supposed to be a summary of the main article. As such, it has to be massively trimmed, and in fact doesn't necessarily need to have citations if the information is well-referenced in the sub-articles. –Austronesier (talk) 21:16, 29 July 2022 (UTC)

Removing material not sourced of course doesn't improve the article to a perfect standard but still is an improvement to some extent, and is mandatory. Being coherent only is not plausible to keep the content. Also, removed texts content in the sport part particularly are generic, trivia and typical of addition that just mean to be there so that there is more stuff. I think less content in a section would actually encourage any other to add some more quality texts with actual sources in there.

All remaining changes are about writing tone change of sentences so as to be more encyclopedic, and all removed parts are all about not being sourced. So you don't necessarily have to scrutinize everything because the pattern is the same for the changes. Btbg (talk) 00:49, 30 July 2022 (UTC)

It is not mandatory to delete text; please read WP:V. It is one of many options. It also not mandatory to block editors who openly admit to engage in gaming the system. But it is an option. –Austronesier (talk) 09:16, 31 July 2022 (UTC)

All remaining changes are about writing tone change of sentences so as to be more encyclopedic: that's your personal opinion. In many details, I dare to differ (e.g. in the use of "It" at the beginning section when referring to Sierra Leone; and some more). Give us more than 24 hrs, remember that the onus is on the one who changes text, and don't edit war at any speed. –Austronesier (talk) 09:19, 31 July 2022 (UTC)

In the link, it said firstly and directly below the introduction that "All content must be verifiable." Above you said "doesn't necessarily need to have citations if the information is well-referenced in the sub-articles.", that is not said anywhere in the link. I think of a problem you may not think before with the argument of tagging to keep content not sourced is that: someone saw content not sourced can be kept only with tagging, so then can just add any new content and only tagging and then they will be kept, and then content not sourced would keep increasing and stacking; it would not look plausible, what would you say about that?

If you can point out some details of change that does not satisfy you with the argument of writing and tone change, can you please point them all or one by one, including "it", so we can discuss them. If it is left to me to make explanation, then it's my "personal opinion" so, I would just again present the same opinion for every changes without knowing which further parts need more explanation. Btbg (talk) 11:39, 31 July 2022 (UTC)

You haven't replied for yet another day and you are active. We can't discuss fluidly at this progress. Btbg (talk) 06:03, 1 August 2022 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion

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