Poetry
There are many writers writing poems. The poems are mainly in English. Below is a poem about Sierra Leone.
What a Beautiful Sierra Leone
How beautiful you look in that resplendent blue,
white and green dress.
A ravishing African gown studded with gold and diamonds.
Sweet smelling hibiscus flowers and piquant tamarind trees,
dot the landscape of your loving demeanor.
As gentle winds tussle your palm-leaf tresses,
the deep blue Atlantic waters caress your graceful undulating beach-curves.
The humming birds and cooing doves are at peace in your paradise gardens,
while the fat earth-worms wallow in your rich black soil.
Pedro DaCintra was mesmerized by the firm peaks that jutted
out of your revealing dress
He ogled and drooled but Leo roared in disapproval.
Alas, you kept yourself to suckle children yet unborn.
Like the prodigal son, some of your children have done you wrong.
Though we may travel to the far reaches of this vast globe,
on scoffed feet that reveal our tireless endeavors,
we will always return to your motherly and forgiving bosom.
(by Madani Barrie)
Music
Palm Wine music, or as it's know in Sierra Leone, Maringa, dates back to the days when Portuguese sailors introduced guitars to West Africa. Early African guitarists played at gatherings where revelers drank palm wine, the naturally fermented sap juice of the oil palm. The music with its origins in the Kru-speaking people of Liberia combined elements from Trinidadian calypso with local melodies and rhythms. The music was first made internationally famous by Ebenezer Calender and his Maringar Band. He recorded dozens of records in the 1950 and early 1960's. Sadly that none of which are available on CD. Palm wine guitarists had a tremendous impact on most of the West African music and their influence can be heard in both High Life and Soukous guitar players. The songs were mainly sung in Krio.
Unfortunately, Palm wine music is on the decline, the last well known exponent S. E. Roogie died in 1994. The music has been kept alive by Ghanian Daniel "Koo Nimo" Amponsah and a number of expatriate musicians living in London (where S. E. Roogie died), such as Super Combo and Abdul T-Jay, although the excellent music they have recorded is not specifically Maringa.
You can listen to Roogie's song here!!!
Food
Someone once wrote that Sierra Leonean food "has yet to take its place among the great cuisines of the world." Here are the recipes to prove otherwise!
Egusi Soup
500 grams meat
150 grams ground egusi
1 maggi cube (beef bouillon cube)
200 grams stockfish (optional)
100 ml. palm oil
200 g. smoked fish
200 g. tomatoes
10 g. (chili) pepper
25 g. onion
Salt to taste
250 g. vegetable leaves (optional, but if you can lay your hands on washed and ready bitter leaves or "shakpa" (sorrel leaves or flowers) they will do just fine.
Preparation:
1. Season and boil the meat and the stockfish (if used, has to soaked in hot water and allowed to stand for at least a day/overnight) for about 45 minutes, or until tender. Remove and put aside.
2. Blend/grind the pepper, tomatoes and onion.
3. Heat the palm oil, and add meat, stockfish and the ground/blended ingredients. Cook for about 25 minutes (less without stockfish).
4. Add the ground egusi, maggi cube and fish, and cook for another 10 minutes.
5. Add the vegetable leaves (optional) to the soup.
6. Cook for about 5-10 minutes on low heat. Stir and taste for salt.
7. This sauce can be eaten either with fufu, rice or root vegetables like yam and cassava. For lunch, a very cold Bud. or Heineken to wash the throat is recommended. For dinner, chilled white wine is recommended.
Contributed by Dennis Deen-Sie Sawaneh
Author of "Sierra Leone Cookbook"