WITHIN THE LAST TWO DECADES OR SO, WE HAVE SEEN A PLETHORA OF OPPOSITION TO THE BUNDO SOCIETY'S CULTURAL PRACTICES AND IN PARTICULAR, THAT PRACTICE AND METHOD TERMED BY THE WEST AS "FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION". BUT THE BUNDO FEMALE SECRET SOCIETY IS ONE OF THE MANY SECRET SOCIETIES THAT EXISTS WITHIN THE SIERRA LEONE CULTURE (FOR EXAMPLE, THE SANDE, YASSI, AND THE WANDE) AND THEY ALSO PRACTICE RITIUALS WHICH CAN EQUALLY BE CLASSIFIED AS IMMORAL AND AGAINST A HUMAN (AND HEALTHY CLINICAL) RIGHTS.
THIS RESEARCH (WITH SUPEREB REFERENCES), PUBLISHED IN 2009 BY CORI ANALYSIS, EXAMINES THE PORO SECRET SOCIETY IN SIERRA LEONE AND 'THE FEAR OF FORCED INITIATION' OF RECRUITS IN FREETOWN IN PARTICULAR.
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CORI Analysis
Date: 9 March 2009
Country: Sierra Leone
Issues: Fear of forced initiation into the Poro Secret
Society in Freetown
Query ID: HCR00004E
This CORI research analysis was
commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Status
Determination and Protection Information Section, Division of International
Protection Services.
CORI research analyses are
prepared on the basis of publicly available information, studies and
commentaries and produced within a specified time frame. All sources are
cited. Every effort has been taken to ensure accuracy and comprehensive
coverage of the research issue, however as COI is reliant on publicly
available documentation there may be instances where the required information
is not available.The analyses are not, and do not purport to be, either
exhaustive with regard to conditions in the country surveyed, or conclusive
as to the merits of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Any
views expressed in the paper are those of the author and are not necessarily
those of UNHCR.
How are
traditional practices and customs used to pressure people to enter the Poro
secret society in Freetown?
History
of Poro society in Sierra Leone
The
Poro society is a long established cultural institution in Sierra Leone1 it is present
throughout the country and in Liberia and Ivory Coast.2 Membership is
restricted to men,3 in Sierra Leone members come from several ethnic
groups including the Mende (Southern and Eastern Provinces) and Temne
(Northern Province), each comprising 30% of the total population. Poro is
also common among Kono, (3.1%), who originate from the Kono district in the
East of the country.4
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence
of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR). Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
2 United States Department of State (2006) US
Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2005 – Sierra
Leone. Available from: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61591.htm
(accessed 6 March 2009).; Jean Sybil La Fontaine, (1986) Initiation,
Manchester University Press ND, p. 93.
3 Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence
of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR). Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
4 Ibid; Minority Rights Group International, World
Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples; Sierra Leone Overview, http://www.minorityrights.org/4807/sierra-leone/sierra-leone-overview.html.
the country.
The society is known
by a variety of names, the Mende, Kpelle and Temne refer to the society as
Poro.5
The Poro society does
not have a formal central organization and operates through independent local
groups,6
“the Poro should be
considered a diversity of associations that differentially share some ritual
practices. These associations differ from other societies in that they have
the capacity to establish communicative and political allegiances with each
other that transcend ethnic and linguistic boundaries.”7
The Poro society forms a
network of connections over a wide reaching area.8 This network may be
useful for trade, sharing information and for political support.9
The first historical
reference to the Poro society in Sierra Leone is in the accounts of the
coronation of the first king of the Temne people between 1680 and 171910. A 1929 study of West
African Secret Societies reported that Poro “had influenced nearly all of
Sierra Leone with its branches, especially those of Bundu, Ampora, Kufong and
Mannekeh being acknowledged by the Tenne, Mende, Sherbro, Vai, Kafu-Bullom, Koranko,
Lokko, Limba and Sanda-Temne peoples as well as by paganised Fula, Susu and
Mandingo settlers.”11
Functioning of Poro
society in Sierra Leone
Secret Societies are an
integral part of Sierra Leonean culture,12 their primary purposes
are to regulate sexual identity and social conduct and to mediate relations
with the spirit world.13 The societies have a religious, judicial, educational and
military function.14 The Poro society educates boys, passing on spiritual secrets and
powers of witchcraft.15
One source reports that
membership of a secret society is a prerequisite to full tribal membership
and is necessary to be considered an adult ready to marry, “as a result,
nearly everyone living in Sierra Leone’s provinces, particularly the rural
parts, belongs to a secret society.”16
-------------------------------------------------------
5 Jean
Sybil La Fontaine, (1986) Initiation, Manchester University Press ND.
6 Fanthorpe,
R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence of the Secret Societies, with
Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation. Writenet, Report
commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html (accessed
6 March 2009).
7 Beryl
Bellman, The Language of Secrecy: Symbols and Metaphors in Poro Ritual, New
Brunswick:RutgersUniversity Press, 1984 quoted in Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra
Leone: The Influence of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to
Female Genital Mutilation. Writenet, Report commissioned by the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugess (UNHCR). Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
8 Jean
Sybil La Fontaine, (1986) Initiation, Manchester University Press ND, p. 93.
9 Ibid, p.
95.
10 Butt-Thompson,
F.W. (2003) West African Secret Societies (1929), Kessinger Publishing,
LLC.
11 Butt-Thompson,
F.W. (2003) West African Secret Societies (1929), Kessinger
Publishing, LLC.
12 Lavenda,
R.H. and Schultz, E.A. (2007) Anthropology: what does it mean to be human?,
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
13 Fanthorpe,
R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence of the Secret Societies, with
Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation. Writenet, Report
commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html (accessed
6 March 2009).
14 Centre
for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation (ACCORD) (2001) Sierra
Leone: 6th European Country of Origin Information Seminar, Vienna, 13-14
November 2000, Final Report. Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/4129a6a34.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
15 Jean
Sybil La Fontaine, (1986) Initiation, Manchester University Press ND.
16 Alterman,
O., Binienda, A., Rodella, S. and Varzi, K. (2002) The Law People See: The
Status of Dispute Resolution in the Provinces of Sierra Leone in 2002, A
National Forum for Human Rights Publications. Available from http://www.daco-sl.org/encyclopedia/8_lib/8_3/research/lawpeoplesee.pdf
(accessed 6 March 2009).
According to Anthropologist Dr. Fanthorpe, secret
societies play a major role in maintaining law and order in rural areas.17
“The secret society operates under its own, isolated
legal system. The societies define their own laws, procedures, and
punishments. They possess their own jurisdiction, and any conflicts or crimes
arising “out of the bush” stay within the secret society purview. It is
unclear, however, whether secret society jurisdiction remains within secret
society matters, or whether its borders span beyond into conflicts between
secret society members, or even between members and nonmembers. The secret
society world is religiously kept apart from the open community sphere in
that it is a punishable crime to divulge any information about it to
non-members. Furthermore, betraying one’s secret society invites curses on
the individual and his or her close ones.18
Poro believe that violations of their laws are
adjudicated by a masked spirit in the society bush, those found guilty of the
most serious violations may be sacrificed to assuage the spirit.19
According to Dr Fanthorpe traditional secret
societies were brought to Freetown many generations ago by immigrants from
the interior.20 There has been an increase in the number of secret
associations operating in Freetown, according to one source they are
“competitive and aggressive, operating at times like inner city gangs.”21 Dr Fanthorpe
states that aggressive use of secret society rituals in urban areas has also
seen members clash with non initiates, especially in the capital district
(Western Area).22 For instance in March 2003 Poro members carried out
a masquerade to celebrate initiation on the streets of Waterloo in the
capital district without prior warning, causing public outrage23. Many
residents felt intimidated and fled the area, traders abandoned their goods.
Residents expressed the view that Poro initiations belong in the provinces
and should not be brought to the Western area.24
 Political influence
A
human rights forum publication reports that to become a leader in regular
society, a person must first achieve a position of leadership within a secret
society,25
“The
interconnectedness of secret society hierarchy and the structure of
leadership in the open communities are particularly clear in districts like
Kailahun, where anyone hoping to become chief must first have membership and
prestige within the Poro society.”26
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17 Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence
of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR). Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
18 Alterman, O., Binienda, A., Rodella, S. and Varzi, K.
(2002) The Law People See: The Status of Dispute Resolution in the
Provinces of Sierra Leone in 2002, A National Forum for Human Rights
Publications. Available from http://www.daco-sl.org/encyclopedia/8_lib/8_3/research/lawpeoplesee.pdf
(accessed 6 March 2009).
19 Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence
of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR). Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
20 Ibid.
21 David M. Rosen, Armies of the Young, Rutgers
University Press, 2005, p. 69.
22 Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence
of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR). Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
23 Standard Times (Freetown), “Abuse of secret society
in Waterloo”, 20 March 2003. Available from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-22756220_ITM
(accessed 6 March 2009).
24 Ibid.
25 Alterman, O., Binienda, A., Rodella, S. and Varzi, K.
(2002) The Law People See: The Status of Dispute Resolution in the
Provinces of Sierra Leone in 2002, A National Forum for Human Rights
Publications. Available from http://www.daco-sl.org/encyclopedia/8_lib/8_3/research/lawpeoplesee.pdf
(accessed 6 March 2009). 26 Ibid.
Dr Fanthorpe states that “men and women winning
seats in parliament and jobs in government are expected to stay loyal to
their home communities and direct state resources towards these communities.
The secret societies remain a fundamental, albeit unspoken, factor in these
informal political pacts. Few politicians that were not initiated in the
localities they wish to represent can expect to win elections and once in
office they are expected to provide job opportunities for fellow initiates.” 27
Dr Fanthorpe reports that secret societies have
become more ‘secret’ as a result of these tensions between civic governance
and local loyalties.28
In rural areas Paramount Chiefs are leading
political figures, they authorize all initiation rites in their chiefdom and
are expected to serve as patrons, attending the rites and contributing to
their costs. According to Dr Fanthorpe senior politicians and bureaucrats
often play a similar role. Alliances with village chiefs and society leaders
allows the politically ambitious to secure command over local youth.29 Fanthorpe
further notes that “both of the major political parties have used this
strategy for recruiting and disciplining political followers”. The prominent
politician Aiah Abu Koroma from Kono was publicly honored in 2007 because he
had paid for the initiation of boys and girls into the Poro and Sande since
the 1970s. According to Sierra Leonian newspaper, the Awareness Times, a
local chief described Koroma’s acts as having “helped in preserving Kono
tradition and culture, which he noted are under "serious threat"
from both western civilization and religious evangelism30”.
In 2003 Dr Fanthorpe interviewed a Paramount Chief
in central Sierra Leone who had used Poro society to recruit and train a
loyal local defence force.31
During the civil war both pro government Kamajors
and RUF rebel forces attempted to utilize the Poro society for military and
political ends.32 Dr Fanthorpe also reports that threats have been
made to use the Poro society membership to influence the outcome of post war
elections.33
Initiation rituals
Dr.
Fanthorpe reports that secret society members are inducted through
initiation, they are required to observe a range of laws and protocols, to
assure the cooperation of spirit powers. Initiates must not speak about the
society to non initiates and non initiates must not witness any society
rituals.34 Rituals take place in
secluded clearings in the forest or on farmland. Some societies have the
power to impose a curfew on a settlement whilst rituals take place demanding
that all non initiatives remain indoors and shutter windows.35
27 Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence
of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugess (UNHCR). Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
28 Ibid.
29 Ibid, p. 10.
30 Awareness Times (Freetown) “Konos remember Aiah Abu
Koroma in Sierra Leone”, 4 April 2007. Available from http://www.news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_20055160.shtml
(accessed 6 March 2009).
31 Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence
of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), p11. Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
32 Ibid, p. 11-12.
33 Ibid, p. 12-13.
34 Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence
of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR). Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009). 35 Ibid,
Each local Poro group has a sacred place in the bush
where initiation rituals take place. Initiation usually happens at puberty
and marks not only admission into the society in itself, but also a rite of
passage to adulthood.36 In some cases initiation involves the payment of a
fee by the family of the initiate or an external sponsor37.
Boys are taught to become men learning traditional
laws, customs, crafts, farming and spiritual knowledge. They undergo
competitive tests of physical prowess and endurance.38 A special
emphasis is put on the initiate’s ability to keep secrets39. The young
men are symbolically “killed” and eaten by the spirits, and then reborn as
adults, prepared for life in society. The rituals involve the scarification
of the body of the initiates.40 The ordeal of initiation is severe, occasionally an
initiate may die.41 Village chiefs and male elders usually organize the
initiations, because initiation guarantees community membership families may
feel beholden to the organizers. According to Dr Fanthorpe “elders may use
that moral indebtendness to secure compliance with their decision making or
claim resources from lower status families.”42
Methods
of intimidation
Societies
can place a taboo (i.e. curse or condemn) on any person or anything,
including crops or livestock, which can exert a controlling effect on the
entire community43. The Poro Society has used symbols of witchcraft to
intimidate community members44 and has vandalized property and attacked families
who refuse to participate in Poro society.45
The Poro often abduct people that they intend
to forcibly initiate.46
Groups and individuals at risk of forced initiation
in Freetown
In 2008 the US State Department (USSD) reported that
men were forcibly initiated into secret societies. According to the USSD, the
forced initiation of men usually includes circumcision.47
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
36 Jean Sybil La Fontaine, (1986) Initiation, Manchester
University Press ND; Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence of
the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR). Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
37 Lavenda, R.H. and Schultz, E.A. (2007) Anthropology:
what does it mean to be human?, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
38 Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence
of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugess (UNHCR), Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
39 Lavenda, R.H. and Schultz, E.A. (2007) Anthropology:
what does it mean to be human?, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
40 Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence
of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), p4. Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
41 Jean Sybil La Fontaine, (1986) Initiation, Manchester
University Press ND, p. 98.
42 Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence
of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugess (UNHCR), p10, Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
43 Lavenda, R.H. and Schultz, E.A. (2007) Anthropology:
what does it mean to be human?, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
44 Awareness Times, APC MP Tells ‘Poro’ to Manhandle
Makeni Carpenter :Elected Lawmaker Exhibits Sheer Lawlessness in Sierra
Leone, 21 April 2008, http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/printer_20058300.shtml.
45 Awoko, Poro men hunt activist son, 15 August 2007, http://awoko.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=2741&cntnt01returnid=15.
46 Awareness Times (Freetown), “Muslims clashes with
Poro Society in Kailahun, Sierra Leone”, 29 January 2007. Available from http://www.news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_20054619.shtml
(accessed 6 March 2009); United States Department of State
(2006/2007/2008) US Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices.
47 United States Department of State (2006) US
Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2005 – Sierra
Leone. Available from: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61591.htm
(accessed 6 March 2009). 5
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Members of different religions (young people and
religious leaders, especially when open critics of Poro)48, teachers49, public
servants and politicians50 are amongst those reported to have been forcibly
initiated into Poro society. According to Dr Fanthorpe, trans-local
religionists (e.g. ‘stranger’ groups, Muslims and Christians), socially
marginalized youth and western area urban poor in Freetown are at risk of
enforced membership of secret societies.51
He also states that government workers
including school teachers, police, NGO workers and treasury clerks posted to
rural areas may be at risk of forced initiation.52
Dr Fanthorpe states that “people who speak out
against the societies risk violent confrontation and forced initiation.”53 A news
source reports that in some areas Poro society has adopted a policy of forced
initiation of non members.54
Due to the civil war and displacement, a large
number of young people have not been initiated at the time they would
traditionally required to be. According to Dr Fanthorpe “social pressure on
young people to submit to initiation is considerable”.55
Some
members of other religions, largely Christians and Muslims, are publicly
opposed to the secret societies and openly criticize them.56 There are
several reports of Imans being abducted and forcibly initiated in Freetown
and other major cities in the country,57
according to Dr Fanthorpe these “are
overtly political acts designed to intimidate and punish rather than
convert”.58
Dr
Fanthorpe states that in the countryside, teachers and public servants who
are not born in the region are targeted to be initiated because secret
societies’ members want to ensure that their children receive “traditional”
education and for their communities to receive support in the struggle for
job opportunities59. In March 2006, a teacher of the Makeni
Comprehensive Academy was abducted and forcibly initiated into Poro at the
behest --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
48 Awareness Times (Freetown), “Muslims clashes with
Poro Society in Kailahun, Sierra Leone”, 29 January 2007. Available from http://www.news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_20054619.shtml
(accessed 6 March 2009).
49Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence
of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugess (UNHCR), Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
50 Awareness Times (Freetown) “Former Makeni Town
Council Chairman under death threat in Sierra Leone”, 3 April 2006. Available
from: http://www.news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_20052087.shtml (accessed
6 March 2009); Standard Times (Freetown) “Defying State authority… Poro devil
threatens Government workers”, 20 September 2002. Cited on Fanthorpe, R.,
(2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence of the Secret Societies, with Special
Reference to Female Genital Mutilation. Writenet, Report commissioned by
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugess (UNHCR).
51 Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence
of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugess (UNHCR), p14-15 Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
52 Ibid.
53 Ibid; Awoko, Poro men hunt activist son, 15 August
2007. Available from: http://awoko.org/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=2741&cntnt01returnid=15
(accessed 6 March 2009).
54 Awareness Times (Freetown), “Muslims clashes with
Poro Society in Kailahun, Sierra Leone”, 29 January 2007. Available from http://www.news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_20054619.shtml
(accessed 6 March 2009).
55 Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence
of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugess (UNHCR), p14 Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
56 Ibid.
57 United States Department of State (2006) US
Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2005 – Sierra
Leone. Available from: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61591.htm
(accessed 6 March 2009); Awareness Times (Freetown), “Muslims clashes
with Poro Society in Kailahun, Sierra Leone”, 29 January 2007. Available from
http://www.news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_20054619.shtml (accessed
6 March 2009).
58 Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence
of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugess (UNHCR), p. 18. Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
59 Ibid, p. 19.
6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
of the locally born school bursar.60
There are several reported cases where the police
have been informed about abductions but have been unable to prevent the
forced initiation of those held captive, in some instances the police
response has been to refer the matter to local chiefs.61
In 2006 the USSD reported a case of forced
initiation despite police intervention “in March and April the Poro Society
in Manowa Kailahun District attempted to forcefully initiate a man into the
society. The man ran away and reported the matter to the police, who deferred
to the local paramount chief. The paramount chief then allowed Poro members
to drag the man out of his home, beat him, and initiate him into their secret
society.”62
There have been several reports of Muslims being
targeted by the Poro for forced initiation. In 2005 there were reports that
Poro society in Kailahun town in eastern Sierra Leone restricted the movement
of Muslim traders and forced some to undergo initiation.63 In 2005 it
was reported that an Imam, near Bo, protested the forced initiation of a
local Muslim man. The USSD reports that the Imam was abducted, when called to
investigate the Sierra Leone Police referred the case to chiefdom
authorities. The Imam reappeared after several weeks and had been forcefully
initiated into Poro society. The Freetown-based Council of the Imans
registered a complaint about the issue, the chiefs apologized about the
incident but the matter was not referred to court.64
In January 2007 the Awareness Times reported
increased tension between Muslims and Poro members in Pendembu town in
Kailahun District. Several Imans, Sheiks and Muslim youths were abducted and
forcibly initiated into Poro society. The Awareness Times reports that this
was a response to Islamic preaching against the society’s practices and that
the Poro society have consequently adopted a policy of forced initiation of
non members, including religious leaders.65
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
60 Ibid.
61 United States Department of State (2007) U.S.
Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006 – Sierra
Leone. Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/45f0567c2f.html
(accessed 6 March 2009); United States Department of State (2006) US
Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2005– Sierra
Leone. Available from: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61591.htm
(accessed 6 March 2009); Awareness Times (Freetown), “Muslims clashes
with Poro Society in Kailahun, Sierra Leone”, 29 January 2007. Available from
http://www.news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_20054619.shtml (accessed
6 March 2009).
62 United States Department of State (2007) U.S.
Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006 – Sierra
Leone. Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/45f0567c2f.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
63 Fanthorpe, R. (2007) Sierra Leone: The Influence
of the Secret Societies, with Special Reference to Female Genital Mutilation.
Writenet, Report commissioned by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugess (UNHCR), p17 Available from: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/46cee3152.html
(accessed 6 March 2009).
64 United States Department of State (2006) US
Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2005– Sierra
Leone. Available from: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61591.htm
(accessed 6 March 2009).
65 Awareness Times (Freetown), “Muslims clashes with
Poro Society in Kailahun, Sierra Leone”, 29 January 2007. Available from: http://www.news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_20054619.shtml
(accessed 6 March 2009).
66 Country of Return Information Project, Country Sheet:
Sierra Leone, Bo and Kono District, 2007, p. 7. Available from: http://www.cri-project.eu/cs/cs-sierra-leone-en.pdf
(accessed 6 March 2009). 67
 Government attitudes to Poro society and forced
initiations
According
to the CRI Project, the government has taken little action to curb Poro
activities in relation to forced initiation.66 CRI state that abduction and
forced initiation affects freedom of movement across the country. In its
analysis of safety concerns for returned Sierra Leoneans the CRI Project
states that,
“Another obstacle to internal travel comes from the poro
society (secret society) during the initiation season, when members are
not allowed to move freely upon risk to be captured and forcefully initiated.
Successive governments have made little effort to change this picture either
because the practice is so deeply embedded in the culture of the people or
because politicians fear losing the votes of the people if they attempt to
ban it, or both. Caution has to be taken during this season if you are a
non-initiate.”67 [An initiation season may last for 6 months].68
According
to the Awareness Times, an MP ordered Poro society members to intimidate a
tradesman in Makeni City and a police officer who intervened in the case.69
67 Ibid.
68 Jean Sybil La Fontaine, (1986) Initiation, Manchester
University Press ND, p. 97.
69 Awareness Times, APC MP Tells ‘Poro’ to Manhandle
Makeni Carpenter: Elected Lawmaker Exhibits Sheer Lawlessness in Sierra
Leone, 21 April 2008. Available from: http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/printer_20058300.shtml
(accessed 6 March 2009).
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