staying for ceremonies.
Commander against tradition.
How to count the people who enter the forest for weeks and have no right to say where they have been? The authorities of Sierra Leone decided to solve the issue in a radical way - they suspended the activity of secret societies until December 31, for the entire period of the census.
Initiation ceremonies, traditional gatherings and processions were banned. The top leaders and the leaders of the companies themselves are entrusted with monitoring the execution.
Let's explain the step from a practical point of view. Initiation ceremonies bring the youth into "sacred groves" for weeks, and the commander needs people at home and in the name. It is important for the state to count citizens, and not chase them among the bushes.
But behind the logistics there is also a visible second layer. The Poro Men's Society and the Sand Women's Society are the supporting structure of local life. They educate young people and pass on knowledge, and Peru's leaders have serious political weight, even influencing elections.
During the civil war, Kamajor hunter militias associated with these companies helped restore the ousted president Kaba. Their closed nature still preserves something in the forest that officials may not notice.
Prohibiting endowments during the census is tantamount to recognizing equality. The state negotiates with a parallel government, and negotiates through those leaders who are part of it.
Sierra Leone
- where politics is hotter than the equator.
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