Category Archives: HALL OF SHAME

Lionesses roar to mark their territory, call their cubs and send messages to would-be attackers. In other words, lionesses roar to communicate their stance and prowess to those within and outside their environment.

Not the lionesses in the pride of Mama Salone; women in Sierra Leone continue to silently endure marginalization, as one leader hands the country over to another.

As advocates and activists for girls and women in Mama Salone, one of the main factors we attribute to women’s silence and reluctance to call out injustices against their lot, is the society’s heavy-handedness in treating women who attempt to speak out and voice their stance on women’s issues.

Photo source: Animalia-Life.Club

If you are a Sierra Leonean who has not recently been called ‘imprudent, impatient and unrealistic,’ then you have not criticized President Bio’s slow pace to appoint women; which is in utter disregard for his campaign promise to bring change for women.

Every time the topic of Mr. Bio’s shortfall in appointing women comes up, ‘self-appointed defense ministers’ would quickly attack you, throwing at you all the words in the dictionary that describe you as ‘irrational,’ especially by people whose friends or family members are appointed.

The main justification usually given is that Mr. Bio’s government is too new to be assessed. But Mr. Bio, whose inauguration took place on May 12, 2018, has not put off appointing his political, financial and familial sponsors and supporters to key positions; including his friends, wives of his friends and friends of his wife.

Mr. Bio (Right) and his predecessor Mr. Koroma (left)

Recently, we have seen many newspapers and social media postings, by disgruntled members of Mr. Bio’s Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) members, who have been complaining about Mr. Bio’s disregard for many of the active members of his party. Mr. Bio is allegedly not on speaking terms with some of the top officials of his party after his victory. Advocates have been urging him to consider appointing some of them.

Mr. Bio campaigned on a promise of a New Direction; however, there is nothing new about the direction of his appointment pattern for women. His predecessors appointed women to cabinet position on similar patterns. Mr. Bio is disregarding even the women in his party, who were the grassroots lifeblood for his victory.

Nonetheless, discord between Mr. Bio and his party is not our concern, as we are focused on women’s situation. We bring this issue up, however, to illustrate how other segments of society freely speak up when they believe they have been slighted, and how they advocate for their lot.

Not the marginalized women of Sierra Leone. There are hardly any newspaper or social media postings complaining about Mr. Bio’s scorn of women in his appointments; nor are there any concerted effort to push for women’s appointments generally.

Taking Mr. Bio’s pattern of appointment as a sign, he has so far failed to show his commitment to being the change he wants to see for women. With his colossal failure to set the right pace for women through his appointments, it is now up to women of Salone to take proactive democratic actions to change Mr. Bio’s not so new direction.

Otherwise, for the next five years, women will remain voiceless and continue to languish, in a country best known for high illiteracy among women, high rate of teen pregnancy, high rate of maternal and infant mortalities and the lowest representation of women in government, leadership, and non-agricultural labor force.