Gender in Practice: Culture, Politics and Society in Sierra Leone

Abstract

Sierra Leone, a complex country of contradictions, begs many questions. What kind of country is it and, more specifically, what kind of gender relationships have people forged throughout the country's cultural and political histories? What kind of cultural agency, including that which relates to the ritual practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), have women developed in their quest for recognition within their communities? What are the societal expectations of women (and men) - their roles and responsibilities - before, during and after the civil conflict? And what does this tell us about the issues, trends and processes needed to address sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV); and about the complex engendered questions of what (hetero/homo) sexuality is, or is perceived to be, in contemporary Sierra Leone?