Music & Arts

Sierra Leone's culture is heavily influenced by music and dance, with distinct styles of dance and song spanning across communities. Many of these dances are ceremonial in nature and use symbolism and intricately carved wooden masks to express themselves.

The slit-log drum, known as the kelei, the single-skin drum, known as the sangbei, and a rattle, known as the segbure, are the most commonly used musical instruments in Sierra Leone. These instruments are typically used to accompany the locals' ceremonial dances, but they are also frequently played and enjoyed on their own.

Travelers will be hard pressed to find local villages that do not occasionally vibrate with music and song. The Mende people in particular are well-known for their beautiful traditional songs, which are inspired by various themes such as religion, love, and war.

Sierra Leoneans are also talented visual artists. They primarily focus on woodwork and wood carving, ivory and stone carving, and cloth work, and authentic, hand-crafted masterpieces can be found at many bustling local markets across the country. Locals are well-known for making colorful lanterns and floats for Freetown's lantern festivals, which are parades held to mark the end of Ramadan or to commemorate important events such as national holidays.