Pre-war images of Sierra Leone taken between 1987 and 1990. See what the country looked like when I lived there. Categories include snapshots, panoramas, currency, and product labels.
Snapshots
Click on any image below to launch a slide show window. Manually advance forward and backward through the deck.
Bangura familyBangura familyBangura familyBangura familyMount BintumaniFula bread sellersChet with friendChet with snackCloudburstEddie Kargbo's houseFatu Dumbuya100% inflationJay's Entertainment Spot: Man about townKabangalo: My homeKabba RiverOn the road to KadabiKamakwie Wesleyan HospitalKamakwie Wesleyan HospitalKWSS staff outingKWSS physics studentsKamakwie Wesleyan Secondary SchoolKamakwie Wesleyan Secondary SchoolKamakwie Wesleyan Secondary SchoolNear Mongo Bendugu: Abraham and IshmailNear Mongo Bendugu: LionKabba Ferry near OKNPPampa on Great ScarcesPoyo (palm wine)RainbowRainbowRice plantingRice plantingRice harvestRice threshingRice fanningPa PendoiRokulan MosqueSama Kamara: HerbalistChristmas revelersChristmas devil
Labels
Some interesting consumer products.
Star Lager BeerGuinness Foreign Extra StoutJumbo Maggi CubePalmtree Safety Matches
Currency
Some of the coins and bills that were in circulation from 1997 to 1990. Several other bills were in circulation at that time, but none of the ones I have were in good enough condition to scan. An inflation rate around 100% per year rendered all the coins in this set worthless by 1990. I never bought anything that cost less than one leone while I was there. By 1996, the 10 and 50 leone bills were replaced with coins.
½ Cent (1964): Milton Margai1 Cent (1964): Milton Margai5 Cent (1964): Milton Margai20 Cent (1984): Siaka Stevens1 Leone (1987): J.S. Momoh50 Cent (1984): Siaka Stevens, Bank of Sierra Leone2 Leone (1984): Siaka Stevens, Bank of Sierra Leone10 Leone (1984): Siaka Stevens, rutile mining20 Leone (1984): Siaka Stevens, diamond mining10 Leone (1988): J.S. Momoh, cattle and rice20 Leone (1988): J.S. Momoh, diamond mining50 Leone (1988): J.S. Momoh, reverse unknown
Panoramas
You can only view these images one at a time by clicking on the appropriate thumbnail. Panoramas range in width from 1100 to 2400 pixels.
Dry season
Rainy season
Another stunning sunset from Kabangalo. Crepuscular rays formed by distant hills
Space Imaging Radar swath, Eastern Sierra Leone from Guinea to Liberia (Source: NASA/JPL)
