Mandingo people of Sierra Leone
|
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 470,204 (7% of Sierra Leone's population) | |
| Languages | |
| Mandinka language | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (99%) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Bambara |
The Mandinka people of Sierra Leone (commonly referred to as the Mandingo, Mandinka or Malinke) is a major ethnic group in Sierra Leone and a branch of the Mandinka people of West Africa, with whom they share the same culture, religion, tradition and language. The Sierra Leonean Mandingo are the direct descendants of Mandinka warriors from Guinea who conquered large territories in areas of the North and East of Sierra Leonean in the 1870s under the leadership of Samori Ture. They were followed by thousands of 'Mandingo settlers from Guinea in the late 19th and early-to-mid-20th century.
The Mandingo constitute about 7% of Sierra Leone's population. The Mandingo are 99% Muslim, and Islam has become the basis of their religious and cultural practices.
The Mandingo people of Sierra Leone are predominantly traders and rural subsistence farmers. Sierra Leone's third president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, first Vice President Sorie Ibrahim Koroma and Alhaji Chief Mucktarru-Kallay, the first chairman and Leader of the APC are three of many of Sierra Leone's prominent Mandingo politicians.
The Mandingo people of Sierra Leone speak the maninka language as their native language. The Mandingo are found in virtually all parts of Sierra Leone; they make up the majority of the population of several towns in the North and East of Sierra Leone. Their population is largely concentrated in Koinadugu District in the North, particularly in the towns of Kabala and Falaba, where they form the majority of the population. The Mandingo make up the majority of the population in Yengema, Kono District in Eastern Sierra Leone. They also make up the majority of the population in the town of Karina, Bombali District in the north of Sierra Leone.
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Wikipedia