The Mende song that survived 300 years of Slavery: A Make Sierra Leone Famous Podcast Finale
If we knew our history, then we would know that Sierra Leone is not its beaches (that you can find anywhere) but our cultural heritage (which is unique to us).
Over the past 12 months, my team and I have been producing a podcast that attempts to make good on my 2019 promise to Make Sierra Leone Famous.
The podcast is an offshoot from The Vickie Remoe Show - a TV and digital travel, culture, and business documentary series I rebooted three years ago after a seven-year hiatus.
We have just released the season finale of the Make Sierra Leone Famous podcast—a history lesson and reflection on slavery and our deep cultural connections to Americans.
To those who know the story about how American demand for the rice farming expertise of indigenous Sierra Leoneans fueled the slave trade on Bunce Island, then the facts of this episode will serve as a reminder. If this is your first time hearing about the Mende song that survived 300 years from slavery to emancipation in the American South, then listen. You're in for a fascinating narrative.
Thank you to my amazing production team in Freetown, who began this journey to explore Sierra Leone's history, culture, and identity in the middle of a pandemic. A big thanks to producer Frankvin Bob McEwen without whom none of this would be possible (he wrote a guide about making a podcast from Freetown). Thank you to the show's content marketing lead Lamin Kargbo for spreading the word and creating a digital footprint for the podcast. Lastly, to our audience, I appreciate all your feedback, the reviews, and your subscriptions.
We are going on a production break from June to August and hope to return to your podcast feeds in September with fresh perspectives, new voices, and stories to Make Sierra Leone Famous for all the right reasons. Una tata!
If you missed the first year of the Make Sierra Leone Famous Podcast here is every episode for the latest to the first. Listen. Learn. Leave a Review. Share with a Friend.
The History of Bunce Island: Rice, Slavery, and the Sierra Leone-American Connection
June 19, 2021
Sixty Years of Independence with Mr. Sierra Leone
April 23, 2021
Who Is Who? Sierra Leoneans Who Shaped History
March 16, 2021
Masculinity & Male Identity in Sierra Leone
January 01, 2021
Sierra Leone’s Civil War - A Center For Memory to Honor Our Trauma Forever
December 14, 2020
How Sierra Leone invented the world’s first self-adhesive stamp and Other Independence Years Stories
October 29, 2020
A History Lesson with Ade Daramy (1950s-1970s) - Part 1
October 16, 2020
How Parents of Girl Moms Help them Achieve Academic Excellence in Sierra Leone
The Untold Story Of The Mandingos Who Became Temne Chiefs In Port Loko
August 18, 2020
Slavery, Rebellion & Religion: Freetown's Maroons from Jamaica to Sierra Leone
August 04, 2020
The History of St. John's Maroon Church
Krio: An African Language with Roots Abroad
July 21, 2020
Preserving Identity
War & Peace: How the Golas Came to Speak Mende
July 14, 2020
History & Conservation at Gola Rainforest National Park
Yelibas in a Koinadugu King's Court
July 07, 2020
The myth and sounds of Sierra Leone's Balangi
Unpacking 200 Years of Krio Identity
June 29, 2020
The "Original" Sierra Leoneans
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