Sierra Leone's Lanterns: An Unrivalled Cultural Tradition

Lanterns were first mentioned in 1895 in a local newspaper.  It reported large, splendidly lit up paper boats being paraded by a large crowd of Muslims through Freetown's streets towards the end of the month of Ramadan just a few nights before the celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr.

In 1896 the same newspaper described a lantern representing a mosque. Made of paper and brilliantly lit, it was the size of a hut with windows, doors, minarets and a dome. Lanterns depicting ships and mosques remained popular throughout the 20th century.

Over the years, however, many innovative lantern forms and themes emerged, made possible by the introduction of new building techniques and a wider variety of materials. Vehicles of various types (including armoured trucks) have provided a ready source of inspiration.

Lanterns in the shape of cars, buses, trains and even aeroplanes have featured in many lantern parades. A lantern representing an aeroplane was first recorded in 1933.

Comprising a lion, horse and giraffe, this 1993 lantern followed the practice, established quite early in the 20th century, of representing animals in lantern form.

By the 1930s lanterns also included the figures of people, very often of historical importance such as Marcus Garvey. Known as 'effigies' animal and human lantern figures developed into forms of string and rod puppetry which inspired ever more innovative lantern themes.

By the 1950s lanterns illustrating religious themes were becoming popular. The story of Adam and Eve always took the form of a central tree round which was coiled a bright snake. The puppet figure of Adam stood on one side and that of Eve, holding an apple, stood on the other.

Current or historical events were often the source of lantern imagery. HM The Queen visited Sierra Leone soon after the country gained independence in 1961 and this 1993 lantern depicts the Prime Minister, Sir Milton Margai, being driven with the Queen in a Rolls Royce.

Lanterns sometimes reflected popular forms of entertainment, music bands and even TV programmes. The internationally known Muppet Show inspired a lantern in 1997 which included puppet figures of a dancing dog, a pink rat playing a guitar, a green lizard, a baboon and a pig.

The most popular lanterns based on what were known as 'cultural' themes depicted local dancers and masquerade figures originally inspired by Sierra Leone's National Dance Troupe. Such lanterns contrasted starkly with traditional ship and mosque lanterns.

Between 1895 and 1997  lanterns were almost exclusively paraded at the end of Ramadan. Occasionally special lantern parades were organised to commemorate national events as in 1993 to mark the first anniversary of the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) seizing power.

No lantern parades were organised between 1998 and 2004 owing to Sierra Leone's civil war and its aftermath. Since then parades have taken place intermittently not at the end of Ramadan but on the eve of Independence Day (27th April). The most recent parade was organised in 2017.