The root of the word culture comes from cultura, in Latin, which means “cultivation” or “tending”. To tend to is to care for, and used to refer to cultivating the land, but grew into meaning the cultivation of the human mind and our social practices. Through learning about each other’s cultures, we can in return cultivate each other’s minds, water the seeds of our kinship and ultimately expand our capacity for empathy for one another. This photo series captures intimate cultural moments witnessed around Sierra Leone.

The Land of Powerful Mixtures

Kabala, the capital of Koinadugu District in Sierra Leone's Northern Province, is renowned for its ethnic diversity and is lovingly referred to as "the land of powerful mixtures". No single group dominates the town, but its population is primarily made up of the Fula, Kuranko, Mandingo, Limba, and Yalunka peoples. Beyond these communities, the Krio language, spoken by the Sierra Leone Creole people, functions as a common tongue, bridging communication across the town’s diverse cultural landscape.

This rich tapestry of ethnicities gives Kabala a vibrant cultural identity, where traditions, languages, and customs coexist harmoniously. During a visit by the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs in 2024, the town came alive with performances from its various ethnic communities, offering a vivid display of the region’s cultural heritage and artistic vitality.