Preserving Our Identity: Why the First Lady’s Stance on the Bondo Society Deserves Our Collective Support
By Godwin
The First Lady is currently facing heavy criticism from certain groups claiming to campaign against Female Genital Mutilation. However, it is important to look beyond the noise and understand her actual position.
Her Excellency has clearly and publicly condemned the forceful initiation of women and girls into the Sande Society, particularly the initiation of underage girls. This is a protective, mature stance that any reasonable person can agree with. From a statutory perspective, the absolute prohibition of initiating minors into traditional societies is grounded in clear domestic legislation. Section 33 of the Child Rights Act of 2007 explicitly mandates that no person shall subject a child to any social or cultural practice that is harmful to the child’s health or well-being.
Furthermore, because the national age of majority is legally established at eighteen, this policy ensures that only consenting adults can participate.
At the same time, the First Lady has firmly maintained that as an African woman and a proud Sierra Leonean, she deeply respects our traditions, culture, and heritage. Supporting cultural institutions does not mean supporting abuse, and opposing abuse does not mean abandoning our identity. There must be room for balance and honest dialogue. What many people find troubling is the apparent double standard in certain international campaigns.
There are organisations willing to spend significant resources to challenge long-established African cultural practices, yet many of these same voices actively promote values that a large section of African societies do not identify with or accept. This discrepancy naturally raises serious questions about whose values are truly being protected and whose are being targeted.
Therefore, this vital debate should not be reduced to insults, political attacks, or attempts to portray entire African communities as backward. The focus must remain exactly where the First Lady has placed it: on protecting women and girls from coercion, safeguarding their health, and ensuring that any cultural reforms are driven by Sierra Leoneans themselves through respectful, internal dialogue.
Our culture belongs to us, and any discussion about its evolution must be led by our own people, with absolute respect for both human dignity and our sacred national identity.
Consequently, international and domestic advocacy groups must move away from reductive rhetoric that portrays entire African traditions as inherently flawed. The path forward lies in internal, respectful dialogue and statutory compliance, rather than external coercion.
The focus must remain firmly on enforcing the age of consent, preventing institutional overreach, and ensuring that any evolution of our customs is driven organically from within.
By championing a model based strictly on legal consent and the protection of minors, the First Lady provides a sustainable roadmap that upholds the rule of law while preserving our heritage.
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