-do you think  the Italian school is better than the African one or viceversa?

-is the African teaching and learning method different from the Italian one?

-what’s the most difficult school - between the African and the Italian one?

-are there grades like in Italy?
-do teachers give marks to students like in Italy?
-when do children start going to school in Serra Leone?

Our special guest mr. Carlini told us about the PLACE where he lives in particular, the thing that most intrigued me was the warmth of the population: people are welcoming, good and generous always willing to help.

in Sierra Leone, life is very complex, in fact there is not much energy and food must be used with caution too, in fact you do not eat meat, but a much loved food is rice, I like rice too!

A very nice thing is that the place is full of schools, some even divided into Christian schools and Muslim schools.

Mr. Carlini also explained to us that the two most spoken languages ​​are Krio and English while at school the third language is French

In Sierra Leone, the population is very poor and very wealthy people are rarely encountered.

the Upper school and the middle schools are quite epensive, while the elementary schools are free: High schools are divided into three TYPES: art, science and commerce.

The political SYSTEM is divided into presidential politics that is the official government and finally the 'local kings': in fact in the South African part there is still the tradition of kings, in fact we can find 92 reigns.

In Sierra Leone we also find the marriage ceremony, a very important ceremony where the groom goes to his bride's parents with a container full of money he offers parents; the amount of money is based on the beauty of the bride.

In Africa and also in Sierra Leone we find the initiation rites that are divided into: isolation, physical evidence and ceremony to return and welcome from the community.

Last Saturday a man who teaches in Sierra Leone, in Africa, came to our school and talked about his life.

He saw the civil war in the 1994, when he arrived.

In that period people used children to fight, so they became soldiers (both girls and boys); he also said that there’s a bit of jealousy between him and the locals but he’ve never been bullied.

Freetown is the capital of Sierra Leone, the name derives from the fact that there live free people that in the past used to be slaves.

Then he told us about school: he has been teaching for four years in an university, called UniMak, that’s catholic but still open to everyone, and it’s in the town of Makeni, situated in the center of Sierra Leone.

The professor thinks that the African school is more challenging and difficult than the Italian one because of the absence of books and electricity, indeed you have to pay the school fees and books are very expensive.

He also said that teachers are not well paid.

The school system is quite similar to the Italian one: there are nursery, 6 years of primary school, 3 of junior-secondary school, 3 of senior-secondary school, 4 of university and college;

In the senior-secondary school you can choose between three options: Arts, Science and Commerce.

In the morning there’s the junior school and in the afternoon the upper one, that thing happens because there are not enough classrooms.

You have to be at school at 8 a.m. when there starts an assembly, then they sing the national anthem and some prayers (a Muslim and a catholic one) and then the lessons star; the school finishes at 1 or 2 p.m.

In Sierra Leone there’s traditional music,played with the drums and sang in creole (which is a similar language to English); but young people usually listen to pop and American music.

Rice is very important, and they also eat a lot of tropical fruits such as mangos, bananas and papayas; they never eat meat

The family in Africa is very important and extended, they call “mothers” all the women that helped them in their life and “brothers” their cousins.

A relevant issue in Sierra Leone is corruption.

From the point of view of languages:

In Sierra Leone there are 12 languages: English and Krio are the official languages. Other two languages are spoken by the population: Arabic, because they have to read Corano, and French.

From the point of view of religions:

In Sierra Leone there are 3 religions: A. T. R. (= African Traditional Religion), Christianity and Islam. The majority of the population believe in Islam religion.

From the point of view of rites/religious ceremonies:

There are a lot of rites/religious ceremonies, like for the wedding ceremony/marriage. The man have to go to the woman’s house and make an make an offer to the family of the girl in order to thank the family. The wedding ceremony/marriage celebrate in woman’s house.

There are also rites to prepare men and women to the future life. The ritual is located in secret bush and the ritual of the boys last 3 years while the ritual of the girls last 10 days.

From the point of view of the school:

The high school in Sierra Leone consist in 3 types: Arts, Science and Commerce.

In the school there are many subjects like English, Maths, Science, Social Studies, P. E., Music, Religion and French.

From the point of view of people:

The people in Sierra Leone are very sociable, friendly and you can have good relationships; they’re very open minded.

There are 2 form of government in Sierra Leone:

In Sierra Leone there’s a majority of very poor people.
Yurany Villaquiran

He told us he teaches in an University, in the centre of Sierra Leone (in Makeni) and he started his work about 4 years ago. 

He saids: teenegers (in secondary school) can choose in 3 branches (art —>humanities, science ,commerce —> buisness). The school system is: 6 years of elementary school, 3 years of junior school, 3 years of high school and 4 years of university. School starts at 8 a.m. and finishes at 1 or 2 p.m. Then we asked him which are the Sierra Leone’s problems : in their school there isn’t lights or books, so the teachers write all on the blackboard and the students must copy the notes; and another problem is the war, Mr Carlini said us; he saw the civil war (from 1991 to 2001) and it was terrible and very difficult. The country unfortunately is poor, and there are many issues, for example, the water because there isn’t in the house;  fortunately drugs aren’t a problem because there aren’t money to buy it. The corruption is a big issue. 

In Sierra Leone the most important music is the traditional music with the drums, but sometimes the young people listen pop music and Nigerian music. 

The official language is English but Creol is the local language. 

The religion is Muslim (about 60%). 

In the country they practice sport: volleyball is the most popular for the girl and football is the most popular for the boys, like in Italy. 

Prof. Carlini said he saw the war in Sierra Leone because there was a long civil war from 1991 to 2001. There were violence and many attacks; adults and also some children were soldiers.

Many children are victims of drugs and starvation because there’s lack of food and they have only one meal each day, so they don’t eat much. Every day they eat a lot of rice or palm oil, sweet potatoes, papaya, mango, banana. People never eat fish because is too expensive.

There isn’t water at home, so girls have to go to wells every morning and then take it home for the family. Family is very extended and important. 
Prof. Carlini said there are primary and secondary schools, but not everybody can have an education because the students have to pay it. 
The lessons start at 8 a.m. and finish at 1 o’clock p.m. In the secondary school students study Humanities, Arts, Science and Commerce (Business). The students don’t have books to study beacuse they are too expensive. In Sierra Leone there aren’t lights and there aren’t any facilites. The teacher always writes on the blackboard and the students have to take notes.

Professor Carlini said he teaches in Makeni’s university. He started to teach there 4 years ago. He thinks Africa’s school is more difficult and challenging. To enter the university students have to do the WAASCE state exam, but it’s very difficult.

Freetown is the capital of the country. Creole is the original language that common people are used to speaking, but the main language is English. Sierra Leone is a muslim country.  

People listen to traditional music and young people listen to pop music from Nigeria. Local bands play the traditional music during the main celebrations. 

Boys usually play football and girls like playing volleyball.

On 3rd November 2018 a man who teaches in a university, in Sierra Leone, came to our school and talked about habits, traditions, rules, and much more there.
 My class was divide into various groups and each of them prepared some questions to ask. 

The first group asked for teen issues; the professor told us that he saw the war in Sierra Leone between the 1991 and the 2001. In that period the main victims were the children, who were forced to become soldiers, and there were many violence. But now people in Sierra Leone are very friendly , in fact, he himself confirmed us that he had never been a victim of racism. Then we asked him about other problems related to adolescents, such as the drugs abuse; he said it's not a common problem because money is scarce, and drugs cost a lot. In fact even eating can be tiring. At this point we connected to my group which was the topic of food, so we asked him about traditional foods. Actually they always eat rice, palm oil, sweet potaetos, papaya, mango, bananas. Another traditional thing is kalavash, which is used for the ritual of marriges. They never eat meat or fish because it’s too expensive. About drinking it is difficult even to simply drink water; every morning girls have to walk up to the wells to bring water home, to drink and wash. 

What about school,the professor told as that there are primary and secondary schools, but  they have to pay to go there, so not everyone can go there. The lessons start at 8 a.m and finish at 1 p.m. In the secondary school the students can study Humanities,Art, Science, and Commerce. In Sierra Leone schools there aren’t light and there aren’t any facilities. Prof. Carlini teaches in Makeni’s university and he said us that the Africa’s schools are more difficult. To enter in university the students have to do the WAASCE state exam,which it is very difficult. 
In Sierra Leone girls have fun playing volleyball, however it’s too difficult to have a ball to play with; boys usually play football.
People listen to traditional music and guys listen to pop music from Nigeria. Local bands play the traditional music in the celebrations

The first group asked for teen issues; the professor told us that he saw the war in Sierra Leone between the 1991 and the 2001. In that period the main victims were the children, who were forced to become soldiers, and there were many violence. But now people in Sierra Leone are very friendly , in fact, he himself confirmed us that he had never been a victim of racism. Then we asked him about other problems related to adolescents, such as the drugs abuse; he said it's not a common problem because money is scarce, and drugs cost a lot. In fact even eating can be tiring. At this point we connected to my group which was the topic of food, so we asked him about traditional foods. Actually they always eat rice, palm oil, sweet potaetos, papaya, mango, bananas. Another traditional thing is kalavash, which is used for the ritual of marriges. They never eat meat or fish because it’s too expensive. About drinking it is difficult even to simply drink water; every morning girls have to walk up to the wells to bring water home, to drink and wash. 

What about the school,the professor told us that there are primary and secondary schools, but  they have to pay to go there, so not everyone can go there. The lessons start at 8 a.m and finish at 1 p.m. In the secondary school the students can study Humanities,Art, Science, and Commerce. In Sierra Leone schools there aren’t light and there aren’t any facilities. Prof. Carlini teaches in Makeni’s university and he said us that the Africa’s schools are more difficult. To enter in university the students have to do the WAASCE state exam,which it is very difficult. 

In Sierra Leone girls have fun playing volleyball, however it’s too difficult to have a ball to play with; boys usually play football. 

People listen to traditional music and guys listen to pop music from Nigeria. Local bands play the traditional music in the celebrations.

 

The first group asked for teen issues; the professor told us that he saw the war in Sierra Leone between the 1991 and the 2001. In that period the main victims were the children, who were forced to become soldiers, and there were many violence. But now people in Sierra Leone are very friendly , in fact, he himself confirmed us that he had never been a victim of racism.

Then we asked him about other problems related to adolescents, such as the drugs abuse; he said it's not a common problem because money is scarce, and drugs cost a lot. In fact even eating can be tiring. At this point we connected to my group which was the topic of food, so we asked him about traditional foods. Actually they always eat rice, palm oil, sweet potaetos, papaya, mango, bananas 

Another traditional thing is kalavash, which is used for the ritual of marriges. They never eat meat or fish because it’s too expensive. About drinking it is difficult even to simply drink water; every morning girls have to walk up to the wells to bring water home, to drink and wash.

What about the school,the professor told as that there are primary and secondary schools, but since they have to pay to go there,not everyone can go there. The lessons start at 8 a.m and finish at 1 p.m. In the secondary school the students can study Humanities,Art, Science, and Commerce.

In Sierra Leone schools there aren’t light and there aren’t any facilities. Prof. Carlini teaches in Makeni’s university and he said us that the Africa’s schools are more difficult. To enter in university the students have to do the WAASCE state exam,that it is very difficult.

In Sierra Leone girls like to have fun playing volleyball, however it’s difficult to have a ball to play with; boys usually play football.

People listen to traditional music and young people listen to pop music from Nigeria. Local bands play the traditional music in the celebrations.

The first group asked for teen issues; the professor told us that he saw the war in Sierra Leone between the 1991 and the 2001. In that period the main victims were the children, who were forced to become soldiers, and there were many violence. But now people in Sierra Leone are very friendly , in fact, he himself confirmed us that he had never been a victim of racism. 

Then we asked him about other problems related to adolescents, such as the drugs abuse; he said it's not a common problem because money is scarce, and drugs cost a lot.
 In fact even eating can be tiring. At this point we connected to my group which was the topic of food, so we asked him about traditional foods. Actually they always eat rice, palm oil, sweet potaetos, papaya, mango, bananas 

Another traditional thing is kalavash, which is used for the ritual of marriges. They never eat meat or fish because it’s too expensive. About drinking it is difficult even to simply drink water; every morning girls have to walk up to the wells to bring water home, to drink and wash. 

What about the school,the professor told as that there are primary and secondary schools, but since they have to pay to go there,not everyone can go there. The lessons start at 8 a.m and finish at 1 p.m. In the secondary school the students can study Humanities,Art, Science, and Commerce. 

In Sierra Leone schools there aren’t light and there aren’t any facilities. Prof. Carlini teaches in Makeni’s university and he said us that the Africa’s schools are more difficult. To enter in university the students have to do the WAASCE state exam,that it is very difficult. 

In Sierra Leone girls like to have fun playing volleyball, however it’s difficult to have a ball to play with; boys usually play football. 

People listen to traditional music and young people listen to pop music from Nigeria. Local bands play the traditional music in the celebrations.

 We asked him many questions about his life in Africa.

He told us he teaches at the University of Sierra Leone. 
He thinks Africa’s school is more difficult. 

The people who can enter must pass an exam but it is very difficult.

The theachers also told us: in sierra leone there aren’t books, so the theachers write all on the blackboard and the students must write the notes.

In Sierra Leone the most important music is the traditional music with the drums.

The religion is Muslim. 

In the country the practice sport : volleyball and football are very popular in Sierra Leone. 

Every day they eat a lot of rice or palm oil, papaya, mango, banana. People never eat 

Fish or meat beacuse it’s too expensive

I focused my attention on religions, infact, there are 3 main religions: ATR (African Tradition Religion) that pray the ancestors, Christianity and Islam is predominant.
In ATR the celebration take at home. Sacred bush in the place where people learn how ti pray (initiation rites).
The men’s ritual lasts 3 years, while the women’s rituals lasts 10 days.
From the point of view of school and education, the Upper Secondary Schools are Arts/Humanisties, Science and Commerce/Business-related.
The students studied English, Science, Maths, Music, P.E and R.H.E.
There are 3 different schools for 3 different religions: Muslim schools, Christian schools and State schools.
Talkin about people; the country is a Presidential Republic with a Parliament. There is a Traditional system of Government (92 reings with 92 “paramount chiefs”.
The “Paramount Chiefs” are the custodian of the land, and there’re the supervisor.
Prof Carlini’s lesson is very interesting!

Christian people pray in churches, Muslim people pray in mosques and people of ATR pray at home, they pray their ancestors, grandparents choose the names of the grandchildren. weddings in African culture take place in the bride's home. Before marriage the spouses must do an initiation ritual. They have to go to the secret bush and they learn how to pray. Women have to survive 10 days and they have received the mask of their protecting spirit.

 As far as food the most important dish is rice. they grow it together , peanuts palm and manioca ( a root also called cassava).

They eat fish whit oil palm, they love peanuts butter and hot pepper

Finally the languages, the are 12 languages in Sierra Leone but 3 are the most important:

 English, Arabic, French and 1 more important religion is Krio that is a set of different languages. 
I think it was a very educational, interesting and fabulous experience.
I especially liked when Mr Carlini spoke about traditional marriages and when he spoke about the religions and the most important buildings of the makeni. I would like to repeat this experience XD

We asked him some questions about sport, music, food ,school and teen issues. 

He said he saw about the civil war from 1991 to 2001. In Sierra Leone there were violence, corruption and some attacks. 

He told us about the school  system: 6 years of primary school, 3 years of junior-secondary school, 3 of senior-secondary school, 4 years of University. In the high school you can choose in 3 branches: art, science, commerce (business). 

The lessons start at 8 a.m and finish at 1 o‘ clock p.m.

There aren’t lights and books in the school so the students must copy all the notes on the blackboard. 

He said us the drug isn’t a big problem because they don’t have money so they don’t buy it. 

In Sierra Leone there’s traditional music, played with the drums and Young people listen to pop music from Nigeria. 

Creole is a tipical language that people speak and is similar to English. 

In Sierra Leone the people eat rice, potatoes, papaya, mango, banana but they can‘t eat fish or meat because it’s too expensive. 

The religion is Muslim (about 60%).

In the country the most important sport is football, practiced by boys and volleyball practiced by girls. 

He told us he teaches in a University in Makeni and he started his work about 4 years ago. 

To enter the university students have to do the WAASCE state exam, but it’s very difficult 

He said there are primary and secondary school, but the students have to pay it, so not everyone can go there.

The school starts at 8 a.m and finishes at 1 p.m. In the secondary school students can study Humanities, Arts, Science and Commerce(Business).
There are no facilities, books or electricity so live in Africa is more difficult.

besides this he saw the war in Sierra Leone because there was a long civil war from 1991 to 2001, but the terribal was in 1994 because the solders made brain washed to a children, boys and girls.

But the family in Africa is very important and extended, for example they call “mothers” all the women that helped them in their life and “brothers” their cousins. There isn’t water at home, so girls have to go wells every morning and then take it home for the family.

What about music, in Sierra Leone the most important music is the traditional music with the drums but the young people listen to pop music from Nigeria.

Boys usually play football and girls like playing volleyball.

Patrizia Malausa