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Men of Kpaka Chiefdom meet to contest the Paramount Chief's authority to sign away their land.
Farmland - the New "Blood Diamonds" in Sierra Leone?
UPDATED: Thursday, May 23, 2013 07:17 PM
For their secret meeting, they've chosen a very small village surrounded by forest in Kpaka Chiefdom in southern Sierra Leone. About one hundred men - chiefs, elders and youth leaders from all over the chiefdom - have gathered in the shade of a very large tree. Conspicuously absent is their Paramount Chief, the supreme traditional authority in the chiefdom, without whose approval they should not even be here. But this is no ordinary meeting; its purpose is to contest the Paramount Chief's authority to sign away their land. Also absent are women, but in neighboring villages they express support for the men meeting here and for 
their cause.
While the men of Kpaka Chiefdom meet to decide how to challenge their Paramount Chief's authority to sign away their land, children in the remote village entertain themselves, excluded from the extraordinary meeting. They have no idea that the land on which their parents depend for their livelihoods has been signed over to a foreign investor for industrial oil palm plantations. (Photo: Joan Baxter)
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Continue reading the main story“If I can lead this country to the World Cup in 2014 I'll be as proud as any Sierra Leone-born person”
Johnny McKinstry
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