Elizabeth Simbiwa Sogbo-Tortu Vows To Fight for Her Right to Be A Chief of Niminyama

We have no way of knowing whether or not Elizabeth Simbiwa Sogbo-Tortu has ever heard of Lubna Hussein. Presumably she has heard of the BBC, CNN, Facebook and Twitter.

Elizabeth Simbiwa Sogbo-Tortu was barred from an election to the chiefdom of Sierra Leone because she was a woman, and she lost her initial appeal against her ban, a ruling condemned by women’s rights groups who are vowing to take her case to the Supreme Court.

The politicians are afraid of the traditionalists — men — but they also don’t want to anger the women, according to the BBC’s Umaru Fofana in Freetown.

Women are barred from becoming chiefs in the Northern Province and most of the east but they are allowed in southern Sierra Leone.

Ms Sogbo-Tortu was unable to return home after it was taken over by the all male Poro secret society that also threw stones at her convoy in the town of Sewase, 25 miles from the district capital Koidu.

Ms Sogbo-Tortu’s father and grandfather were chiefs; her nephew was chosen to be the new chief of Niminyama. Her culture stipulates that the chief must come from Poro society, and women are not admitted as Poros under any circumstances.

“Ten of us were in the race including my nephews, and I was the only one denied the right to stand, despite being the eldest and coming from a ruling house,” Ms Sogbo-Tortu told the BBC.

“I want the courts to rule that it is my right as a woman to become paramount chief in my home district. And this is not just about me. It is about all women all over the country.”

Anne of Carversville will follow Ms. Sogbo-Tortu’s judicial case, educating myself and our readers about the customs and circumstances around her life in Sierra Leone. Anne

Sierra Leone woman barred from becoming chief BBC News