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Poro on Trial: The 1913 Special Commission Court case of Rex v. Fino, Bofio and Kalfalla

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2018

Katrina H.B. Keefer Open the ORCID record for Katrina H.B. Keefer [Opens in a new window]
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Abstract:

In 1913, a Special Commission Court in Sierra Leone saw a series of trials concerning members of the Human Leopard Society, and conflated this society with the regional Poro Society. This article examines one of those trials and unearths motivations for murder and questions of bias. With the reinvention of identity in the shadow of slavery, a nuanced and complicated picture emerges of the situation. Though more questions than answers are offered by the details of the case, this article problematizes Sierra Leone under British authority, and shows a nuanced snapshot of power struggles playing out in a murder trial.

Résumé:

En 1913, un tribunal de Commission Spéciale en Sierra Leone a vu une série de procès concernant des membres appartenant à la société humaine de Léopard et a confondu cette société avec la société régionale de Poro. Cet article examine l’un de ces procès et met en évidence des questions de partialité et de motivations de meurtre. Avec la réinvention d’une identité dans l’ombre de l’esclavage, émerge de cette situation une image nuancée et complexe. Bien que les détails de l’affaire offrent plus de questions que de réponses, cet article examine la Sierra Leone sous l’autorité britannique et offre un aperçu reconsidéré des luttes de pouvoir qui se déroulent durant un procès pour meurtre.

Keywords

Sierra LeonePoro SocietyHuman LeopardsProtectorateslaverylegal history
Type
Forum on Crime and Punishment
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 61 , Issue 3 , September 2018 , pp. 56 - 78
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2018 

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