Kabala, Sierra Leone

Kabala, Sierra Leone
The All Peoples Congress (APC) political rally in Kabala
Kabala, Sierra Leone Location in Sierra Leone
Coordinates: 9°35′N 11°33′W
Country	Sierra Leone
Province	Northern Province
District	Koinadugu District
Population (2010)
• Total	19,074
	World Gazetteer estimate)
Time zone	GMT (UTC-5)

Kabala

Kabala is the capital and largest town of Koinadugu District in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. Kabala is one of the main towns in the Northern Province and is set in a rural lanscape. The town is in the far north of Sierra Lone close to the border with Guinea. The population of the Kabala was 14,108 in the 2004 census, and a current estimate of 19,074 (World Gazetteer estimate) Kabala lies about 120 miles north-east of Makeni and about 185 miles east of Freetown. The town is predominantly muslim.

History

After the Anglo-Franco settlement of 1895, the British colonial administration post was moved from Falaba to Kabala, then an insignificant village not shown on the detailed maps of the British. Kabala is a place name in the Limba language literally meaning 'at Bala' or 'Bala's place.' The Limba languages utilizes the prefix 'ka-' as a place identifier. Postmarks on King George VI postage stamps use the spelling Kaballa. The town incorporates two chiefdom centers: Gbawuria the center for the Limba chiefdom of Wara Wara Yagala and Yogomaia the center for the Koranko chiefdom of Sengbe. With respect to native governance, Kabala is split between the Limba and Koranko Paramount Chiefs. Kabala grew rapidly under British rule. Traders and merchants were attracted to this colonial administrative town from the 1930s, and, after 1947, shop premises were opened by Lebanese traders.

All People's Congress political rally, 1968

In 2000 the United Nations reported that, after the Civil War, "Kabala, in the north, life appears to be returning to normal following fighting". In 2002 newspapers reported a visit to the town by "Bangladesh's visiting foreign minister", suggesting that the town had sufficiently recovered for it to be shown to important overseas visitors.

Demography

The population of Kabala is predominantly muslim. Kabala is one of the most ethnically diverse town in Sierra Leone. The population is largely from the Mandingo, Kuranko, Fula, Temne, Yalunka and Limba ethnic group.

Media

Bintumani 93.5 is the local radio station that serves Kabala and the rest of Koinadugu District. Sierra Leone's national radio and televesion stations, SLBS are on the air in the city, as well as The bbc world service, CNN International, and several other private stations are on the air for those who have satellite.

Education

There are government-recognised secondary schools, all of which have religious affiliations. There is a new Islamic school, the Kabala Islamic Secondary School, which is as yet unrecognised.

Sport

Like the rest of Sierra Leone, football is by far the most popular sport in Kabala. The city major football team is the Bintumani Scorpions. The club currently playing in the Sierra Leone Nationwide First Division, the second highest football league in Sierra Leone. Kabala Secondary School is the biggest and oldest Secondary School. It was founded by Catholic Missionaries.

Industries and infrastructure

The town is known for its cloth and tailoring, and especially for the making of the "ronko" gown, a traditional Limba and Koranko war shirt which is believed to have supernatural powers. There is no electricity other than individual generators. There are medical facilities, the government hospital and two clinics. There are a number of traditional circular hut settlements on the outskirts, but mostly the buildings are single-story tin & brick.

The surrounding landscape is agriculturally rich, and there is seasonal rice-planting.

There is an 80-mile bus service from Makeni, but the surfaced highway peters out some 25 miles (40 km) from Kabala and forms a winding dirt track.

There is a Central Business District and roofed market, with large well-stocked Lebanese-run stores. The market serves as an unofficial social centre as well as a trading centre. There is a community bank which houses a branch of the Western Union in the town.

Leisure

There is a cinema, which shows films. There is a traditional New Year's Day picnic on Gbawuria Hill to the west of the town.