Pendembu is a town in Kailahun District in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. The town population was 7,243 at the 2004 census[2] but increased to 20,502 according to a more recent estimate.[1] Pendembu lies approximately 36 miles from Kenema and about 235 east of Freetown. Pendembu is a trade center and is one of the main towns in Eastern Sierra Leone.
Pendembu, Sierra Leone | |
|---|---|
 A park at Pendembu | |
  Pendembu, Sierra Leone Location in Sierra Leone | |
| Coordinates: 8°6′N 10°42′W / 8.100°N 10.700°W | |
| Country |  Sierra Leone |
| Province | Eastern Province |
| District | Kailahun District |
| Elevation | 518 ft (157 m) |
| Population (2013) | |
• Total | 20,502 [1] |
| Time zone | UTC0 (UTC) |
| • Summer (DST) | not observed |
The vast majority of Pendembu's population are from the Mende ethnic group. As with most parts of Sierra Leone, the Krio language of the Sierra Leone Creole people is by far the most widely spoken language in Pendembu and is the primary means of communication in the city.[3][4] The most widely spoken languages are Mende and Krio.[citation needed] The town is the birthplace of former President of Sierra Leone Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.
A health clinic south of Pendembu is operated by the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus religious order.[5][6]
Pendembu was a center or hob for the buying and transporting of cacao, coffee beans and palm nuts. There still stand old structures of huge stores and large areas owned by the government of the country. The SLPMB, James international, and other private owned companies in their delapidated states. The presence of those companies established inter marriages between the Krios and the indigenous people, so was the Libanis. There are still those children in the chiefdom that have held key positions and are members of the tradition of the indigenous people. There is one Krio that has served as Councillor of the entire chiefdom from 2018-2023.[citation needed]
Namesakes
editThere are a number of other towns with similar names.
References
edit- ^ a b "World Gazetteer - Pendembu". World Gazetteer. Archived from the original on 2007-10-01.
- ^ Sesay, Ibrahim Mohamed; Karama, Andrew A.; Ngobeh, Jinnah J. (November 2006), 2004 Population and Housing Census:Analytical Report on Population Distribution, Migration and Urbanisation in Sierra Leone (PDF), Sierra Leone: Statistics Sierra Leone, p. 73, retrieved 2008-07-25
- ^ "Krio Translation Services". Language9.com. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
- ^ Oyètádé, B. Akíntúndé; Fashole-Luke, Victor (15 February 2008). "Sierra Leone: Krio and the Quest for National Integration". Language and National Identity in Africa. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 122–140. ISBN 978-0-19-928675-1.
- ^ Side by Side: The Cafod magazine, published Spring 2022
- ^ Conference of Religious Superiors Sierra Leone, Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus (HHCJ), accessed 5 June 2022
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