The coming-out of the diaspora as home. Creole identity in Sierra Leone's post-war society

The Krio are descendants of liberated slaves, who, on the background of heterogeneous origins, developed a new ethnic identity. They tended to set themselves apart from the local population and differentiated among themselves by ascribing different degrees of purity to members of their community, with purity being equated with non-mixture with locals. They were not considered 'proper' natives by the local population and being a minority living almost exclusively in Freetown were seldom considered for political office beyond the local level. However, an increasing number of Krio have recently become politically engaged on the national level. Simultaneously, processes of selective indigenization are under way which help reconstruct Krio origins in ways that allow them to situate themselves in the national context more prominently. Their engagement nevertheless evokes ambivalent reactions. Being somewhat less 'one's own' and less 'native' still bears negative connotations but as the reputation of tradition and indigeneity has suffered as a result of the war, being less associated with either also carries new and positive meanings. It seems that in this time of contested loyalties and identifications, the Krio are increasingly discovering and making use of the potentials of transethnic connectivity that lie in their creole heritage. Reprinted by permission of the Zeitschrift für Ethnologie and Dietrich Reimer Verlag GmbH