By Saio Marrah
Community stakeholders in Moriba Town, Southern Sierra Leone are set to banish a lesbian couple from the community following a matrimonial engagement ceremony that reportedly followed a birthday celebration for one of the partners last week.
The recommendation which is the outcome of a stakeholders meeting held on the said issue is to be approved by the regent chief of the community next Friday.
The two women, according to the Public Relations Officer of the Youth Executive of Moriba town, Mamadu Allieu Shaw on Tuesday 2nd July 2024, had already fled the community after criticisms from the community people inclusive of religious and community leaders, who are also campaigning that the two women be prevented from being employed in any of the companies in that locality.
Lousa, the transformed male is a worker attached to a sub-contractor known as Mano under the Sierra Rutile, while the female, Margaret is a petty trader in Moriba town.
The MCs of the programme were to be fined, an amount to be determined by the local chiefs.
An outcome of the meeting was that the officiating pastor was indefinitely suspended and a notice issued for an individual whose voice was overheard from a recorded video of the engagement programme celebrating the union.
The officiating pastor was said to have apologized for his action saying that he thought he was only invited for a birthday event and was there to bless the cake and not an engagement ring.
The bar, where the occasion took place has been stopped from operating and a task force set up to ensure compliance.
Minutes of the meeting where the decisions were taken indicated that pastors, imams, local chiefs and youth leaders were in attendance.
Social media video of the engagement showed the couple and other attendees celebrating after a seemingly ring was fixed to a finger of one of the women. There was a particular individual saying in local Creole dialect “eebee ma” which can be translated ‘’it has happened at last’’.
The two individuals, Gbonboto and Mami, who were applauding the occasion, are to be summoned for questioning.
It was reported that it happened on the day of the birthday of one of the ladies when they made use of the opportunity to undertake the event.
We couldn’t reach the affected couple for reactions at the time of going to press.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (03/07/24)
