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Masonry in Sierra Leone:
MASONIC ORGANIZATION IN SIERRA LEONE, WEST AFRICA
By Bro. Jesse W. James, Sumner Lodge #5, F.&A.M.
with the assistance of Bro. Lansana Turay, St. John's Lodge #10, F.&A.M.
(Jurisdiction of Massachusetts)
Originally published in the Summer 2006 edition of The Phylaxis magazine
Republic of Sierra Leone 
Capital and largest city (1994
est.): Freetown, 1,300,000
Area: 27,925 sq mi
Languages: English (official),
Mende, Temne, Krio
Religions: Islam, 40%, Christian.
35%; Indigenous, 20%
Ethniciry/Race: 18 native African
tribes 99% (Temne 30%, Mende
30%, other 39%), Creole,
European, Lebanese, and Asian 1 %
Sierra Leone, on the Atlantic Ocean in West
Africa, is half the size of Illinois. Guinea, in
the north and east, and Liberia, in the south,
are its neighbors. Mangrove swamps lie
along the coast, with wooded hills and a
plateau in the interior. The eastern region is
mountainous.
As Masons we are taught that Masonry is a way of life in which divinely inspired principles are conveyed in symbolism and allegory. The Masonic Fraternity is found in almost every country in the world, and although within a given country its form and rituals might differ somewhat, its essential teachings remain universal.
In this brief article, attention is focused on some of the organizational aspects of Masonry in Sierra Leone, West Africa in an effort to illustrate just what some of these differences are. The author is greatly indebted to Brother Lansana Turay of St. John's Lodge #10, F&AM in Pittsfield, Massachusetts for the information that made it possible to write this article. Brother Turay was gracious enough to meet the author in the true Masonic spirit, and to assist in any way possible in this effort.
By way of introducing the topic. a few words need to be said about Brother Turay's affiliation with the Craft. He is originally from Sierra Leone, West Africa. Initiated, passed, and raised in Harmony Lodge #1448 in Freetown, Sierra Leone under a Scottish Constitution, he is a Past Master of Rokell Lodge #2798 which is organized under an English Constitution in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Brother Turay is still affiliated with Trinity Lodge #848 in Sierra Leone under an Irish Constitution, and Installed Masters Lodge of Good Intent #9561 (English Constitution). In addition, he is a founding member of Barbadari Lodge #9401, which is a military lodge in Sierra Leone, and he is also a member of Regentonian Lodge in Sierra Leone which is composed of alumni of the grammar school that he attended in Sierra Leone.
The fact that Brother Turay has many overlapping and concurrent memberships should lead the reader to conclude that Masonry in West Africa in general, and in Sierra Leone in particular, is organized quite differently from the way it is organized in the United States. Lodges in West Africa are organized under one of three AF&AM Grand Lodges—English, Irish, and Scottish—each of which gives full recognition to the others, and this allows multiple memberships in lodges under any of the three Constitutions.
It was the author's original intention to write an article on Masonry in West Africa in general, but it quickly became apparent that such an approach would be too broad. The African continent consists of some thirty-three separate countries, each having a particular colonial past. Beginning with the Berlin Conference of 1884 - 1885, the major European powers met and decided to divide control of the continent of Africa among themselves for the purpose of colonizing the African peoples. Thus, the present countries of Africa in the modern era were at one time controlled either by England, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, or Spain. As a result, they have had quite different colonial histories; and since colonizing powers tend to impose their systems of organization on the conquered peoples, it stands to reason that the way Masonry is organized in various African countries might be a bit different from one Country to the next. For this reason, it was decided (and Brother Turay agreed) to focus this discussion more narrowly on Sierra Leone.
LODGE HIERARCHIES AND ORGANIZATION
According to the Constitution of the United Grand Lodge of England, the grand lodge has absolute sovereignty over all subordinate lodges that have been recognized and warranted by that grand body. Within the grand lodge, there are some eighty-five separate officer positions; some of these officers are the same as would be found in U.S. grand lodges, but others are different. For example, in addition to the Grand Master, there is a Pro Grand Master, one or more Assistant Grand Masters, President of the Board of General Purposes, President of the Grand Charity, Grand Registrar, two Assistant Grand Registrars, Grand Superintendent of Works, Deputy Grand Superintendent of Works, Grand Director of Ceremonies, Deputy Grand Director of Ceremonies, eight Assistant Grand Directors of Ceremonies, four Senior Grand Deacons, four Junior Grand Deacons, and nineteen Grand Stewards. In the Grand Lodge of England, the Grand Master is a member of the royal family of England, and serves for life by inheritance of the royal line of succession; while in the Irish and Scottish Lodges, the Grand Master is elected for a five-year term.
Subordinate to the grand lodge, there are Provincial Grand Lodges and District Grand Lodges that are formed at the prerogative of the Grand Master, and that have jurisdiction over such areas as the Grand Master sees fit. Each of these grand lodges, in turn, has a Provincial Grand Master or a District Grand Master as the case may be. Under the English constitution, the District Grand Master is appointed by the Grand Master and serves for life, while the District Grand Masters of both the Irish and Scottish Grand Lodges are elected for five years. The Provincial Grand Lodges are formed for administrative purposes only, and do not engage in any ritualistic work. In addition, there can be Overseas lodges that may or may not be under a district. In the latter case, the Grand Master has the power to form them into a group or groups and to confer on a Brother or Brothers whatever jurisdiction the Grand Master wishes. In the case of Sierra Leone, all lodges are organized under District Grand Lodges, and all of the District Grand Masters are Africans.
Finally, there are Private Lodges or subordinate lodges that perform the ritualistic work, confer degrees, and conduct such business as is customary and necessary in any Symbolic lodge. Such lodges may be called London Lodges if they are located within five miles from Freemasons Hall in London; those at a distance of greater than five miles are under the jurisdiction of either a Provincial or a District Grand Lodge. Under the heading of Private Lodges there are military lodges that are attached to a military body: there are also Lodges of Instruction that are created specifically for that purpose, and that have their own books, documents, and other property. Sierra Leone has 18 lodges under the English Constitution, 18 lodges under the Scottish Constitution, and two lodges under the Irish Constitution.
LODGE OPERATIONS
With respect to the operation of subordinate lodges, again we find quite a few differences. For example, the lodges are opened on the Entered Apprentice degree, and all regular business is then conducted on this degree. This, of course, allows those members who are Entered Apprentices to attend all regular lodge meetings, thereby gaining valuable knowledge about Freemasonry. In addition, Entered Apprentices can vote, and can hold offices up to that of Junior Steward. The Fellowcraft and Master Masons degrees are for ritualistic work and grand lodge visitations only; and any participation in ritualistic work requires all in attendance to be Masons of the degree which is appropriate for the purposes at hand. If work is being done on the second degree, then all Entered Apprentices must leave: similarly, if the work is being done on the third degree, then both Entered Apprentices and Fellowcraft must leave. Technically, Fellowcraft can hold any office except that of Master, although this is rare in practice; usually the Fellowcraft will be Senior Stewards, while the Deacons and Wardens will be Master Masons.
Concerning the Master of the lodge, his duties are the same as any Master; however, he is installed while the lodge is on the first degree in a service that is closed to the public. Then, a Board of Installed Masters consisting of only Past and sitting Masters will give the new Master his obligation and seat him in the oriental Chair; all of this takes place in a closed ceremony with only those of the appropriate degree being present. This latter part would be equivalent to a Master-elect being given the Past Master's degree in Prince Hall lodges.
Earlier, it was noted that there are some grand lodge officers for which there is no direct equivalent in U.S. lodges. There are also different positions in subordinate lodges as well; under the English and Irish constitutions, there is a Director of Ceremonies (usually a Past Master) who is responsible for the ritualistic aspects of a lodge. This would be similar to that of District Deputy Grand Lecturer in U.S. lodges; while in lodges under a Scottish Constitution, there is also a Marshall who organizes the lodge. There are many other differences, but a complete discussion of them would very lengthy, and beyond the scope of this article. Further, there are specific differences in ritual and lodge room set-up which would clearly not be appropriate to discuss here. It is hoped, however, that these few notes will give us cause to dig a bit deeper in our studies of the Masonic Fraternity.
The differences presented here might seem strange and confusing to some members of the Craft, and quite interesting to others. But despite all that, the important thing to keep in mind is that the actual content of Masonic teachings remain the same, as do the qualifications that recommend a man to be made a Mason.