Unravelling Political and Historical Threads: Youth and Masquerade Mobility in Freetown

The specificity of Freetown as urban locality has allowed for the invention of unique masquerades, mobilised for political or social goals. This paper considers youth urban masquerade in Freetown, Sierra Leone as an essential aspect to the lived experience of the city's extreme political and economic landscape since the early days of its founding. It hypothesises that masquerades, which are publicly performed by Ordehlay societies, are designed by the city's youth to access and control the fabric of the cityscape. Further, this public aspect was once banned by the government. Yet, as masquerades transform regularly, so does public perception. Ordehlay is now recognised as an integral thread of the city's vast interconnected web. In contradiction to their previous banning, Ordehlay masks have recently joined the Sierra Leone National Museum's collection, and are financially supported by politicians, corporate entities, and NGOs, demonstrating their migration from clandestine activity to national emblem. The study contributes to and builds on previous scholarship, offering new sources to debate the society's historical origin and illustrate the changing contributions of youth amidst questions of political party affiliation and patronage. Politics are embedded in the very fabric of these societies - indeed in the fabric of the masks themselves.