By Abu Bakarr Jalloh
A Sierra Leonean student studying abroad says she fears returning home after being named the next head of the Bondo society, a traditional women’s institution in Sierra Leone.
Theresa Tenneh Pumagoi, who is studying at Webster University in the Netherlands, is under pressure to return to Sierra Leone following the death of her mother, Massay Aruna, who she claims previously held a high-ranking hereditary position within the Bondo society.
Theresa Tenneh Pumagoi, now in her late-20s, has been named successor to her late mother as “Sowei,” the chief initiator of the Bondo society. According to her, she was forcibly initiated into the society at age 13 in Bo District, Southern Sierra Leone, without her consent.
In Sierra Leone, according to the tradition, Pumagoi is expected, under family and traditional customs, to succeed her late mother as Sowei, the head of the Bondo society responsible for overseeing initiation rites in some communities.
However, she says she does not accept the role and fears that returning home could put her at risk.
“I cannot return home because I fear I will be forced into a role I do not want,” Pumagoi said.
Before her mother’s death, her mother was the main financial supporter of her education after her uncle withdrew his sponsorship due to financial difficulties.
A member of her family who prefers to remain anonymous said Bondo elders in both Bo District and Freetown have instructed Pumagoi’s aunt, a society member, to bring her back to the village for initiation. In Sierra Leone, the Sowei oversees female initiation rites and often resides for extended periods in the “Bondo bush.”
Following her mother’s death on 5 February 2026,some members of Pumagoi step-family altered property ownership documents in Sierra Leone, removing her mother’s name from family assets. She later discovered that the property did not legally belong to her mother.
“The properties were intended to support my education and my family’s survival. Now that we have discovered they do not belong to us, we have lost our financial support,” she said.
Pumagoi is deeply concerned about the expectation that she must take over her mother’s role within the Bondo society. She believes this should not be allowed. Sierra Leone has no laws specifically regulating the society and many women have been harmed through its practices.
According to the relative, her sister fled to a neighbouring country out of fear of being initiated and warned her that, according to tradition, she is expected to become the next Sowei because of her mother’s position and her own initiation into the society as a child.
Rights groups say refusing a hereditary Sowei role is considered a grave offense against tradition in some communities. The U.S. State Department and Amnesty International have documented cases of women being abducted, beaten, and confined for rejecting society leadership.
The majority of women accused police typically treat Bondo disputes as cultural matters and do not intervene.
“If I go back, I believe I will be taken and forced into the role, and all these things will happen to me,” she said.
Pumagoi would be unable to obtain protection from the traditional authorities if she returned to Sierra Leone, because the country has yet to put an end to Bondo society initiations.
The Bondo society is a traditional women’s institution in Sierra Leone that plays a cultural role in some communities, including conducting initiation rites. It is also associated with long-standing debates over tradition, women’s leadership, and human rights concerns.
Human rights organisations have previously raised concerns about cases involving coercion and forced initiation linked to traditional societies. However, the practices are being done across the country because they believe that it’s their tradition and belief.
