Sierra Leone has been wracked by a brutal decade-long civil war that ended only in 2002. Since then, the country has slowly recovered; in 2010, UN sanctions were lifted as the government successfully demobilised former rebel fighters. Sierra Leone has rich mineral resources, including what is known as 'blood diamonds', that have fuelled internal and regional conflicts. The current president of Sierra Leone is Ernest Bai Koroma who succeeded Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, the country's first elected president following the end of the civil war.

Not With Silver by Simi Bedford is a historical narrative of how the slave trade disrupted the traditional societies of West Africa. Graham Green's The Heart of the Matter shows the gradual corruption of a police officer based in Sierra Leone. Other works include Moses, Citizen and Me by Delia Jarrett-Macauley, which is the shocking story of child soldiers. Similarly, Ishmael Beah's autobiography A Long Way Gone is a harrowing first-person account of Beah's experience as a former child soldier. Aminatta Forna's Ancestor Stones follows four sisters whose lives intersect with the turbulent 20th century history of Sierra Leone.

Syl Cheney-Coker is amongst the best-known Sierra Leonean literary figures. His works reflect the uncertainty of Sierra Leoneans in exile, living precariously as outsiders. His collected works include The Graveyard Also Has Teeth and Stone Child And Other Poems.

Ezra, by Nigerian filmmaker Newton Aduaka tells the story of Sierra Leone's child soldiers. The Empire In Africa is a 2006 documentary by French filmmaker Philippe Diaz that documents the terrible effects of colonialism and persistent corporate exploitation amidst the brutality of civil war.Children of Mama Wata is a Spanish film that shows how local Sierra Leoneans continue to battle against international entities for fishing rights. Djambo is a four-part documentary set in Freetown, Sierra Leone that shows the country through the eyes of four Sierra Leoneans. The Hollywood film Blood Diamond directed by Edward Zwick was also set in Sierra Leone.