The Day Sierra Leone’s Parliament Became a Street Corner

The State Opening of Parliament is meant to project order, unity, and the dignity of the Sierra Leonean state. On Thursday 7 August 2025, the ceremony began as it always does, with careful choreography designed to signal respect for the offices of state. The Sergeant at Arms first announced the ushering in of the First Lady, who was escorted to her seat in a moment of recognition that is hers alone.

This was followed by the ceremonial entry of the Speaker, then the Vice President, and finally the President, to whom the chamber rises. It is tradition, it is symbolism, and it is supposed to be beyond petty politics.

That tradition cracked the moment chants of “You coco roast oh” erupted from parts of the well of Parliament as the First Lady made her entrance. The phrase, taken from a song by Sierra Leone’s legendary musician Dr Oloh, is sexually suggestive and loaded with ridicule. In the charged space of the chamber it was more than rudeness. It was a deliberate act of gendered humiliation. Video footage from inside the chamber captured the moment, which many have since condemned.

The taunts reportedly began with SLPP Members of Parliament, then APC MPs joined in, and eventually it felt as if almost the entire chamber was chanting like a street corner. Even members of the public gallery joined in, with opposition supporters adding their voices to the jeers.

This was not the first time the song had been deployed politically. It was played during the SLPP National Delegates Conference after Batilo Songa won the party chairmanship. Delegates danced to it and chanted “We have gotten our party back”, a jab at the First Lady who was allegedly supporting another candidate.

She later said she considered it just politics, but to have that same anthem resurface in Parliament was in her view a much more serious affront. See also the SLPP Women’s Wing statements issued after the incident, which show how deeply the moment divided opinion within her own party.

Once seated, the First Lady inserted earphones during the President’s address, a move that some saw as a dignified attempt to block out the ridicule while others viewed it as disrespectful. Various clips from the broadcast circulated widely online, fuelling both criticism and defence.

Some also pointed out that under parliamentary tradition she is considered a guest, often referred to as a stranger in the well, and not bound by members’ formal duties. At the same time, a very popular APC member and journalist, who is also a known supporter of the First Lady, has apologised after admitting that her earlier claim that the First Lady’s decision to remain seated during the President’s entry has been consistent since 2018 was false, saying she regrets making such a statement. See her public apology here.

Amadu Wurie Barrie works at the University of Makeni.