The Hypocrisy of Sierra Leone Women
Sierra Leone has become a theater of contradictions when it comes to women and public morality. Across the country, elite women, market women, and the media are loudly crying out for the First Lady, yet not a word was spoken when Lara Taylor-Pearce, the former Accountant General, was removed from her position with no tangible reason but due process exercised by the President and his rubber-stamp parliament. The silence then, the uproar now, is not only baffling but a clear erosion of morality and the promotion of Lay belleism at the highest level.
Lara Taylor-Pearce served with distinction, managing the finances of the nation with professionalism. When her tenure ended, no group of women, no journalists, no activist organization raised their voice. Today, however, the same women’s groups scream and cry over the First Lady, defending excesses, bad manners, and disrespect that have become commonplace across the country.
*| “Each time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women.” – Maya Angelou |
Examples of disrespect by the First Lady are not hard to find. Public appearances across the country show repeated instances of bad manners, shouting at officials, showing disdain for ordinary citizens, and displaying arrogance as a tool for influence rather than service. This behavior is celebrated rather than condemned, often amplified by media houses that once claimed to serve truth and fairness.
Sylvia Olayinka Blyden is a central figure in this theater of hypocrisy. Once a voice of accountability and fearless journalism, she has become one of the loudest defenders of the First Lady’s misconduct. Her influence on the First Lady is undeniable, encouraging combative behavior and selective outrage while marginalizing voices of principle. Blyden’s theatrics are not rooted in integrity; they are rooted in opportunism and personal gain. Her voice may be loud, but it echoes vanity, power, and attention rather than justice.
| “We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” – Malala Yousafzai |
The silence over Lara Taylor-Pearce’s removal was deafening. She carried out her duties with professionalism, yet when her position was terminated, the women who claim to champion justice and fairness were nowhere to be found. Their absence speaks volumes about selective outrage and opportunism.
This hypocrisy extends beyond journalists to women’s organizations themselves. Groups that purport to fight for women’s rights, the 50/50 Group, FAWE, SLWO, and market women’s associations, are frequently in it for money, influence, or personal advancement rather than principle. These organizations, rather than demanding accountability or supporting women who uphold integrity, have chosen to align themselves with power and wealth, abandoning the very principles they claim to champion.
Sylvia Blyden’s influence intensifies this culture. She amplifies messages defending the First Lady while dismissing calls for fairness and accountability. She has turned a spotlight on personality and drama rather than principle, and this has cascading effects. Ordinary women, media outlets, and advocacy organizations take their cues from these loud voices, perpetuating selective outrage and undermining moral authority.
| “I raise up my voice not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard.” – Margaret Atwood |
Until women’s organizations choose principle over patronage, Sierra Leone will remain trapped in hypocrisy. The public defense of the First Lady is not about integrity or fairness. It is about loyalty to power, opportunism, and Lay belleism, the shallow performance of morality for personal gain.
The erosion of moral authority is compounded by the fact that elite women across the country actively participate in this theater. From social media platforms to public appearances, the message is clear. Principle matters less than proximity to influence. Publicly, these women espouse empowerment; privately, they align with those who benefit them materially and politically. Their selective outrage, and their silence in moments of true injustice, is a betrayal of both morality and women’s advancement.
Sylvia Blyden’s theatrics are emblematic of this failure. By loudly defending the First Lady, she legitimizes misconduct and encourages opportunism among other women. This is not advocacy. It is spectacle, ego, and personal gain masquerading as principled engagement. The First Lady’s behavior, disrespectful, arrogant, and combative, is tolerated, celebrated even, because a loud cheerleader ensures that criticism is drowned out.
| “I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams.” – Ava DuVernay |
History will remember Lara Taylor-Pearce as a woman of integrity. What will history remember of those who betrayed her with their silence, those who amplify theatrics for attention, those who defend misconduct for personal gain? This is the moral cost of Lay belleism in Sierra Leone.
Market women, elite women, and organized groups continue to follow the same script, prioritizing money and influence over principle. They speak loudly for a First Lady who embodies excess and disrespect, while ignoring the lessons from Lara Taylor-Pearce’s removal. Their behavior is a roadmap of opportunism, a demonstration of how morality has been eroded and replaced with performance.
We must ask ourselves what message we are sending to the next generation of women in Sierra Leone. That principle and integrity are secondary to loyalty and gain? That selective outrage and opportunism are the pathways to empowerment? Until this culture is challenged, Sierra Leonean women, and by extension the nation, will continue to suffer the consequences of misplaced loyalty and moral compromise.
The hypocrisy of defending the First Lady while ignoring Lara Taylor-Pearce is a symptom of a larger national disease. Our activism has become an auction where loyalty is sold to the highest bidder. Until women’s organizations and journalists choose principle over patronage, the country will continue to be trapped in cycles of selective outrage, opportunism, and moral decay.
It is time for Sierra Leonean women to reclaim integrity, to stand for principle over power, to champion fairness over personality. The country’s future, and the credibility of women’s movements, depend on it.
History will remember Lara Taylor-Pearce for her courage and professionalism. History will also remember those who chose noise over integrity, applause over justice, and opportunism over principle. The choice is ours.