Land Both countries feature coastal swamps, savannas, cultivated plateaus, and lofty inland mountains. Guinea is the source of three of West Africa’s major rivers​—the Gambia, the Niger, and the Senegal.

People The Mende and the Temne are the largest of Sierra Leone’s 18 indigenous tribes. The Krio​—descendants of freed African slaves—​live mainly around Freetown. Guinea has over 30 ethnic groups, the largest of which are the Fulani, the Mandingo, and the Susu.a

Religion About 60 percent of Sierra Leoneans are Muslim; the rest mostly claim to be Christian. Nearly 90 percent of the people in Guinea are Muslim. Most people in both countries also practice traditional African religions.

Language Each ethnic group has its own language. The lingua franca of Sierra Leone is Krio​—a blend of English, European, and African languages. The official language of Guinea is French. Roughly 60 percent of the people in each country are illiterate.

Livelihood Most people are subsistence farmers. Alluvial diamonds account for nearly half of Sierra Leone’s export earnings. Guinea has one of the world’s largest bauxite reserves.

Food A popular expression is “If I haven’t had my rice, I haven’t eaten today!” Fufu, boiled cassava pounded into sticky dough, is often eaten with meat, okra, and sour sauce.

Climate Hot and humid on the coast. Cooler in the highlands. During the dry season, the harmattan, a parching Saharan wind, blows for days, dropping temperatures and blanketing the region in dust.

The Light of Truth Begins to Shine

The good news reached Sierra Leone in 1915 when local residents returned from England bringing with them Bible-based literature. Around July of that year, the first baptized servant of Jehovah arrived in Freetown. His name was Alfred Joseph. He was 31 years old and a native of Guyana, South America. He had been baptized earlier that year in Barbados, West Indies, and had taken a work contract in Freetown as a locomotive engineer. Alfred settled into the railway compound in Cline Town, located about two miles (3.2 km) away from Freetown’s Cotton Tree. He immediately began sharing the Bible’s message with his workmates.

The following year, Alfred was joined by a former workmate from Barbados, Leonard Blackman, whose mother, Elvira Hewitt, had introduced Alfred to the truth. Leonard became Alfred’s next-door neighbor, and they met together regularly to discuss the Bible. They also distributed Bible literature to friends and other interested people.

Alfred and Leonard discovered that Freetown’s fields were “white for harvesting.” (John 4:35) In 1923, Alfred wrote to the world headquarters in New York, stating: “Many people here are interested in the Bible. Can you send someone to look after them and to help develop the preaching work in Sierra Leone?” He received the reply: “Someone will be sent!”

“Late one Saturday night, several months later, I received an unexpected phone call,” Alfred relates.

“‘Are you the person who wrote to the Watch Tower Society asking for preachers?’ a voice asked.

“‘Yes,’ I replied.

“‘Well, they’ve sent me,’ boomed the voice.

“The voice belonged to William R. Brown. He and his wife, Antonia, and their young daughter had arrived that day and were staying at the Gainford Hotel.

“The very next morning, Leonard and I were holding our weekly Bible study when an imposing figure appeared in the doorway. It was William R. Brown. He was so zealous for the truth that he wanted to give a public lecture the very next day. We promptly booked the largest hall in Freetown​—Wilberforce Memorial Hall—​and scheduled the first of four public lectures for the following Thursday evening.

“Our little group got busy advertising the lectures by newspaper, handbills, and word of mouth. We wondered how the local people would respond, but we had no need to worry. About 500 people packed into the hall, including many of Freetown’s clergy. We were overjoyed!”

During the hour-long talk, Brother Brown quoted extensively from the Scriptures and used lantern slides to project Bible texts on a screen. Meanwhile, he repeatedly declared, “Not Brown says but the Bible says.” The audience was amazed, and they applauded point after point. It was, not Brother Brown’s commanding oratory that impressed them, but his powerful Scriptural proofs. As a young ecclesiastical student in the audience declared, “Mr. Brown knows his Bible!”

Brother Brown’s lectures roused the city, and people flocked to hear them. The following Sunday, another capacity audience heard the discourse “To Hell and Back​—Who Are There?” The powerful truths Brother Brown presented that night prompted even prominent churchgoers to resign from their churches.

The fourth and final lecture in the series, “Millions Now Living Will Never Die,” drew such a large crowd that one Freetown resident later recalled, “The churches had to cancel their evening services because all their members were attending Brother Brown’s lecture.”

Because Brother Brown always used the Bible, pointing to it as the final authority, people began calling him “Bible” Brown. The nickname stuck and became well-known throughout West Africa. And until he finished his earthly course, William R. Brown wore that name with pride.

Taking on the Gladiators

When Freetown’s clergy saw their flocks enjoying Brother Brown’s lectures, they became filled with jealousy and rage. The December 15, 1923, issue of The Watch Tower reported: “The clergy have taken up the cudgel and are attacking the truth through the press. Brother Brown answered them time and again, the papers publishing both sides.” Finally, the clergy fell silent. Their false reasoning had been clearly exposed. Bible truths had been spread far and wide, prompting many newspaper readers to request Bible literature. The clergy had schemed to silence God’s people, but Jehovah had ‘made their wicked deeds come back upon them.’​—Ps. 94:21-23.

Rising to the clergy’s defense, a church youth group, dubbed the Gladiators, announced a series of public meetings to put down “Russellism,” as they had styled the Kingdom message. In response, Brother Brown publicly challenged them to a series of debates. The Gladiators refused to accept Brother Brown’s challenge and rebuked the newspaper editor who printed it. They also barred Brother Brown from attending their meetings, so Alfred Joseph attended instead.

The meetings were held at Buxton Memorial Chapel, a prestigious Methodist church in Freetown. “During the question-and-answer session,” recalls Alfred, “I questioned the Anglican creed, the Trinity doctrine, and several other unscriptural teachings. Finally, the chairman refused to take any more questions.”

One of the Gladiators present that night, Melbourne Garber, had earlier attended “Bible” Brown’s lectures. He was, in fact, the young ecclesiastical student who said, “Mr. Brown knows his Bible!” After carefully weighing what he had heard, Garber was convinced that he had found the truth. Accordingly, he asked Brother Brown for a Bible study. Brother Brown invited him to the weekly Watch Tower Study at his home. Even though his family disowned him, Garber made rapid spiritual progress, and he and several others were soon baptized.

Satan’s efforts to quash the preaching work in its infancy had failed. As the mayor of Freetown had told the Gladiators: “If this is the work of men, it will come to an end. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop it.”​—Acts 5:38, 39.

Browns’ Religion

In early May of 1923, Brother Brown cabled the London branch office for more literature. Soon 5,000 books arrived, and this was followed by other shipments. He also continued to hold public meetings, and these attracted thousands of interested people.

Later that year, The Watch Tower reported: “The work [in Sierra Leone] has increased so rapidly that Brother Brown called for an assistant; and Claude Brown, of Winnipeg, formerly of the West Indies, is now on his way to join in the work.”

Claude Brown was a tried and tested minister of the good news. During World War I, he had endured ill-treatment in Canadian and English prisons for refusing to violate his Christian neutrality. He served in Sierra Leone for four years, greatly strengthening the local brothers and sisters.

Pauline Cole recalled, “Before I was baptized in 1925, Brother Claude questioned me carefully.

“‘Sister Cole, do you understand what you have learned from the Studies in the Scriptures?’ he asked. ‘We do not want you to drift away from the truth because you did not understand the Bible’s teachings.’

“‘Brother Claude,’ I replied, ‘I have read and reread what I have learned. I have made my decision!’”

Pauline served Jehovah for more than 60 years, much of that time as a special pioneer. She completed her earthly course in 1988.

William “Bible” Brown was also conscious of helping others cultivate good spiritual habits. Alfred Joseph relates: “When I met Brother Brown early in the day, our conversation would go something like this: ‘Hello, Brother Joe. How are you this morning? What’s the Bible text for today?’ If I couldn’t answer, he would impress on me the need to know each day’s text from the book Daily Manna. [Now called Examining the Scriptures Daily.] The next morning, I would read the text right away, so he would not catch me off-guard. At first, I did not fully appreciate the invaluable training I was getting, but later on I did.”

All this training bore fine fruit. During 1923, a congregation was established in Freetown and 14 people were baptized. One of the new brothers was George Brown, who brought the number of “Brown” families in the congregation to three. The zealous activity of those three families moved many Freetown residents to label the Bible Students “Browns’” religion.

To the Provinces and Beyond

Fired with enthusiasm for the truth, the Freetown Congregation became “intensely occupied with the word.” (Acts 18:5) Alfred Joseph relates: “I often tied a carton of Bible books to my big Norton motorcycle. Then with Brother Thomas or Sylvester Grant riding pillion [as a passenger], we headed out into the rurals and small towns around Freetown to canvass, as we called it.”

Up until 1927, the publishers preached mostly in and around Freetown in an area called The Colony. But starting in 1928, every year before the rains set in, the congregation would rent a bus and travel to the provinces. Those who could not go helped to finance the trips, which were led by Melbourne Garber. The bus groups preached in towns and villages east to Kailahun and south to nearly the Liberia border. The first Sunday of each month, they returned to cultivate the interest found.

About that time, Brother Brown visited the West Indies and returned with a car, one of the first to enter Sierra Leone. The vehicle was equipped with a powerful sound system that was designed for public witnessing. Brother Brown would park the car in a public area and play stirring music to attract a crowd. He would then deliver a short talk or play a recorded lecture and invite the crowd to obtain Bible literature. The speaking car​—as it came to be called—​was a public sensation, and people flocked to listen to it.

Brother Brown next turned his attention to spiritually untouched territory​—the rest of English-speaking West Africa. During the late 1920’s, he embarked on a series of preaching tours to The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria. Brother Brown found interest in each country, but Nigeria seemed to be exceptionally fertile. In 1930, he and his family moved from Freetown to Lagos. From there he continued to oversee the Kingdom work in West Africa.

In 1950, when poor health forced Brother Brown to return to Jamaica, he left behind a remarkable legacy. Over 27 years, he and his wife had seen the number of Witnesses in West Africa grow from 2 to more than 11,000. They had literally witnessed the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: “The little one will become a thousand and the small one a mighty nation.” (Isa. 60:22) Today, just over 60 years later, “a mighty nation” of more than 500,000 Witnesses serve Jehovah in West Africa.

Steadfast Under Ban

When World War II cast its shadow over Africa, Jehovah’s people in Sierra Leone took their stand as Christian neutrals. (Mic. 4:3; John 18:36) The British authorities falsely branded them as subversive, so they monitored their activities and banned their literature. Customs officials in Freetown seized one literature shipment and burned it. Some brothers were arrested for possessing banned literature but were soon released.a

Despite the ban, the Witnesses kept on preaching. Pauline Cole explained: “A brother who was a steward on a ship that visited regularly continued to supply us with copies of The Watchtower. From these we typed up extra copies for the meetings. We also printed leaflets on Bible topics and distributed them to the public. And the brothers continued to give public discourses and to play recordings of Brother Rutherford’s radio lectures, especially in the outer villages.”

Those efforts, while modest, clearly had Jehovah’s blessing. James Jarrett, a long-time elder and special pioneer, recalls: “During the war, I was working as a stonecutter when an elderly sister gave me the booklet Refugees. Since many refugees were landing in Freetown, its title intrigued me. I read the booklet that night and immediately recognized the truth. The next morning, I tracked the sister down and obtained copies for my three brothers. All four of us accepted the truth.”

When the war ended in 1945, the Freetown Congregation had 32 publishers. The publishers had kept their integrity and remained spiritually active. They were ready and eager to move ahead.

Public Meeting Campaign

On August 29, 1945, at the weekly Service Meeting, the Freetown Congregation discussed a new campaign announced in the December 1944 Informant (now called Our Kingdom Ministry). Each congregation was to advertise and hold a series of four public meetings in “every city, town, and hamlet” in its territory. Each meeting would feature a one-hour talk by a brother (aged 18 or older) who had done well in the Theocratic Ministry School. After the four meetings, the brothers would arrange Bible study groups to assist interested people in each area.

How did the publishers react to this new direction? The minutes of the Freetown Congregation’s Service Meeting record the following comments:

Chairman: “How do you think we could go about this new campaign?”

Brother One: “We should not expect the same success as in America. People here are different.”

Brother Two: “I agree.”

Brother Three: “Why not give it a try?”

Brother Four: “But there will be difficulties.”

Brother Five: “Yet, we must follow the direction given by Jehovah’s organization.”

Brother Six: “But the odds in this country are against us.”

Sister One: “Nevertheless, the Informant’s direction is clear. Let’s try it!”

So they did. From the coast of Freetown to Bo in the southeast to Kabala on the northern plateau, the brothers held meetings in schoolrooms, marketplaces, and private homes. This activity energized the congregation, and “the word of Jehovah went on growing and spreading.”​—Acts 12:24.

Still, the publishers needed theocratic training. And that is what Jehovah provided.

Gilead Missionaries Arrive

In June 1947, three graduates of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead​—Charles Fitzpatrick, George Richardson, and Hubert Gresham—​arrived in Freetown. These brothers were the first of many missionaries to come.

The missionaries saw that the local publishers were eager to preach, but they needed to become more effective teachers. (Matt. 28:20) So the missionaries started by teaching the publishers how to follow up on the interest shown and how to conduct Bible studies. They also passed on up-to-date direction about congregation meetings and theocratic organization. A public meeting was held at Wilberforce Memorial Hall. To the missionaries’ delight, 450 persons attended! Later, the missionaries introduced a weekly Magazine Day. This training galvanized the congregation and laid the foundation for future increase.

Meanwhile, the missionaries struggled to adapt to the climate. A 1948 branch report states: “Climatic conditions in Sierra Leone are very trying. The rainy season lasts six months of the year, and the rain is heavy, torrential, and continuous. Sometimes it rains for two weeks without letup. During the dry season, the heat is intense and the humidity high.” Early European visitors to Sierra Leone had dubbed it the white man’s graveyard. Malaria, yellow fever, and other tropical diseases ran rampant. One by one the missionaries fell sick and had to leave.

Understandably, the local publishers were dismayed by these developments. But they did not give up. Between 1947 and 1952, the peak publishers increased from 38 to 73. In Waterloo, a town near Freetown, hard-working pioneers helped to establish a new congregation. New study groups emerged in Kissy and in Wellington, both located on the outskirts of Freetown. Sierra Leone seemed ready to expand. All that was needed was the right catalyst.

A Strengthening Visit

In November 1952, a slender American in his early 30’s stepped ashore at the jetty in Freetown and joined the hubbub of the city. The visitor, Milton G. Henschel from world headquarters, recalled: “I was quite amazed to see a modern city much cleaner than many in most parts of the world. . . . Paved streets, busy shops, new cars, and an endless stream of people passed by.”

Brother Henschel walked to the Freetown missionary home, located two blocks from the famous Cotton Tree. There he informed the assembled brothers that Sierra Leone would receive more help. The following Sunday, 253 people crowded into Wilberforce Memorial Hall to hear him deliver a series of exciting announcements: Sierra Leone would have its own branch office, circuit overseer, and circuit assemblies; a new congregation would be formed in Kissy; and the preaching work in the provinces would be greatly expanded. The audience was thrilled!

Brother Henschel related: “They kept saying kusheh, a very expressive word meaning ‘well done!’ The brothers were in high spirits. Groups departed from the hall in the evening darkness, . . . some conventioners singing songs.”

A newly arrived missionary, William Nushy, was appointed to oversee the new branch office. William had previously worked as a card-and-dice dealer in casinos across the United States. After becoming a Christian, he left that work and firmly upheld righteous principles​—a trait that would win him the love and respect of the publishers in Sierra Leone.

IN 1956, the brothers in Freetown screened the film The New World Society in Action. They reported:

“We rented the largest hall in Freetown and distributed 1,000 invitations. We wondered just how many would come. Half an hour before the film began, only 25 people had arrived. Over the next 15 minutes, 100 more came. Soon all 500 seats were filled. One hundred more were happy to stand. Another 500 stood outside, unable to enter. Would they wait for a second showing? ‘Yes,’ they said. And so they did, even though it was raining!”

Over the years, more than 80,000 people throughout Sierra Leone turned out to see this and other remarkable films.

Honoring God’s Gift of Marriage

As William Nushy settled into his assignment, he saw that some publishers were not upholding Jehovah’s standard for marriage. Some couples had common-law marriages, living together as man and wife without registering their union with the civil authorities. Others followed the local custom of putting off marriage until the woman became pregnant, thus ensuring that their union would be fruitful.

Accordingly, in May 1953, the branch office wrote to each congregation and clearly explained the Bible’s standard on marriage. (Gen. 2:24; Rom. 13:1; Heb. 13:4) Couples were given time to register their marriage. If they did not do so, they would face being removed from the congregation.​—1 Cor. 5:11, 13.

Most publishers rejoiced at this refinement. Yet, some were permissive and independent. More than half the publishers in two congregations stopped associating with Jehovah’s organization. Those who stayed loyal, though, actually increased their activity, clear evidence that Jehovah was blessing them.

After much effort on the part of the brothers, the Freetown Kingdom Hall was recognized as a proper place to solemnize marriages. On September 3, 1954, the brothers performed their first official marriage ceremony. Later, the government supplied marriage registers to qualified brothers in seven districts throughout the country. This allowed more interested people to legalize their marriages and to qualify as publishers of the good news.

Many interested people who practiced polygamy also took steps to conform to God’s standards. Samuel Cooper, who now lives in Bonthe, relates: “In 1957, I began attending meetings with my two wives and soon enrolled in the Theocratic Ministry School. One day, I was assigned a talk on the topic of Christian marriage. As I researched the talk, I realized that I needed to dismiss my junior wife. When I told my relatives, they all opposed me. My junior wife had borne me a child, whereas my senior wife was barren. But I had made up my mind to abide by Scriptural principles. To my great surprise, when my junior wife returned to her family, my senior wife began bearing children. Now I have five children by my wife who was once barren.”

When another interested person, Honoré Kamano, who lived across the border in Guinea, dismissed the two youngest of his three wives, his senior wife appreciated his stand and started taking the truth more seriously. One of his younger wives, although disappointed at being dismissed, also admired his high regard for Bible principles. She asked for a Bible study and later dedicated her life to Jehovah.

Today, Jehovah’s Witnesses are well-known throughout Sierra Leone and Guinea as a people who honor marriage. Their marital fidelity adorns God’s teachings and praises him as the Author of the marriage arrangement.​—Matt. 19:4-6; Titus 2:10.

Dissent in Freetown

In 1956, two more Gilead graduates, Charles and Reva Chappell, arrived in Freetown. On their way to the missionary home, they were taken aback by a large sign advertising a Bible lecture at Wilberforce Memorial Hall. “The advertised speaker was C.N.D. Jones,” says Charles, “a representative of the ‘Ecclesia of Jehovah’s Witnesses.’”

Jones, who professed to be one of the anointed, led a splinter group that had broken away from the congregation in Freetown several years earlier. His group claimed to be “true” witnesses of Jehovah and labeled the missionaries and those loyal to the organization’s representatives as “impostors” and “Gilead cowboys.”

Matters came to a head when Jones and some of his supporters were disfellowshipped. “This announcement shocked some brothers who favored showing tolerance towards the dissenters,” says Chappell. “A few voiced their dissatisfaction publicly. They and others kept associating with the rebels and tried to disrupt meetings and field service arrangements. The disgruntled ones sat together at the meetings in an area dubbed dissenter’s row. Most eventually fell away from the truth. But some regained their spiritual balance and became zealous publishers.”

The loyal stand taken by the majority kept the way open for a free flow of God’s spirit. When zone overseer Harry Arnott visited Freetown the following year, he reported: “This is the first solid increase that we’ve had in Sierra Leone for some years. This gives good cause for optimism for future progress.”

Teaching the Kisi

Soon after Brother Arnott’s visit, Charles Chappell received a letter from a brother in neighboring Liberia. The brother wanted to open up the preaching work among his kinsmen in Sierra Leone. He belonged to the Kisi tribe, who occupied the forested hills and valleys spanning the junction of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. It seemed that many Kisi-speaking people wanted to understand the Bible.

Since most of the Kisi could not read or write, literacy classes were arranged in Koindu to teach basic Bible truths. These classes attracted hundreds of students. “Soon the group had 5 new publishers, then 10, then 15, then 20,” Charles recalls. “People came into the truth so fast that I doubted whether they were genuine publishers. But I was wrong. Most of them were not only faithful but zealous as well!”

The eager new publishers soon spread the good news beyond Koindu and eventually into neighboring Guinea. Trekking for hours across the rolling landscape, they preached on farms and in villages. “For weeks, sometimes months, we never heard the sound of a motor vehicle,” says Eleazar Onwudiwe, a circuit overseer at the time.

As the Kisi brothers and sisters spread and watered the Kingdom seed, God made it grow. (1 Cor. 3:7) When one young blind man heard the truth, he memorized the 32-page booklet “This Good News of the Kingdom.” Later, he recalled paragraphs at will while preaching and conducting Bible studies of his own. This amazed onlookers. One deaf woman who accepted the truth made such big changes that her sister-in-law started attending meetings, walking more than six miles (10 km) to get there.

The work among the Kisi grew by leaps and bounds. Another congregation was formed, and then another. About 30 publishers took up the pioneer ministry. The Koindu town chief became interested in the truth and donated a plot of land to build a Kingdom Hall. When over 500 people attended a circuit assembly at Kailahun, a congregation was formed there too. Soon half of the Witnesses in Sierra Leone were Kisi, although the tribe made up less than two percent of the population.

This progress did not please everyone, especially the Kisi religious leaders. Filled with jealousy, they determined to stamp out this “threat” to their authority. The question was, How and when would they strike?

Confronting the Poro

The first attack came in a village near Koindu where a group of men were studying the Bible and regularly attending meetings. Like most Kisi males, the men belonged to the Poro, a secret society steeped in spiritism. “When the Bible students refused to share in demonic rites, the Poro headman was furious,” explains James Mensah, a Gilead-trained missionary who also served in Sierra Leone. “The headman and his supporters beat the men, stole their property, burned their homes, chained them, and left them in the bush to starve to death. The paramount chief egged the Poro members on. Despite this abuse the Bible students stood firm.”

When the brothers in Koindu reported the matter to the police, the Poro headman, his cronies, and the paramount chief were arrested. They were tried and severely reprimanded, and the paramount chief was suspended for nearly a year. This legal victory became widely known and emboldened more new ones to start attending meetings. Later, the paramount chief had a change of heart and became interested in the truth. When a circuit assembly was held in his area, he accommodated visiting delegates and even donated a large cow.

Other Poro leaders tried a different form of attack​—craftily “framing trouble in the name of the law.” (Ps. 94:20) Poro politicians tabled a motion in Parliament banning the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses. “Yet, the paramount chief rose to our defense, telling the assembly that he had been studying with us for two years,” says Charles Chappell. “He said that our organization was entirely non-political and that it educated the people and uplifted their morals. He then declared that he hoped to become a member one day. When another member of Parliament who had also studied supported him, the motion was dropped.”

Those who left the secret societies faced severe opposition from their families. Jonathan Sellu, a teenager from Koindu, had forefathers who were juju priests going back four generations. He was being groomed to do the same work. When he started studying the Bible, he put away his spiritistic rituals and sacrifices. His family bitterly opposed him, removing him from school and refusing to feed him when he went to Christian meetings. “Let God feed you!” they taunted. Yet, Jonathan stood firm. He did not go hungry. He learned how to read and write, and he later became a regular pioneer. Jonathan rejoiced to see his mother accept the truth.

Growth in Other Areas of the Country

In 1960, congregations and isolated groups were located in Bo, Freetown, Kissy, Koindu, Lunsar, Magburaka, Makeni, Moyamba, Port Loko, Waterloo, and as far north as Kabala. The number of publishers that year jumped from 182 to 282. Many special pioneers from Ghana and Nigeria arrived to strengthen the growing congregations.

Most of the new ones belonged to two groups: The Krio, who lived in and around Freetown, and the Kisi, who lived in the Eastern Province. But as the good news continued to spread, other tribes began responding too. These included the Kuranko, the Limba, and the Temne in the north; the Mende in the south; and other ethnic groups.

In 1961, the Freetown East Congregation dedicated their Kingdom Hall. Then the Koindu Congregation dedicated a 300-seat mud-brick Kingdom Hall that doubled as an Assembly Hall. Soon afterwards, 40 elders attended the Kingdom Ministry School​—Sierra Leone’s first. Capping off an outstanding year, the brothers engaged in a successful campaign to offer the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures to the public.

Jehovah was clearly blessing his people. On July 28, 1962, the International Bible Students Association, a legal corporation used by Jehovah’s Witnesses in many countries, was officially registered with the Sierra Leone government.

Guinea Opens Up

Let us now turn our attention to neighboring Guinea (formerly called French Guinea). Prior to 1958, a few brothers had briefly witnessed to some while passing through the country, but the French colonial authorities were opposed to our work. However, in 1958, a door of opportunity opened​—Guinea renounced French rule and became an independent republic.

Later that year, Manuel Diogo, a French-speaking brother from Dahomey (now Benin) who was in his early 30’s, started working at a bauxite mine in Fria, a town about 50 miles (80 km) north of the capital, Conakry. Eager to preach in this untouched territory, Manuel wrote to the France branch asking for literature and for help from special pioneers. His letter concluded: “I pray that Jehovah will bless the work because there is plenty of interest here.”

The France branch wrote Manuel an encouraging letter and urged him to stay in Guinea as long as possible. The branch also arranged for a special pioneer to visit him in order to train him in the ministry. Manuel thrived on the encouragement and preached zealously in Fria until his death in 1968.

When zone overseer Wilfred Gooch visited Conakry in 1960, he found two other African brothers preaching there. Brother Gooch recommended that Guinea be cared for by the Sierra Leone branch rather than by the branch office in France. This transfer took place on March 1, 1961. One month later, the first congregation in Guinea was formed in Conakry.

Spiritual Light Penetrates the Rain Forest

The good news was also spreading into southern Guinea. Falla Gbondo, a Kisi tribesman who was living in Liberia, returned to his home village, Fodédou, about eight miles (13 km) west of Guékédou. He carried with him the book From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained. Falla could not read, but he was able to explain the pictures in the book to his fellow tribesmen. “The book stirred up much discussion,” he recalls. “People called it the Adam and Eve book.”

Falla returned to Liberia. He got baptized and eventually became a special pioneer. Twice a month, he returned to Fodédou to study with a group of about 30 people. Soon he was joined by Borbor Seysey, another Kisi special pioneer from Liberia. Together they started another group in Guékédou. Both groups became congregations.

As more and more Kisi became Witnesses, local chiefs noticed their fine conduct. The Witnesses worked hard, they were honest, and they promoted peace in their villages. Accordingly, when brothers asked for permission to build a Kingdom Hall in Fodédou, the chiefs readily gave them eight acres (3 ha) of land. That Kingdom Hall​—the first in Guinea—​was completed in early 1964.

Upheavals in Conakry

Meanwhile, in Conakry, trouble was brewing. Political turmoil prompted government officials to view foreigners with suspicion. Four Gilead missionaries were refused permanent visas and were deported. Two Ghanaian brothers were arrested on false charges and imprisoned for nearly two months.

Following their release, one of the brothers, Emmanuel Awusu-Ansah, was promptly rearrested and held in appalling conditions. From a filthy prison cell, he wrote: “I am spiritually healthy, but I have continuous fever. Nevertheless, I can still preach. Last month, I spent 67 hours in field service, and two Bible students started preaching with me.” One of his students came into the truth. After five months, Brother Awusu-Ansah was released and was deported to Sierra Leone. Only one publisher remained in Conakry.

In 1969, when the political tension had eased, special pioneers arrived in Conakry. With permission from the authorities, they established a Kingdom Hall with a sign on it. Soon about 30 interested people were regularly attending meetings.

Because of the danger of arrest, the brothers preached cautiously at first. But as they gained confidence, they expanded their efforts. During 1973, that small congregation had distributed 6,000 tracts. Later, the publishers began offering magazines in offices and business centers. Slowly, government officials and the public began to understand and appreciate our work. On December 15, 1993, those patient and persistent efforts culminated in the legal registration of the Christian Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses of Guinea.

SECRET societies are widespread throughout West Africa and cut across tribal, cultural, and linguistic lines. These organizations regulate the social, educational, and political activities of their members. Their primary role, however, is religious. Two of the largest secret societies are the Poro (for men) and the Sande (for women).a The Poro society, for example, strives “to control the spirits and ensure that their intervention in the affairs of men is beneficial.”​—Initiation, 1986.

New members of the Poro are taught spiritual secrets and powers of witchcraft, and ritual scars are carved on their bodies. New members of the Sande also learn spiritistic rituals and typically undergo female genital mutilation, although this practice is being discontinued in some areas.

Other secret societies regulate sexual behavior and use spiritistic remedies to try to cure madness or other ailments. During Sierra Leone’s civil war, one secret society claimed that its members were immune to bullets. They were not.

Members are forbidden to reveal the group’s knowledge and rituals to outsiders. A person who flouts the laws and protocols of a secret society risks death.

ZACHAEUS never had anyone study the Bible with him. But after reading the books Salvation and The Harp of God, he knew that he had found the truth.

Early one Sunday morning in 1941, Zachaeus set off to attend his first Witness meeting, which was five miles (8 km) away and down a steep mountain. Not knowing when the meeting would begin, he arrived several hours early. Zachaeus sat and waited for the brothers to arrive. After attending three Sunday meetings at the Kingdom Hall, he told the local Anglican Church to take his name off the membership roll.

A close friend, who attended that church, chided him, saying, “Old man, if you continue to walk those five miles (8 km) up and down this mountain to go to the hall of those people, you will be dead within a year.” He watched Zachaeus walk up and down the mountain twice a week for five years. Then the friend dropped dead! Twenty-five years later, Zachaeus was still feeling fit.

Zachaeus faithfully served Jehovah until his death at the age of 97.

WHILE working on the Panama Canal in 1907, William came across a street-corner lecture being given by Isaiah Richards, a Bible Student, as Jehovah’s Witnesses were then called. Richards based his talk on the “Chart of the Ages,” a diagram used to explain God’s purposes. William quickly accepted the truth and returned to Jamaica to share it with his mother and sister. In time, they too became Bible Students.

For a time Brother Brown served in Panama City, Panama. There he met Evander J. Coward, a traveling representative of the Bible Students who was visiting Panama on a lecture tour. Coward was an emphatic and colorful speaker, and crowds flocked to hear him. When he saw that William was zealous for the truth, he invited him to accompany him on a preaching tour of Trinidad.

Over the next ten years or so, William traveled throughout the West Indies, pioneering and strengthening small groups. In 1920, he married Antonia, a faithful Christian sister. Two days after their wedding, William and Antonia sailed to the tiny island of Montserrat in the Leeward Islands, bringing with them the “Photo-Drama of Creation”​—a four part motion picture and slide presentation based on the Bible. They also preached on the islands of Barbados, Dominica, and Grenada. They had a joyful honeymoon in Jehovah’s service.

Two years later, William wrote to Joseph F. Rutherford, who was overseeing the work of Jehovah’s people at the time, saying: “By Jehovah’s help I have given the witness throughout the majority of the Caribbean Islands and made disciples in many. Should I go over them again?” Within days, Brother Rutherford replied: “Proceed to Sierra Leone, West Africa, with wife and child.”

During the 27 years that Brother Brown served with his family in West Africa, he never felt at home sitting in an office. He preferred to be out preaching. Because he emphasized the importance of the Bible, people began calling him “Bible” Brown.

In 1950, when he was 71 years old, William Brown and his wife returned to Jamaica to pioneer. William pioneered until he finished his earthly course in 1967. How he loved pioneering! He felt that it was one of the highest privileges a human could have.