First Lady Fatima Bio and the “Coco Roast” Chant: Banter or Waning Influence?

When a chant becomes a political weapon, its sting often outlives the laughter.

It all began at the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) 14th National Delegate Conference, when Dr. Prince Harding, the party’s former National Chairman, playfully belted out the now-infamous line, “You coco roast oh.” At the time, the refrain was received with laughter and rhythmic swaying by many in the hall, dismissed as harmless political banter. But to some insiders, the words carried a sharper edge a veiled jab at First Lady Fatima Maada Bio, whose faction within the party, sometimes referred to as “Egbema Bi” (a Mende phrase), had reportedly championed certain candidates in the internal contests.

Fast forward to Thursday, 7 August 2025, during the State Opening of the Third Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Second Republic of Sierra Leone. As the First Lady entered the well of Parliament, the chant resurfaced this time from certain Members of Parliament themselves. The words were tweaked into variations like “Di Mami e coco burn,” and, according to eyewitnesses, carried a tone of biting sarcasm.

The timing and delivery suggested more than just mischief. It was, to many observers, a pointed suggestion that the First Lady’s recent political manoeuvres had backfired. This came against the backdrop of her decision to remain seated as President Julius Maada Bio and Vice President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh entered despite official protocol calling for all attendees to stand. That moment was quickly seized upon by critics as a sign of defiance or political frostiness.

In a later public statement, the First Lady brushed off the incident as the work of “a handful of old men” within the SLPP, stressing that it did not reflect the sentiment of the party as a whole. She accused her detractors of acting “maliciously to inflict maximum emotional torture,” framing the episode as a personal attack rather than a political rebuke.

Yet the question lingers: is this merely an episode of party theatrics, or does it point to a deeper shift within the SLPP power dynamics? Once considered an influential player within the party’s internal machinery, the First Lady now faces a climate where even once-loyal circles may be testing the limits of her authority.

Whether the “coco roast” chant was intended as comic relief or a coded message, its public repetition in Parliament one of the country’s highest political stages signals that political satire, in Sierra Leone, often doubles as a barometer of influence. And right now, that barometer may be showing storm clouds on the horizon for the First Lady.