Sierra Leone gained independence from Great Britain on April 27, 1961. This Golden Jubilee has attracted many Sierra Leoneans, including Christians who take a look at the Bible to highlight the meaning of the Jubilee, a period of relative freedom and rest, redemption from land, accumulation of goods, etc. It was Winston Churchill who once pointed out that “the further back you go, the further ahead you can see.” The church has played a very important role in the development of the Liberty Province and must renew its interest in education to regain its adored place in society.
Should we celebrate 50 years of independence?
At 11:55 p.m. on April 26, 1961, the Union Jack (Great Britain’s flag) was lowered amid a dark background with only dim light penetrating the flag as it lowered. When the green, white and blue horizontal stripes (Sierra Leone’s national flag) were raised, it was the dawn of a new era: April 27, 1961. When Clifford Fyle composed the National Anthem, the first line describes Sierra Leone as the ‘kingdom of freedom’. The date of April 27 was a deliberate choice as it was the same date the Hut Tax War started in 1898. This rally was led by Bai Bureh/Kebalai who wanted his people to be free.
When Sierra Leoneans look back over the last fifty years, they can easily identify the good, the bad, and the ugly. This has led to a thorny debate in the nation. Should we celebrate 50 years of independence? That is the question. Some say no and others say yes. Since people are generally the product of their social or economic class, ethnicity, gender, education and, paradoxically, biases and interests, these factors and others could influence the conclusions they reach. Whatever people’s opinions, it is clear that the nation would need to take stock of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It would make no sense to repeat the mistakes of the past. They need to be corrected and one area for the church is to renew its commitment to quality education.
Meaning of the jubilee in the context of Christianity
Lev. 25 specifically paints the picture of the importance of the fiftieth year in the life of the Jews. This is the equivalent of seven sabbatical years (a total of forty-nine years) plus one year. The fiftieth year, among other things, must be a year of rest; a period when the land is restored and the slaves are free and when people eat what was planted the year. This is a time to renew the ideals of freedom that abolitionists (Granville Sharpe, Williams Wilberforce, Thomas Clarkson and others) had for Africans.
Liberty Province/Granville City/Sierra Leone Colony Establishment
Sierra Leone did not receive the name ‘Province of Freedom’ by chance. When Lord Chief Justice Mansfield made slavery illegal in Britain in 1772, all slaves who managed to set foot on British soil eventually became free. The number of freed slaves in Britain increased after the British lost the American War of Independence won by the thirteen colonies. Slaves who fought on Britain’s side were promised freedom and land for their services. They joined their ‘brothers’ when the war ended in 1783 and the increasing number of slaves soon posed a social problem. Freedom never meant equality with British citizens and they suffered discrimination. Many lived by begging and some were thieves. Britain began looking for ways to end this social menace caused by poor blacks, a generic name given to these Africans who came from diverse cultural backgrounds. This demeaning name was also self explanatory as they were poor blacks.
A botanist, Dr. Henry Smeathman, then working in present-day Sierra Leone, provided an opportunity that abolitionists passionately seized. He recommended Sierra Leone as an area of immense fertility. His flourishing description of this fertile land that could be inhabited was accepted by abolitionists who could have acted on their own purpose with limited funds. They approached the British government for help in sending poor blacks to Sierra Leone, a request that was immediately fulfilled as the government wanted to end the cause of poor blacks’ social menace.
In April 1787 about 411 (including some white prostitutes) under Captain Thompson sailed to Sierra Leone and arrived during the rainy season in May 1787 under the auspices of the Committee for the Relief of the Poor Negroes formed by Granville Sharpe. The settlement was called the Province of Liberty because it provided for those who were free, including land ownership (although not the exact amount promised). It was also named ‘Granville Town’ in honor of Granville Sharpe’s contribution to its welfare and resettlement. The first governor of Liberty Province in 1787 was an African, Richard Weaver. In fact, it was the realm of freedom.
free city
It was quite unfortunate that Granville Town/Province of Freedom was burned down by King Jimmy in 1789. There were disagreements between the British and the Temne over ownership of the land. Arrangements were made with Koya Temne’s deputy chief, King Tom and the Naimbana regent. The former believed that the “payment” made in 1787 was a one-time affair, but the latter regarded the land as communal property and expected a periodic rent. Therefore, King Jimmy, who succeeded King Tom, burned the settlement when disputes broke out.
However, the destruction of the settlement did not end the dream/vision of the abolitionists who began working on plans to rebuild Granville Town. The initial move that was made was to send Alexander Falconbrige to Sierra Leone and he rounded up the remaining poor blacks in 1791. Some of the slaves who fought in the American Revolutionary War went to Canada and 1190 of them traveled to Sierra Leone directly from Nova Scotia in 1792. This group founded Freetown, the current capital of Sierra Leone. Once again, it was the realm of freedom.
Christian missionary activity intensified in the colony as a result of the presence of settlers. It is worth noting that there were three different sets of Christian denominations among the Nova Scotians. These included the Methodists, the Countess of Huntingdon Connexion, and the Baptists. They praised God under the famous Cotton Tree in Freetown.
Church and education in the ‘Athens of West Africa’
Sierra Leone was simply ‘primus inter pares’, first among equals in the 19th century. The Christian missionary bodies were very instrumental in Freetown. The country produced the first educated elite group in the sub-region as a result of the educational institutions opened by various denominations. Examples include:
Educational institution Denomination Year
Fourah Bay College Anglican 1827
Sierra Leone Anglican Grammar School 1845
The Anglican School Annie Walsh Memorial 1849
St. Joseph Catholics 1866
Methodist Boys High School Methodists | 1874
High School Methodists for Methodist Girls| 1880
The Albert Academy United Brethren in Christ 1904
It is amazing to note that all the principals of Fourah Bay College between its inception in 1827 and 1948 were ordained ministers of religion. The church must renew its role in education, as the Bible encourages not to remove the old land mark.
In general, there were several educational institutions that provided training not only to Sierra Leoneans but also to those of other West African countries. Freetown was to West Africa exactly what Athens was to the ancient Greeks. As a leading area for Western education, it realistically earned the name ‘Athens of West Africa’.
West African Antioch: Sierra Leone’s Role in Religion
The disciples were first called Christians in Acts 11:26. Followers of Jesus Christ were first called Christians as a result of their Christ-like behavior. Freetown could reasonably be called the Antioch of West Africa due to its pioneering role in spreading the Christian gospel. The Church Missionary Society (CMS), for example, was founded in 1799 and became the missionary arm of the Church of England with Sierra Leone as its first mission field. All of the denominations listed in the previous section built churches in the 19th century that still exist in today’s generation.
conclusion
The focus of this reflection is on the role of the church in the field of education that must be renewed. Is it any surprise that Sierra Leone Grammar School in particular has been declared the best school in the last two years? Is it any surprise that the school’s current principal, Mr. Akiwande Josiah Lasite (whose sacrificial service began in 1971) recently won the Anti-Corruption Commission’s Integrity Award? The school has returned to be under the direct control of the Anglican church.