Freetown loses its iconic landmark during heavy rainfall
The Cotton Tree is a well-known landmark in Sierra Leone that has been around for centuries, with some estimating its age to be anywhere from 200 to 500 years old. Three years ago, the world watched in horror as witnesses captured footage of the tree burning, with flames shooting from its trunk. When Sierra Leone celebrated the 225th anniversary of its capital city, which was founded in 1792, the city's birth story as the "Province of Freedom" had been told many times, but there are lesser-known stories in local folklore. In a powerful counter-narrative first published in 2011, Mohamed Gibril Sesay, an author, sociologist, and politician, shared a story that sheds light on a different side of the city's history. Here's an annotated version: The "Province of Freedom" was established in 1787 by 400 formerly enslaved black individuals sent from London, England, under the auspices of the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor. They settled in Granvil...