Why Sierra Leone is mourning a beautiful cotton tree that failedafter more than 200 years of rain
Hundreds of people gathered around the beautiful tree andphotos were shared on social media
The government of Sierra Leone has accepted the destruction of a historic and beautiful tree in the center of the capital, Freetown.
President Julius Maada Bio announced through a tweet, local media, cutting cotton plants due to heavy rains in Freetown on May 24. “A famous lonely tree fell due to the heavy rain that hit our capital this evening, a great loss to the nation. The early pioneers took it as a symbol of freedom and independence.
“We're going to have something in one place that speaks to the great cotton plant in our history. All voices will be unitedfor this," the tweet added.
\"The Freetown city logo is gone. The city's chief administrative officer, Festus Kallay, said the towering cottonwoods - hundreds of years old - had been cut down by floods. It's a big hole in the country's skyline," BBC reporter Umaru Fofana tweeted. Sierra Leoneans on social media have been sharing photos of fallen trees that the story says dates back to the 1700s, serving as reminders of the country's colonial era,history and resilience.
About Cottonwood - Credit Atlas Acura
THE HISTORY OF FREETOWN, the capital of Sierra Leone, is home to a large kapok tree known as the "cotton tree".According to legend, the tree grew in 1792 when a group of former slaves settled in what is now Freetown. After the American Revolution, the British gave their slaves to the Crown to fight during the War of Independence. Some so-called "black loyalists" receivedland and supplies to resettle in British-ruled Nova Scotia, while others went to London and parts of the Caribbean. In 1787, about four thousand slaveswere sent to Sierra Lion regardless of where they came from or the country of their ancestors. Five years later, another group moved from Nova Scotia to Sierra Leone. According to the story, when the first boat arrived, they wentto a large tree on the bay and held a thanksgiving ceremonythere, praying and singing.
This tree is still standing (it hasfallen since May 24), it standsbetween the court and the national museum. Although its exact age is unknown, it is known to have existed in 1787 and is considered to be the oldest cotton plant in the country.
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