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81-666: The Western Area Rural District is bordered by the country's capital Freetown to the east and west; Port Loko District to the north; and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and east. In October 2009, the Sierra Leone government officially moved the Rural District capital from Freetown to the city of Waterloo , after the completion of the newly built government complex for the rural district council. This provides more regional focus. The Western Area Rural District

162-541: A distinct dialect." Many Nova Scotians drank alcohol heavily and David George and David Edmonds kept alehouses in the 1790s. Settler women were independent and were employed as schoolteachers and in other roles. Some established schools and acted as schoolteachers. Extramarital affairs were also prominent in the community and some Settler men had mistresses and provided for their illegitimate children ; many times they left land and property for them in their wills. The majority of Nova Scotians were Methodist or members of

243-525: A highly sophisticated masquerade, consisting of a costume built, in a fashionable sense, of various materials available: leather, sequins, sea shells, traditional cloths, etc. The masquerade, known as "Paddle", strategically takes to the streets of the eastern and central parts of the city, followed by members of the Eastern Paddle Hunting Society, traditional musical bands and a crowd of supporters. For years this event coincided with

324-719: A huge mudslide which drowned over 300 people in Regent town. Deforestation has been blamed for the landslide. On 5 November 2021, a fuel tank truck collided with another truck in Freetown, resulting in an explosion killing at least 99 and injuring around 100. Freetown borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Western Area Rural District . Freetown municipality is politically divided into three regions: East End, Central and West End of Freetown. The wards in

405-471: A leading role in the city, although they are a minority of the overall Sierra Leone population. In the 1890s, ethnic tension flared between Lebanese residents and traders and the various native ethnicities of Sierra Leone, which led to Lebanese shops being destroyed in cities including Freetown. During World War I Freetown became a base for operations of British forces in the Atlantic. Warships came into

486-424: Is Freetown's primary language of communication and is by far the most widely spoken language in the city. The city of Freetown was founded on March 11, 1792, by 1,196 African Americans under the guidance of abolitionist Lieutenant John Clarkson on March 11, 1792, and the city became a settlement for free and freed African American , Afro-Caribbean and Liberated African slaves. Their descendants are known as

567-536: Is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and political centre, as it is the seat of the Government of Sierra Leone . The population of Freetown was 1,347,559 as of the 2024 census. The city's economy revolves largely around its harbour , which occupies a part of the estuary of the Sierra Leone River in one of the world's largest natural deep water harbours. Although

648-634: Is considered a swing city, as it has a large support base of both the All People's Congress and the Sierra Leone People's Party . However, the APC has won majority percent of the votes in Freetown in the 2007, 2012 and 2018 Sierra Leone Presidential election, including The APC winning more than 65% of the votes in Freetown in both The 2012 and 2018 Sierra Leone Presidential elections. The APC presidential candidate Ernest Bai Koroma received 69% of

729-689: Is declared a free man", and it was this gate through which liberated Africans passed. Down by the Naval Wharf are slave steps carved out of stone. Before Freetown was established, this was where the Portuguese slave traders transported Africans as slaves to ships. Freetown is home to Fourah Bay College , the oldest university in West Africa, founded in 1827. The university played a key role in Sierra Leone's colonial history. The college's first student, Samuel Ajayi Crowther , went on to be named as

810-479: Is one of Sierra Leone's six municipalities and is governed by a directly elected city council , headed by a mayor, in whom executive authority is vested. The current mayor is Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr . The mayor is responsible for the general management of the city. The mayor and members of the Freetown City Council are elected directly by the residents of Freetown every four years. The government of

891-478: Is one of the most ethnically diverse districts in Sierra Leone. No single ethnic group form more than 25% of the population in the district. The district has a significant population of the Krio and Sherbro people . The Western Area Rural District is the only district in Sierra Leone that is home to an ethnic Krio majority town or village, as several villages and a couple of small towns have Krio majority population in

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972-534: Is similar to swing states in American politics . As the city is so ethnically diverse, no single ethnic group forms a majority of the population of the city. Historically, the APC and the SLPP, two of the country's major political parties, have had about equal support in the city. In the 2007 Sierra Leone Presidential election, the APC candidate and then main opposition leader, Ernest Bai Koroma , won just over 60% of

1053-624: The Elizabeth , a hired armed tender serving under the Royal Navy from 22 January 1808 to 27 April 1809, arrived from New York with 82 African Americans, the British did not permit them to land or settle in Freetown. These Novia Scotians, led by Daniel Coker , were offered land to settle in Sherbro by John Kizell , an African-born Nova Scotian Settler. Unhappy with terrible conditions of

1134-562: The All People's Congress (APC). However, in recent elections from 2007 to the most recent election in 2018, the Western Area Rural District voted by majority for the All People's Congress in presidential, parliamentary and local elections. In the 2018 Sierra Leone Presidential election, Samura Kamara of the APC won 59% of the votes in Western Area Rural District, while Julius Maada Bio of the SLPP received 40% of

1215-620: The Black Loyalists . The Nova Scotian Settlers were jointly led by African American Thomas Peters , a former soldier, and English abolitionist John Clarkson . For most of the 19th century, the Settlers resided in Settler Town and remained a distinct ethnic group within the Freetown territory, tending to marry among themselves and with Europeans in the colony. The Settler descendants gradually developed as an ethnicity known as

1296-683: The Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion ; a smaller minority were Baptist . One half to two thirds of the Nova Scotians were Methodist; the former Anglican settlers converted to Methodism and the Methodists incorporated Moses Wilkinson 's congregation, Boston King 's congregation, and Joseph Leonard 's Anglican congregation which was openly Methodist. Because of friction between the independent Nova Scotia settlers and British authorities, no further resettlement of Novia Scotians followed. When

1377-494: The Creole people . Before the arrival of Europeans, the local Temne and Loko people were living in villages on the land near the area that later became known as Freetown. Freetown is locally governed by a directly elected Freetown City Council , headed by a mayor, who also is directly elected; elections are held every four years. The mayor of Freetown is Yvonne Aki Sawyerr, who was sworn in on May 11, 2018, after her victory in

1458-696: The Sierra Leone Creole people . Loan words in the Krio language and the "bod oses" of their modern-day descendants are some of their cultural imprints. Although the Jamaican Maroons and other transatlantic immigrants contributed toward the development of Freetown, the 1200 Nova Scotian Settlers were the single greatest Western black influence. The Nova Scotian Settlers have been the subject of many social science books, which have examined how they brought "America" to Africa, because they naturally carried their culture with them. They founded

1539-725: The Sierra Leone Government Railway to Makeni to be assembled and flown to Egypt. The city was the scene of fierce fighting in the late 1990s during the Sierra Leone Civil War . It was captured by ECOWAS troops seeking to restore President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah in 1998. Later it was unsuccessfully attacked by rebels of the Revolutionary United Front . In the early morning on 14 August 2017, after much heavy rain, part of Mount Sugar Loaf on an edge of Freetown collapsed in

1620-728: The State House , the principal workplace of the president of Sierra Leone , are on Tower Hill in central Freetown. The National Stadium , the home stadium of the Sierra Leone national football team (popularly known as the Leone Stars ) is in the Brookfield neighborhood. The three westernmost wards (West I, West II, and West III) of the city constitute the West End of Freetown. These wards are relatively affluent. Most of

1701-527: The 'Province of Freedom' and the settlement of Granville Town on land purchased from local Koya Temne subchief King Tom and regent Naimbana. The British understood the purchase meant that their new settlers had the land "for ever." Although the established arrangement between Europeans and the Koya Temne included provisions for permanent settlement, some historians question how well the Koya leaders understood

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1782-953: The 1826 census, about half of the Nova Scotian males were skilled artisans and only three were listed as unskilled workers. Initially, the Nova Scotians were allowed to use the American currency, dollars and cents, by the Sierra Leone Company ; however, restrictions were later imposed when the company wanted reduced American economic influence. Trade was opened up with the United States in 1831 but grew only slowly, mainly through smuggling. The Settlers had dance nights called 'Koonking' or 'Koonken' or 'Konken,' where Settler maidens would sing songs they brought from Colonial America or songs originating in Sierra Leone satirizing Europeans. An analysis of extant letters written by

1863-614: The 1830s and 40s would be faced with the large-scale settlement of Africans freed from slave ships by the British Royal Navy 's anti-slave trade campaign. Some of the settlers bore children during their nine-year sojourn in Nova Scotia; these children were Black Nova Scotians but retained many cultural habits similar to Africans in North America and Britain. The descendants of the Nova Scotian settlers (who are

1944-764: The 2018 mayoral election; she was re-elected in 2022. The Freetown city council has its own municipal police force. The area was first settled in 1787 by 400 formerly enslaved black people sent from London, England, under the auspices of the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor , an organisation set up by Jonah Hanway and the British abolitionist Granville Sharp . These black people were African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, Africans, Southeast Asians, and black people born in Great Britain. They established

2025-573: The Caribbean. In 1792, approximately 1,192 Black Nova Scotian Settlers left Halifax, Nova Scotia and immigrated to Sierra Leone. The majority of free blacks did remain in Nova Scotia and made communities. Their descendants today comprise the Black Nova Scotians , one of the oldest communities of Black Canadians . The Nova Scotian Settlers to Sierra Leone tended to speak early forms of African-American Vernacular English ; some from

2106-534: The Crown after the American Revolution . Land grants and assistance in starting the settlements had been intermittent and slow. During his visit, Peters met with the directors of the Sierra Leone Company and learned of proposals for a new settlement at Sierra Leone. Despite the collapse of the 1787 colony, the directors were eager to recruit settlers to Sierra Leone. Lieutenant John Clarkson, RN , who

2187-468: The District. There are large proportions of both Muslims and Christians in the district. Like the other fifteen districts of Sierra Leone, the Western Area Rural District has its own directly elected district government, known as a district council , headed by a directly elected district council chairman. This person leads the district council executive branch and enforces laws passed by members of

2268-648: The East End of Freetown (East I, East II, and East III) contain the city's largest population centre and generally the poorest part of the city. The Queen Elizabeth II Quay is located within East End. The two central wards (Central I and Central II) make up Central Freetown, which includes Downtown Freetown and the central business district (Central II). Most of the tallest and most important national government building and foreign embassies are based in Central Freetown. Sierra Leone's House of Parliament and

2349-627: The Freetown Cotton Tree, located in Central Freetown, a significant national monument and integral to the founding of the city; Bunce Island, which is a boat ride from the city, is home to the ruins of the slave fortress that was being used during the Transatlantic slave trade; the Sierra Leone Museum, which has a collection of both precolonial as well as colonial artifacts and other items of historical significance;

2430-505: The Freetown Municipality has been dominated by All People's Congress (APC) since 2004. Since 2004, the residents of Freetown have voted in municipal elections for members of the All People's Congress (APC) by an overwhelming majority. The APC won the city's mayorship and vast majority seats in the Freetown city council in the 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2018 local elections by more than 67% each. In Presidential elections Freetown

2511-660: The Lamb." In March 1792, Nathaniel Gilbert, a white preacher, prayed and preached a sermon under the large Cotton Tree , and Reverend David George , from South Carolina, preached the first recorded Baptist service in Africa. The land was dedicated and christened 'Free Town,' as ordered by the Sierra Leone Company Directors. This was the first thanksgiving service. John Clarkson was sworn in as first governor of Sierra Leone. Small huts were erected before

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2592-546: The Low Country of South Carolina spoke Gullah , a kind of creole more closely related to African languages. The Nova Scotians were the only mass group of former slaves to immigrate to Sierra Leone under the auspices of the Sierra Leone Company . After its officials learned what democratic and 'American' ideals the Nova Scotians held and practised, the Company did not allow other former slaves to immigrate in large groups to

2673-580: The Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha until recently, as critics said such an event should not be held on the same day as Muslims celebrate Eid, as Islam is against the practices of secret societies and masquerades. The "Tangays" Festival is usually held in November, with a traditional theme that involves virtually every aspect of Sierra Leonean culture. It takes place at the National Stadium. Towards

2754-589: The National Railway Museum; or you can take a journey around the city's coastline with the popular Seacoach Express. The Aberdeen-Lumley area is a favourite destination for those venturing into the city's nightlife. There are nightclubs, restaurants and hotels located close by the beach along the road linking Aberdeen and Lumley. Nearby is the King's Yard Gate built in stone with a statement inscribed which reads "any slave who passes through this gate

2835-464: The Nova Scotian rebels, they were granted their land. Eventually the Maroons had their own district, which came to be known as Maroon Town . Indigenous Africans attacked the colony in 1801 and were repulsed. The British eventually took control of Freetown, making it a Crown Colony in 1808. This act accompanied expansion that led to the creation of Sierra Leone. From 1808 to 1874, the city served as

2916-638: The Nova Scotians lived in Eastern Freetown and the Jamaican Maroons were situated in Western Freetown. The Maroons were still distinct but became a more solid group and adopted some Settler values and customs. The Maroons became a cohesive trading unit, they displaced the Nova Scotians as the main traders in Sierra Leone in the 1820s. Nova Scotian traders such as Cato Preston, Eli Ackim, William Easmon, and John Kizell were forced to give up their homes because of business ventures gone wrong. In

2997-644: The Nova Scotians or more commonly as the Settlers), were Black Canadians of African-American descent who founded the settlement of Freetown , Sierra Leone and the Colony of Sierra Leone , on March 11, 1792. The majority of these black American immigrants were among 3,000 African Americans, mostly former slaves, who had sought freedom and refuge with the British during the American Revolutionary War , leaving rebel masters. They became known as

3078-990: The Prestons, the Snowballs, the Staffords, the Turners, the Willoughsby, the Williams, and the Goodings. Some descendants of James Wise and other settlers were able to keep their land in Settler Town. The Granville Town settlers were initially separate from the Nova Scotian community. After Methodist teaching to the Granville Town settlers, they were slowly incorporated into the society of the Nova Scotians. Nova Scotians like Boston King were schoolteachers to

3159-467: The Settlers has shown a majority of Settlers spoke a variant of English , typical of American English as spoken by people drawn from the lower classes, regardless of whether White or Black. James Walker noted that Settler pronunciation and grammar originated in the American South and was "perpetuated as the language of their preachers and teachers, and was regarded, in the nineteenth century, as

3240-592: The Sierra Leone Company's managing an imperialistic colony. The Nova Scotians referred to themselves as the "Settlers" or "Nova Scotians" in Sierra Leone. Later scholars would describe them as "Afro-American", in reference to their ethnicity and particular historical origin in that culture of the Thirteen Colonies. In 1792, the Nova Scotians founded and established Free Town in Sierra Leone. They based its plan on what they were familiar with:

3321-467: The agreement, as they had a different conception of the uses of property. Disputes soon broke out. King Tom's successor, King Jimmy, burnt the settlement to the ground in 1789. Alexander Falconbridge was sent to Sierra Leone in 1791 to collect the remaining Black Poor settlers, and they re-established Granville Town around the area now known as Cline Town, Sierra Leone near Fourah Bay . These 1787 settlers did not formally establish Freetown, even though

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3402-527: The bicentennial of Freetown was celebrated in 1987; formally, Freetown was founded in 1792. In 1791, Thomas Peters , an African American who had served in the Black Pioneers , went to England to report the grievances of the black population in Nova Scotia . Some of these African Americans were ex-slaves who had escaped to the British forces who had been given their freedom and resettled there by

3483-579: The capital of British West Africa . It also served as the base for the Royal Navy 's West Africa Squadron , which was charged with enforcing the ban on the slave trade. When the squadron liberated slaves on trading ships, they brought most to Sierra Leone, and Freetown in particular; thus, the population grew to include descendants of many different peoples from all over the west coast of Africa. The British also situated three of their Mixed Commission Courts in Freetown. The liberated Africans established

3564-841: The children of Granville Town settlers. However, up until 1800, the "Old Settlers" (as the Granville Towners were called) remained in their own town. During the War of the First Coalition (1792-1797) the French attacked and burned Freetown in September 1794. For over two weeks the settlement was subject to the depredations of the French Army over whom the French Commodore had little control. The Settlers offered

3645-428: The christening of Freetown in March 1792. In downtown Freetown is the Connaught Hospital , the first hospital constructed in West Africa that incorporated Western medical practices. Freetown has a long-held tradition of organized cultural events taking place on specific dates to coincide with specific holidays or seasons within the calendar year. One such event is the Eastern Paddle Hunting Society's annual exhibition of

3726-425: The city has traditionally been the homeland of the Sierra Leone Creole people , the population of Freetown is ethnically , culturally , and religiously diverse. The city is home to a significant population of all of Sierra Leone's ethnic groups , with no single ethnic group forming more than 27% of the city's population. As in virtually all parts of Sierra Leone, the Krio language of the Sierra Leone Creole people

3807-420: The city's luxury hotels, a number of casinos, and Lumley Beach are in the west end of the city. The West End neighbourhood of Hill Station is home to the State Lodge , the official residence of the president of Sierra Leone. Like the rest of Sierra Leone, Freetown has a tropical climate with a rainy season from May through November; the balance of the year represents the dry season . The beginning and end of

3888-408: The city's population and is spoken as a lingua franca by a large number of the population in the city. English (the country's official language) is also widely spoken, particularly by the well-educated. Themne is the second most spoken language in Freetown after Krio. The Themne people also make up the largest members of the population of Freetown and the Western Area Region. The city of Freetown

3969-400: The colonies. They found the cold climate forbidding after living in more temperate areas. In the late eighteenth century, the black Nova Scotians were offered a choice to emigrate to a new colony being established by Great Britain in West Africa, intended for the resettlement of blacks from London (who were also mostly African Americans resettled after the Revolution), and some free blacks from

4050-426: The company was not treating them as freemen, but as slaves and requested that Lt. Clarkson return as governor. Freetown survived being pillaged by the French in 1794, and was rebuilt by the settlers. By 1798, Freetown had between 300 and 400 houses with architecture resembling that of the United States – stone foundations with wooden superstructures. Eventually this style of housing, built by the Nova Scotians, would be

4131-417: The district council. The current district council chairman is Joseph Holland Cole of the All People's Congress (APC). He was elected with 53% of the votes in the 2018 Western Area Rural District council election. The Western Area Rural District is traditionally a swing district, with about equal support for both of the two main political parties in Sierra Leone, the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) and

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4212-421: The end of the festival, a couple of musical concerts are usually held in the main bowl of the stadium, with performances from local and international musical artists (especially contemporary artists from Nigeria and other African countries or the African diaspora). Freetown has its own tradition of Christmas street parades, organised in neighbourhoods across the city. The month-long celebration gathers residents in

4293-501: The first indigenous Bishop of West Africa. National Railway Museum has a coach car built for the state visit of Elizabeth II in 1961. The Big Market on Wallace Johnson Street is the showcase for local artisans' work. The Freetown peninsula is ringed by long stretches of white sand. Lumley Beach, on the western side of the peninsula, is a popular location for local parties and festivals. Nova Scotian Settlers The Nova Scotian Settlers , or Sierra Leone Settlers (also known as

4374-442: The first permanent ex-slave colony in West Africa, and it was influential throughout the region. During the American Revolutionary War , the British offered freedom to slaves who left rebel masters and joined their forces. Thousands of slaves escaped during the war, disrupting some of the slave societies in the South, and many joined the British lines. After the British lost the American War of Independence , it kept its promise to

4455-537: The former slaves. Some freedmen were evacuated to the Caribbean or London. But its forces also evacuated 3,000 former slaves to Nova Scotia for resettlement, and their names were recorded in the Book of Negroes . Nearly two-thirds of the Nova Scotian Settlers were from Virginia . The second largest group of black settlers were from South Carolina , and a smaller number from Maryland , Georgia , and North Carolina . Thomas Jefferson referred to these people as "the fugitives from these States". The US appealed to have

4536-740: The grid of a North American colonial town plan. When they learned the Sierra Leone Company had reserved the best waterfront land for its own use, tensions arose. Soon the British deported some Maroons from Jamaica and resettled them in this colony. They mixed with the Novia Scotians, and this Settler part of Freetown became known as Settler Town . The town was in close proximity to Cline Town (then Granville Town). Eighty percent of Nova Scotians lived on five streets: Rawdon, Wilberforce, Howe, East, and Charlotte street. Seventy percent of Maroons lived on five streets: Glouchester, George, Trelawney, Walpole, and Westmoreland street. The main Nova Scotian churches were in Settler Town; Rawdon Street Methodist Church

4617-399: The model for the 'bod oses' of their Creole descendants. In 1800, the Nova Scotians rebelled. The colonial authorities used the arrival of about 550 Jamaican Maroons to suppress the insurrection. Thirty-four Nova Scotians were banished and sent to either the Sherbro or a penal colony at Gore. Some of the Nova Scotians were eventually allowed back into Freetown. After the Maroons captured

4698-441: The new colony. Fifteen ships, the first fleet to bring Free blacks to Africa, left Halifax Harbour on January 15, 1792, and arrived in Sierra Leone between February 28 and March 9, 1792. About 65 passengers died en route. One visitor to Sierra Leone distinguished the Settlers from other ethnic groups because of the "American tone" or accent, common to American slaves and perhaps lower-class American working-class people of

4779-404: The only resistance to the French during this time period. The Settlers assured the French that they were “Britons from North America” and were friends of the French. Despite showing they were Britons, the French still carried off two Nova Scotian boys as slaves. Zachary Macauley demanded all the supplies the Nova Scotians had managed to take from the French back. Many a Methodist preacher declared it

4860-424: The port to resupply and German merchant vessels captured in the region were also sent there. During World War II , Britain maintained a naval base at Freetown. The base was a staging post for Allied traffic in the South Atlantic and the assembly point for SL convoys to Britain. An RAF base was maintained at nearby Lungi airfield . British fighter aircraft which were shipped into Freetown port, were carried on

4941-418: The rainy season is marked by strong thunderstorms . Under the Köppen climate classification , Freetown has a tropical monsoon climate ( Am ) primarily due to the heavy amount of precipitation it receives during the rainy season. Freetown's high humidity is somewhat relieved December through February by the famous Harmattan , a wind blowing from the Sahara Desert , affording Freetown its coolest period of

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5022-448: The rainy season. The Sierra Leone Company surveyors and the settlers built Freetown on the American grid pattern, with parallel streets and wide roads, with the largest being Water Street. On August 24, 1792, the Black Poor or Old Settlers of the second Granville Town were incorporated into the new Sierra Leone Colony, but remained at Granville Town. In 1793, the settlers sent a petition to the Sierra Leone Company expressing concerns about

5103-420: The rest of Sierra Leone, Freetown is a religiously tolerant city, with Muslims and Christians living side by side peacefully. As in many parts of Sierra Leone, the Krio language (the English-based creole language of the Sierra Leone Creole people who make up 5% of the country's population) is by far the most widely spoken language in the city. The language is spoken at home as a first language by over 20% of

5184-408: The settlers at Sherbro, they moved to land in the Grain Coast ; the African Americans who moved thither in 1820 were the first settlers of what would become Liberia . In the War of 1812, the British considered Sierra Leone as a home for the Black Refugees , another group of Africans who escaped American slavery, but instead chose to settle them in Nova Scotia and the West Indies. The Nova Scotians in

5265-590: The slaves returned, but the British refused. As part of its compensation to Loyalists, the Crown also settled white Loyalists in Nova Scotia, and the western frontier of Upper Canada (Ontario). It made land grants to households and offered supplies to help them get settled. Upon arrival in Nova Scotia, the Black Loyalist settlers faced many difficulties because of discrimination. They received less land, fewer provisions, and were paid lower wages than White Loyalists. Some fell into debt and had to sign terms of indentured servitude , which resembled their former enslavement in

5346-411: The streets with a variety of food and traditional music . Freetown's tourism sector is an integral part of the city. Although the sector was seriously affected during the Civil War , there has been a steady improvement in recent years. The city has a lot to offer to tourists. There is a vast expanse of white sand beaches stretching along the Freetown Peninsula. The Lumley-Aberdeen beach stretches all

5427-425: The suburbs of Freetown Peninsula. They were the largest group of immigrants to make up the Creole people of Freetown. The city expanded rapidly. The freed slaves were joined by West Indian and African soldiers, who had fought for Britain in the Napoleonic Wars and settled here afterwards. Descendants of the freed slaves who settled in Sierra Leone between 1787 and around 1885, are called the Creoles . The Creoles play

5508-409: The time. As was common for North Americans of African descent, many had some Native American or European ancestry . Only fifty of the group had been born in Africa and more recently enslaved. After settling in Sierra Leone, many Nova Scotian blacks intermarried with Europeans as the colony developed. The Nova Scotians' political ideology of a democratic, representative government was at odds with

5589-468: The treatment that they were enduring. The settlers in particular objected to being issued currency that was only redeemable at a company owned store. They also claimed that the governor, a Mr. Dawes, ruled in an almost tyrannical fashion, favoring certain people over others when ruling the settlement. The writers then argued that they had not received the amount of land that Lt. Clarkson had promised them on leaving Nova Scotia. The letter expressed anxiety that

5670-456: The votes in Freetown in the 2012 Sierra Leone Presidential election; compared to the SLPP presidential candidate Julius Maada Bio who received 30%. In the 2018 Sierra Leone Presidential election, The APC presidential candidate Samura Kamara received 65% compared to the SLPP presidential candidate Julius Maada Bio who received 34%, though Maada Bio won the presidential election nationally. In November 2011, Freetown Mayor Herbert George-Williams

5751-452: The votes in the Western Area Urban District , including the city of Freetown, where almost the entire District population reside. The city has the Sierra Leone National Museum and Sierra Leone National Railway Museum . There are also various historical landmarks connected to its founding by African Americans , Liberated Africans , and Afro-Caribbeans whose descendants are the Sierra Leone Creole people. The Cotton Tree represents

5832-469: The votes in the Western Area Rural District. After the 2017 local administrative reorganization, Western Area Rural District has made up of four chiefdoms as the third level of administrative subdivision. Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone . It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown

5913-430: The way from Cape Sierra Leone down to Lumley. There are also other popular beaches like the world renowned River Number 2 Beach, Laka Beach, Tokeh Beach, Bureh Beach, and Mama Beach. The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, which is located within the peninsula's vast rainforest reserve, just a few miles from the centre of Freetown, has a collection of rare and endangered chimpanzees. Other popular destinations for tourists include

5994-404: The women remained in the ships while the men worked to clear the land. Lt. Clarkson told the men to clear the land until they reached a large cotton tree. After the work had been done and the land cleared, all the Nova Scotians, men and women, disembarked and marched towards the thick forest and to the cotton tree, and their preachers (all African Americans) began singing "Awake and Sing of Moses and

6075-409: The year. Temperature extremes recorded in Freetown are from 15 °C (59 °F) to 38 °C (100 °F) all year. The average annual temperature is around 28 °C (82 °F). Freetown is home to a large population of both Muslims and Christians, though Muslims make up the majority of the population. In the youth populations of both faiths can be found a significant liberal influence. Like

6156-521: Was acquitted of seventeen of the nineteen charges against him. He was convicted of two less serious charges by the Freetown High Court judge Jon Bosco Katutsi and sentenced to pay a fine . Acting Mayor Kanu lost the APC nomination for the mayor of Freetown in the 2012 Mayoral elections by 56 votes; council member Sam Franklyn Bode Gibson won 106 in a landslide victory. In the national presidential and parliamentary elections, Freetown

6237-415: Was among those taken ill during the voyage. Upon reaching Sierra Leone, Clarkson and some of the Nova Scotian 'captains' "dispatched on shore to clear or make roadway for their landing". The Nova Scotians were to build Freetown on the former site of the first Granville Town, where jungle had taken over since its destruction in 1789. Its surviving Old Settlers had relocated to Fourah Bay in 1791. At Freetown,

6318-568: Was an abolitionist, was sent to Nova Scotia in British North America to register immigrants to take to Sierra Leone for a new settlement. Tired of the harsh weather and racial discrimination in Nova Scotia, more than 1,100 former American slaves chose to go to Sierra Leone. They sailed in 15 ships and arrived in St. George Bay between February 26 – March 9, 1792. Sixty-four settlers died en route to Sierra Leone, and Lieutenant Clarkson

6399-918: Was one of the main churches. The modern day Ebenezer Methodist Church is an offshoot of Rawdon Methodist; it was founded by wealthy Nova Scotians. Many Settler families were forced to sell their land because of debt; families such as the Balls, the Burdens, the Chambers, the Dixons, the Georges (descendants of David George ), the Keelings, the Leighs, the Moores, the Peters (descendants of Thomas Peters or Stephen Peters),

6480-696: Was removed from office and replaced by council member Alhaji Gibril Kanu as acting mayor. Mayor Herbert George-Williams and eight others, including the Chief Administrator of the Freetown city council Bowenson Fredrick Philips; and the Freetown city council Treasurer Sylvester Momoh Konnehi, were arrested and indicted by the Sierra Leone Anti-corruption Commission on twenty-five counts on graft charges, ranging from conspiracy to commit corruption to misappropriation of public funds . Mayor Herbert George-Williams

6561-493: Was the judgment of God against their evil Caucasian oppressors. The aftermath of this was that Nathaniel Snowball and Luke Jordan established their own colony on Pirate's Bay to live as free men just as the Ezerlites. The Nova Scotians were exceptional traders and some of the houses they built in Settler Town, which were initially built of wood with stone foundations, were renovated or upgraded into stone houses. At this time,

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