60 Years of Independence: Reflecting on the Legacy of Colonialism in Sierra Leone
By Abdulai Bah, Finance and Operations Director
On April 27th 1961, the United Kingdom granted Sierra Leone independence after over 200 years of occupation and colonial rule. It is important to remember that Sierra Leone history did not begin at colonization nor was it “founded” by the British. Sierra Leone has a long, rich history that began far before European colonizers came to our land. Colonization is however an important part of our history because it is the cause of so many challenges we are facing in our country today.
Though Sierra Leone technically gained independence 60 years ago, we are still feeling effects of colonization today: in our society, in aid and development, and even at OneVillage Partners. There is a clear through-line of racism from the roots of colonialism to the present day institutions that we continue to use today.
Sierra Leone is unique to other former British colonies on the continent because it is where the British sent freed slaves after the abolition of the slave trade – whether the freed slaves were originally from Sierra Leone didn’t seem to matter. This planted the seeds for “imperial humanitarianism,” the concept that the colony was set up for the freed slaves’ “own good.” Though the colony started out with what is now current day Freetown, by the mid-1800s, the British had begun to creep inland, taking and selling resources, such as timber, leading to severe deforestation (and therefore an increase in disease). The British pitted tribes against each other to further their own political aims, the effects of which we are still feeling with tribalism today.
In the post-colonial era, Sierra Leone has gone through a lot; the one party dictatorship (that lasted for almost twenty-three years) led to the eleven years’ civil war that claimed the lives of thousands of our compatriots. While we still had the memories of the war fresh in our minds, the Ebola virus disease struck and devastatingly so. The disease claimed the lives of thousands of Sierra Leoneans. Currently, we are battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though Sierra Leone has done a lot in combating the virus, the impact of the pandemic on the economy is glaring.
In the face of all of these challenges, Sierra Leone now has a functional democracy and ranks fifth as the most peaceful country in Africa, according to the 2020 Global Peace Index. Colonialism may not exist today in the way we read about it in our history books, but no one can argue that Western, industrialized, wealthy countries still hold the most power on both the global stage and in our societies. Our resources are still being extracted and sold by foreign-owned companies at the expense of communities, and our government is beholden and indebted to Western funding. In Sierra Leone, people have very high expectations of white and Western foreigners; even our Sierra Leone staff have extra pressure put on them because they work with “white people.” Western culture is the dominant ideology. It has infiltrated so many aspects of life here, both big and small and too many to list – from school uniforms to our nation’s laws and justice system, both based on British styles and systems.
In the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) sector, white privilege rules. Westerners and even African expatriates from other countries on the continent are provided with different statuses, higher salaries, and more benefits. It is believed and accepted that because these people come from outside Sierra Leone, they must have better education, better experience, better ideas, and therefore they deserve better treatment. In all of this, these people often do not have any experience in the country and our communities, and can’t speak the language.
As much as OneVillage Partners goes against the status quo of international aid and development through our programs, we are still not immune from harmful colonial practices. There are still benefits that expatriate staff receive that local staff are not entitled to. For instance, before this year, certain positions were held primarily by western staff; and there is still a sense that the “white staff know best.” As one of two Directors in our Sierra Leone office, this can be challenging.
However, we are taking steps to remedy these inequities, so we can make OneVillage Partners a better place to work for everyone, a more effective organization for our communities, and hopefully become a model to other NGOs to do the same. We are taking a hard look at our policies and pay philosophies and encouraging trust and opportunities for improvement, among other things.
So, on our 60th anniversary of independence, I recognize we are far from ridding the effects of colonialism, but I am hopeful that our fight for justice today and in the future will make our forefathers who fought for independence proud.