A before and after photo shows Sierra Leone's “Cotton Tree” damaged in storm.
(Twitter)
Reuters
Published: 25 May ,2023
A giant tree that towered over Sierra Leone’s capital for centuries and symbolized freedom to its early residents came down overnight during a heavy rainstorm.
President Julius Maada Bio called the toppling of the famed tree “a great loss to the nation” as crowds gathered to look at the wrecked trunk.
The “Cotton Tree” was the most important landmark in the West African country which was founded by freed American slaves.
It is believed that when those slaves arrived by boat in the late 1700s, they gathered under its branches to offer prayers before moving into their new home.
“It was regarded as a symbol of liberty and freedom by early settlers,” the president wrote on Twitter.
“We will have something at the same spot that bears testament to the great Cotton Tree's place in our history. All voices will be brought together for this.”
The kapok tree stood in the middle of a roundabout in central Freetown near the national museum and the president’s office.
Passerby Victor Tutu Rogers told Reuters he saw the tree fall around 9:40 p.m. (2140 GMT) on Wednesday.
“The wind was blowing, the rain got heavy. I dashed round the cotton tree on my way from work, because I feared the branches might fall,” he said.
“Shortly after that there was a heavy lightning and I heard a heavy bang - the sound of the tree falling behind me.”
By Thursday, the branches and debris had been cleared away, leaving only a stump.
“As a municipality it was very much symbolic, the place where we hold our annual thanksgiving every November to offer prayers and for many other events,” the city’s Chief Administrator, Festus Kallay, said.
“The Freetown skyline will hardly be the same again.”
Reuters
Published: 25 May ,2023
A giant tree that towered over Sierra Leone’s capital for centuries and symbolized freedom to its early residents came down overnight during a heavy rainstorm.
President Julius Maada Bio called the toppling of the famed tree “a great loss to the nation” as crowds gathered to look at the wrecked trunk.
The “Cotton Tree” was the most important landmark in the West African country which was founded by freed American slaves.
It is believed that when those slaves arrived by boat in the late 1700s, they gathered under its branches to offer prayers before moving into their new home.
“It was regarded as a symbol of liberty and freedom by early settlers,” the president wrote on Twitter.
“We will have something at the same spot that bears testament to the great Cotton Tree's place in our history. All voices will be brought together for this.”
The kapok tree stood in the middle of a roundabout in central Freetown near the national museum and the president’s office.
Passerby Victor Tutu Rogers told Reuters he saw the tree fall around 9:40 p.m. (2140 GMT) on Wednesday.
“The wind was blowing, the rain got heavy. I dashed round the cotton tree on my way from work, because I feared the branches might fall,” he said.
“Shortly after that there was a heavy lightning and I heard a heavy bang - the sound of the tree falling behind me.”
By Thursday, the branches and debris had been cleared away, leaving only a stump.
“As a municipality it was very much symbolic, the place where we hold our annual thanksgiving every November to offer prayers and for many other events,” the city’s Chief Administrator, Festus Kallay, said.
“The Freetown skyline will hardly be the same again.”
Sierra Leone's iconic Cotton Tree destroyed by storm
The centuries-old tree that towered over the skyline of Freetown was a symbol for the country's resilience. The President of Sierra Leone has vowed to erect a monument in its place
A giant, 400-year-old tree that served as a symbol of freedom in Sierra Leone has been destroyed in a storm, authorities said on Thursday.
Lovingly referred to as "Cotton Tree," the 70-meter (230-foot) tall, 15-meter (50-feet) wide Ceiba pentandra has long been a symbol of the country.
It is believed that the enslaved people who won their freedom by fighting with the British in the American War of Independence prayed under the tree when they eventually settled in West Africa in the end of the 18th century.
"All Sierra Leoneans will pause for thought at the loss of such a prestigious national symbol as Cotton Tree," President Julius Maada Bio said on Thursday.
The centuries-old tree that towered over the skyline of Freetown was a symbol for the country's resilience. The President of Sierra Leone has vowed to erect a monument in its place
A giant, 400-year-old tree that served as a symbol of freedom in Sierra Leone has been destroyed in a storm, authorities said on Thursday.
Lovingly referred to as "Cotton Tree," the 70-meter (230-foot) tall, 15-meter (50-feet) wide Ceiba pentandra has long been a symbol of the country.
It is believed that the enslaved people who won their freedom by fighting with the British in the American War of Independence prayed under the tree when they eventually settled in West Africa in the end of the 18th century.
"All Sierra Leoneans will pause for thought at the loss of such a prestigious national symbol as Cotton Tree," President Julius Maada Bio said on Thursday.
Workers cleared rubble from the Freetown intersection on Thursday
TJ Bade/AP/picture alliance
"For centuries, it has been a proud emblem of our nation, a symbol of a nation that has grown to provide shelter for many," he added.
Freetown residents continued to pray beneath the tree in the decades that followed as it towered over a busy roundabout near the national museum, the central post office and the country's highest court.
An icon of Freetown
Cotton Tree has appeared on bank notes, is celebrated in children's nursery rhymes, and was visited by Queen Elizabeth II to mark the country's independence in 1961.
Government press agency Zabek International compared the loss to the fire that destroyed the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris in 2019.
After diggers cleared the wreckage on Thursday, all that was left behind was a stump.
"The Freetown skyline will hardly be the same again," said Freetown's Chief Administrator Festus Kallay.
"For centuries, it has been a proud emblem of our nation, a symbol of a nation that has grown to provide shelter for many," he added.
Freetown residents continued to pray beneath the tree in the decades that followed as it towered over a busy roundabout near the national museum, the central post office and the country's highest court.
An icon of Freetown
Cotton Tree has appeared on bank notes, is celebrated in children's nursery rhymes, and was visited by Queen Elizabeth II to mark the country's independence in 1961.
Government press agency Zabek International compared the loss to the fire that destroyed the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris in 2019.
After diggers cleared the wreckage on Thursday, all that was left behind was a stump.
"The Freetown skyline will hardly be the same again," said Freetown's Chief Administrator Festus Kallay.
Cotton Tree towered above the skyline of Freetown for centuries
Michael Duff/AP/picture alliance
Preserving the spirit of Cotton Tree
Bio promised to include "all voices" to create a new monument at the same spot, and also discussed preserving remnants of the tree.
"There is no stronger symbol of our national story than the Cotton Tree, a physical embodiment of where we come from as a country," Bio told the Associated Press.
"Nothing in nature lasts forever, so our challenge is to rekindle, nurture, and develop that powerful African spirit for so long represented."
zc/lo (Reuters, AFP, AP)
Preserving the spirit of Cotton Tree
Bio promised to include "all voices" to create a new monument at the same spot, and also discussed preserving remnants of the tree.
"There is no stronger symbol of our national story than the Cotton Tree, a physical embodiment of where we come from as a country," Bio told the Associated Press.
"Nothing in nature lasts forever, so our challenge is to rekindle, nurture, and develop that powerful African spirit for so long represented."
zc/lo (Reuters, AFP, AP)
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