The massive cotton tree that was felled by a storm in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown, has been described as the country’s spine.
“For me, it’s the spine that… holds us to Freetown and Sierra Leone,” Raymond de’Souza George, ambassador-at-large for heritage and culture in the president’s office in Freetown, told BBC Focus on Africa.
In 1787, Freetown was established as a home for repatriated former slaves.
“When the slaves came back, that was the first place they gathered to give thanks to God for the fact that they were safe on solid ground,” he explained to Focus host Esau Williams.
“Over the years, the cotton tree has hosted a variety of religious and cultural activities.”
According to Mr. De’Souza George, people have attached spiritual powers to the cotton tree, and Christians have gathered there in recent years to pray for the nation.
