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Understanding Sierra Leone in Colonial West Africa: A Synoptic Socio-Political History
Article first published online: 17 APR 2009
DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-0542.2009.00596.x
© 2009 The Author. Journal Compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Additional Information
How to Cite
Bangura, J. (2009), Understanding Sierra Leone in Colonial West Africa: A Synoptic Socio-Political History. History Compass, 7: 583–603. doi: 10.1111/j.1478-0542.2009.00596.x
Publication History
- Issue published online: 6 MAY 2009
- Article first published online: 17 APR 2009
- History Compass 7/3 (2009): 583–603, 10.1111/j.1478-0542.2009.00596.x
Abstract
Sierra Leone played a pivotal role in the success of the British colonial project in West Africa in the 19th century. In 1866, it served as the administrative headquarters for the colonies of Lagos, the Gold Coast now Ghana and Bathurst Gambia. Professionals, clergymen, and intellectuals from Sierra Leone, particularly Creoles, served as civil servants, engineers, and medical doctors in Nigeria, Ghana, and the Gambia in the 18th and 19th centuries. Sierra Leone also educated one of the first crops of Western-educated elites in West Africa. In short, despite experiencing a devastating civil war, evidently Sierra Leone is gradually regaining its quintessential role as one of the oldest, peaceful, and democratic states in West Africa.