THE JOURNAL OF SIERRA LEONE STUDIES – VOLUME 3 EDITION 1 (2014) Welcome to The Journal of Sierra Leone Studies. This is the first Journal dedicated solely to Sierra Leone to have been published for a long time. We hope that it will be of use to academics, students and anyone with an interest in what for many is a rather ‘special’ country. The Journal will not concentrate on one area of academic study and invites contributions from anyone researching and writing on Sierra Leone to send their articles to: John Birchall for consideration. Prospective contributions should normally be between 3500- 10,000 words in length, though we will in special circumstances consider longer articles and authors can select whether they wish to be peer reviewed or not. Articles should not have appeared in any other published form before. We also include a section on items of general interest – it hoped that these will inform future generations of some of the events and personalities important to the country. The Editorial Board reserves the right to suggest changes they consider are needed to the relevant author (s) and to not publish if such recommendations are ignored. We are particularly interested to encourage students working on subjects specifically relating to Sierra Leone to submit their work. Thank you so much for visiting The Journal and we hope that you (a) find it both interesting and of use to you and (b) that you will inform colleagues, friends and students of the existence of a Journal dedicated to the study of Sierra Leone. John Birchall Articles for consideration should be sent to John Birchall _________________________________________________________________________________ Editorial Board: Peter Andersen, Abdul Bangura, Howard University, John Birchall, Ade Daramy, Lansana Gberie, Dave Harris, School of Oriental and African Studies University of London, John Trotman _________________________________________________________________________________ Introduction In this the fifth edition of The Journal we have allocated a considerable proportion of the text to an area of the history of Sierra Leone that has received limited attention in recent years. It is that of the Krio and their influence in the evolution of the modern state of Sierra Leone. It is a privilege to edit this Journal and I have included as many items of interest as I can in this edition. It is a long edition but one which I am confident will be of interest to current scholars and those yet to come. We also include an analysis of what has emerged as a potential source of development funding for Sierra Leone – its widespread diaspora. John Birchall Cambridge, January 2014. CONTENT Peer Reviewed - The role of the Sierra Leone Creole people in the Hut Tax War of 1898 - Aggressors or Victims – Nigel Browne - Davies, Queen Mary’s College, University of London. - The Sierra Leone Diaspora and Homeland Investment – Kai Matturi Non Peer Reviewed - A précis of sources relating to the genealogical research on the Krio people of Sierra Leone – Nigel Browne Davies Book Review Sierra Leone – A Political History – Dave Harris – Hurst 2013 – ISBN 978-1-84904-323-6 General Interest. Some papers presented at The Black History Festival, held in the United Kingdom in October 2013. Articles on the Krios of Sierra Leone, their history, heritage and discoveries can be found in the following Black History Month Magazines. The article on the medical discoveries by the 3 featured Krio doctors might be of particular interest that as far back as the 1800's Africans were attending and excelling at top UK universities despite some being direct descendants of previously enslaved Africans and the racism which existed. http://www.blackhistorymonthuk.co.uk/ http://issuu.com/alpinemedia/docs/black_history_magazine A review of violence and when the world community should leave Sierra Leone http://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/bitstream/handle/123456789/3191/ER38%20Final%20Online.pdf?seq uence=6 Produced by members of the Department, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Peer Reviewed Section The role of the Sierra Leone Creole people in the Hut Tax War of 1898: Aggressors or Victims? Nigel Brown-Davies The first two parts, part three will appear in the June 2014 editions, as will Nigel’s ‘A précis of sources relating to the genealogical research of the Sierra Leone Krio people.’ Table of Contents Illustrations .................................................................................................................................................. iv Introduction: The historical context of nineteenth century Sierra Leone ...................................................... 7 Ethnic Map highlighting the demographics of Sierra Leone in 1969 ................................................. 10 Historiography ............................................................................................................................................ 15 Review of Secondary Literature ............................................................................................................. 17 Survey of Primary Sources ..................................................................................................................... 20 Chapter One: The Creoles in the hinterland: Disputes over Land tenancy and Culture ............................. 22 The Sierra Leone Frontier Police ....................................................................................................... 29 Chapter Two: Opposition to the House Tax and incitement to rebellion .................................................... 31 Bai Bureh, (1840-1908), Chief of Kasseh village ............................................................................... 32 The Freetown Press ................................................................................................................................. 34 Cornelius Theobald May (1857-1929), Editor of the Sierra Leone Weekly News .............................. 37 Creole Traders in the Protectorate: Incitement to rebellion? .................................................................. 40 Chapter Three: Indigenous brutality against the Creoles: Irrational or Justified? ...................................... 45 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 57 The cover page of the Chalmers Report .............................................................................................. 63 Sir Frederic Cardew, (1839-1921), Governor of Sierra Leone ........................................................... 64 Appendices ................................................................................................................................................. 67 Bibliography .............................................................................................................................................. 71 Maps Map of Sierra Leone, 1913 .................................................................................................................. vi Ethnic Map highlighting the demographics of Sierra Leone in 1969 ................................................. 10 Map of Sierra Leone highlighting the Protectorate, 1922 ................................................................... 26 Illustrations Sir Samuel Lewis, (1843-1903), Barrister at Law .............................................................................. 28 The Sierra Leone Frontier Police ....................................................................................................... 29 Bai Bureh, (1840-1908), Chief of Kasseh village ............................................................................... 32 Cornelius Theobald May (1857-1929), Editor of the Sierra Leone Weekly News .............................. 37 The cover page of the Chalmers Report .............................................................................................. 63 Sir Frederic Cardew, (1839-1921), Governor of Sierra Leone ........................................................... 64 Cover page: T.E. Leslie Allridge, The Illustrated London News, “A Good Specimen of the Taxed Hut”, Sierra Leone, 14 May, 1898 Map of Sierra Leone, 19131 1 NationMaster:http://images.nationmaster.com/images/motw/historical/sierra_leone_1913.jpg, [Accessed: 21 February, 2013] Introduction: The historical context of nineteenth century Sierra Leone The Hut Tax War that commenced on the 17th of February, 1898 in the British West African territory of Sierra Leone was a rebellion initiated by indigenous tribes in the hinterland of Sierra Leone against the imposition of the House Tax provision in the 1896 Protectorate Ordinance authorized by the colonial Governor Frederic Cardew.2 Although the Sierra Leone House Tax provision of 1896 was similar to provisions in other colonies to raise colonial revenue, the Hut Tax War of 1898 that erupted in the hinterland of Sierra Leone was a culmination of the unique factors that reflected the political and ethnic divide between the coastal Colony of Sierra Leone and the British protected area comprising the hinterland of Sierra Leone. The geographical region of Sierra Leone, just off the Western coast of Africa, was originally inhabited by the coastal Bullom or Sherbro people who clustered around the northern side of the Bullom Shore and the