IllmaticDelta
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I almost never hear anything about them when it comes to afram history
Sierra Leoneans in Diaspora celebrate Black Loyalists, founding of Freetown
Sierra Leoneans in Diaspora celebrate Black Loyalists, founding of Freetown
After the British lost the American War of Independence, 3,000 Black Americans were evacuated to Nova Scotia and their names were recorded in the Book of Negroes. Nearly two thirds of the Nova Scotian settlers were from Virginia. The second largest group of settlers were from South Carolina, and a smaller number were from Maryland, Georgia, and North Carolina. Thomas Jefferson referred to these people as "the fugitives from these States".[5] One visitor to Sierra Leone distinguished the Settlers from other ethnic groups because of the "American tone" or accent, common to American slaves and perhaps lower class American working-class people of the time.[6] Some of the settlers also had Native American or European ancestry; at least fifty were born in Africa. Many Nova Scotian blacks intermarried with Europeans while living in Sierra Leone. The Nova Scotians' political ideology of a democratic government was at odds with the Sierra Leone Company's imperialistic colony. The Nova Scotians referred to themselves as the "Settlers" or "Nova Scotians" in Sierra Leone. Later scholars would describe them as "Afro-American".[7]
Upon arrival in Nova Scotia, the Black Loyalist settlers faced many difficulties. They received less land, fewer provisions and were paid lower wages than White Loyalists.[8] Some fell into debt and had to sign terms of indentured servitude which resembled their former enslavement in America. In 1792, approximately 1,192 Black Nova Scotian settlers[9] left Halifax, Nova Scotia and immigrated to Sierra Leone. However the majority of free blacks did remain in Nova Scotia where their descendants today comprise the Black Nova Scotians, one of the oldest communities of Black Canadians.[8] The Nova Scotian settlers to Sierra Leone spoke Gullah and early forms of African American Vernacular English. The Nova Scotians were the only mass group of black Americans to immigrate to Sierra Leone under the auspices of the Sierra Leone Company; it was de facto policy that because of the democratic and 'American' ideals of the Nova Scotians no other American blacks would be allowed to immigrate in large groups to Sierra Leone.
Fifteen ships, the first fleet to return of Free blacks to Africa, left Halifax Harbour on January 15, 1792 and arrived in Sierra Leone between February 28-March 9, 1792.
Sierra Leoneans in Diaspora celebrate Black Loyalists, founding of Freetown
Organizers of Sierra Leone Black Loyalists celebrations are elated over the massive turnout of Sierra Leoneans who thronged Busboys & Poets Café in Washington, DC for what they called a first of its kind commemoration of Sierra Leonean and African American history in recent memory.
Sierra Leoneans of all ages and walks of life (students, parents with young children, young and middle-aged professionals, artists, writers, scholars and notables came to celebrate the founding of Freetown and its Founders, the Black Loyalists.
Dr. Fuambai Sia Ahmadu (pictured, above), Executive Director, of MSLDC Inc. and the event primary sponsor said “we received lots of feedback from audience members that the mix of cultural performance - traditional dance, poetry and music videos - as well as the teachings from our two historians, Kevin Lowther and Professor Nemata Blyden was educational, emotional and very inspiring.”
Dr. Ahmadu declared the event as successful in "highlighting the importance of Krio history, culture, and language to our national identity as Sierra Leoneans and awakening us to our powerful interconnections with African-Americans, notably among peoples such as the Gullah of South Carolina. “
“Most members of the audience who came Sunday knew very little, if anything, about the black loyalists and were fascinated to learn about this critical aspect of the history of Sierra Leone, “ said Dr. Ahmadu.
Other highlights were dramatic performances by Natasha Beckley, Miss Sierra Leone 2011, poetry readings by Akindele Decker from the Sierra Leone Gullah Association and David Vandy, from Voice of America. The event also featured video screenings of Freddy Shabaka’s song, the Black Loyalist and his latest release, Heal Our Nation.
Shabaka also participated via telephone on a discussion of Sierra Leone’s Black Loyalists on African New Dawn Radio show which airs every Sunday from 8 – 9 pm on Rutgers University’s WRSU, 88.7 FM in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
After Sunday’s celebration, Shabaka shared some of his sentiments on the Founders of Freetown including his observations on developing events in Sierra Leone in an interview conducted via email.
Dennis Kabatto: For starters, talk about the significance of the tribute to Sierra Leone’s ‘Black Loyalists’ event that you helped organize and attended Sunday at Bus Boys and Poets in Washington, DC
Freddy Shabaka: The Black Loyalists were the founders of Freetown and many people are not aware of what they had to go through to make this journey possible. They were refugees from the American revolutionary war who were slaves that fought for the British based on promises of freedom, land and sustenance after the war. The British did not live up to their promises and they suffered greatly in a place called Nova Scotia in Canada. These freed slaves appointed one of their own, Thomas Peters, as their leader. Peters travelled to London to meet with British authorities. It is important to keep in mind that the slave trade was still going on so this was a very risky journey. It was while he was in London that he met with abolitionists like Granville Sharp. He told them that he had heard of their attempt to create a settlement in Africa and that he wanted to take his people to Sierra Leone which they felt was their Zion. This was the first back to Africa movement long before Marcus Garvey and the black starliner. When Thomas Peters went back to Nova Scotia with Clarkson, they used the churches to spread the message of the plan to return to Africa. This started an exodus-like movement as blacks travelled for miles to hear this message. Many blacks were recruited for the trip and on January 15th 1792, Thomas Peters and 1,196 blacks sailed in a convoy of 16 ships for a place they called Freetown.
This story appears to have fallen between the cracks of black history and this event on Sunday was an attempt to create awareness and pay tribute to such an important slice of our history. I helped with the event but the event was actually organized by Dr. Fuambai Ahmadu who runs the Miss Sierra Leone USA pageant and mentors young Sierra Leone women. She is an amazing woman and a Sierra Leonan gem.
DK: How was the attendance?
FS: The attendance was amazing. We were just expecting a few people but the place was packed with standing room only. It was a lovely family event.
DK: Celebrating Sierra Leone ‘Black Loyalists’ from America highlights or bring to the fore the connection or relationship if you will, of Sierra Leoneans and African Americans that is normally ignored or swept under the rug. Share your opinion on the lack of awareness or bonding between Sierra Leoneans and African Americans.
FS: The strong connections between Sierra Leoneans and African Americans tend to be ignored but there are several strong historical connections between both peoples with the Black Loyalists being just one of them. When I was going to school in Freetown they taught us a little about the Nova Scotians but we didn’t really know much about Nova Scotia so it became a dead end. If we had understood that these were African American slaves who fought hard and suffered greatly with their struggles resulting in the creation of Freetown then we would have seen this part of our history very differently as we were already familiar with the African American story not realizing that it was also part of our own story.
As a teenager I grew up listening to Bob Marley singing about Exodus, and Burning Spear singing about Marcus Garvey, and we didn’t realize that we had our own Exodus from the American Revolutionary War, and our own Marcus Garvey in the form of Thomas Peters. I believe that it is important to acknowledge these ties because it is our reality. We are all the same people in many ways and an understanding of what connects us rather than just what separates us is a good place to start.
People need to understand that the slaves who were in bondage in America faced difficult choices. Fighting for the American patriots or the British was a personal one. They all wanted their freedom so they made decisions as to the best way to secure this freedom. This means that some families and friends went separate ways with some becoming Black loyalists and the other half remaining in America. This is a real bond that we have with African Americans. The blood flows through our veins regardless of whether we acknowledge it or not.
Sierra Leoneans in Diaspora celebrate Black Loyalists, founding of Freetown
