The 70-meter-long cheesemaker was pictured on banknotes and postage stamps, and his fame earned him a visit from Queen Elizabeth II in 1961.
By Le Figaro with AFP
Published 5/26/2023 at 10:34 AM, updated 5/26/2023 at 11:37 AM
The “cotton tree”, a symbol of Sierra Leone’s history, has fallen. In detail, the centuries-old cheese tree in the capital Freetown lost all branches after a storm on Wednesday evening, May 24th. All that remains of the 70-meter giant is the base of its massive trunk, which is still standing after “torrential rains and high winds,” the government of this small West African country said in a press release.
The Ministry of Tourism and Culture said in a statement that the remains of the tree would be “secured and conserved” by the police until they are moved to the National Museum by the Ministry’s Monuments Commission. Throughout the day, several hundred people, as well as President Julius Maada Bio, visited the site in mourning. “For centuries, the cotton tree has been a proud emblem of our nation, a symbol that serves as a haven for many,” said President Bio. The Sierra Leoneans are also shocked by the news.
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The “cotton tree” has already partially burned down
According to tradition, the slaves ended up under this cheese tree, depending on the name “kapok tree”, “love tree” or “cotton wood”, in North America, where they had won their freedom by fighting on the side of the British At the end of the 18th century it would have come to pray and give thanks to heaven during the American Revolutionary War. The tree’s image adorned banknotes and postage stamps, and its fame earned it a visit from Queen Elizabeth II in 1961.
Sierra Leone has suffered several environmental disasters in recent years. The tree had already been hit by flames in 2018 and then in 2020. In August 2017, a mudslide in the capital due to heavy rains killed more than 1,100 people.