Celebrating Black History Month: History of the Krio people of Sierra Leone and the transatlantic slave trade

The Foundation for Future London is pleased to honour this year’s Black History Month with reflections from our staff team. Dimeji Garber, Corporate Partnerships Manager, has written this short piece inspired by the work and legacy of his 98-year-old grandmother, Cassandra Garber. Based in Freetown, Cassandra is a long-time chronicler of Krio history and culture and the President of the Krio Descendants Union. The Krio community of Sierra Leone is undoubtedly a testament to African resilience and Black liberation, and the stories of their ancestors represent a monumental chapter in Black history worth commemorating.

Sierra Leone stands out on the African continent as a nation uniquely shaped by the transatlantic slave trade, the legacy of which lives on in the hearts and minds of those who make up the Krio people today (also known as the Sierra Leone Creole people). The Krio are a cultural and linguistic group descended from formerly enslaved Africans who escaped from Europe and the Americas or were liberated by the British Navy from unofficial transatlantic slave ships. While the original attempt to form a settlement for formerly enslaved people in 1787 was largely unsuccessful, the Sierra Leone Company was later established by British abolitionists to bring formerly enslaved Black Londoners to the territory to restart their lives.

During the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), many Africans were liberated from American enslavers by the British army and enlisted to fight against the United States. American victory meant the British Army and Black Loyalists were pushed into Nova Scotia, from where Africans travelled to Sierra Leone and founded the settlement of Freetown – Sierra Leone’s modern capital. In the 1800s, they were joined by freed Africans from Jamaica, who were known as Maroons.

The Krio people descend from these initial and subsequent waves of migration and speak a distinct language that combines English with African languages like Yoruba, Akan and Igbo. Today, the Krio are a minority in Sierra Leone, making up two percent of the population. The largest ethnic group, the Temne, migrated from the Fouta Djallon highlands of modern-day Guinea, while the second largest group known as the Mende originated from Liberia. Despite their small numbers, Krios have historically achieved high levels of education and socioeconomic success.

My grandmother, Cassandra Garber, is one such example in the Krio community. She spent most of her career as a teacher and headmistress at the Freetown Secondary School for Girls, a pre-eminent Sierra Leonian institution established in 1926. Alongside this role, she advocated against the marginalisation of Krios in the political sphere and for better infrastructure and living conditions in Krio villages. She is the President of the Krio Descendants Union and held similar leadership positions in organisations including the Campaign for Good Governance, Business and Professional Women of Freetown, Sierra Leone Mothers’ Union, the Association of University Women and other networks. As a prominent political voice, she has written and spoken publicly about Sierra Leone’s political, educational, and development landscapes. She is the recipient of two national honours for her contributions to the country.

As Sierra Leone continues to weather an economic situation characterised by high unemployment rates and a lack of infrastructure, Cassandra has urged the country’s leaders to learn from the Krio legacy of resourcefulness, self-reliance and educational achievement. There is a lesson in there for the rest of the world, too.