| Sierra Leonean Britons
 
|
  
  |
Famous Sierra Leonean Britons:
Tiana Benjamin, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Nigel Reo-Coker, Curtis Davies, The Dualers |
| Total population |
|
est. 250,000
|
| Regions with significant populations |
| London, Sheffield, Liverpool, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester, Leicester and Bristol. |
| Languages |
| Krio, English |
| Religion |
| Christianity, Islam |
Sierra Leonean British is a term given to British people of Sierra Leonean descent.
Background
Many British traders in the Service of the Royal African Company went to Sierra Leone during the 17th and 18th centuries. Many had children with women from the Sherbro people and their descendants can be found in Sierra Leone today. A number of Sierra Leoneans (particularly those from the Sherbro and Krio ethnic groups) can trace their ancestry back to British traders, colonial officials, and former slave traders.
Historical Usage
Since the 19th century, Sierra Leoneans of the Creole ethnic group were referred to as "Black Englishmen" or "Black British". This was because they were British Subjects, often had European ancestors, and adopted a British mode of living despite their diversified slave origins. The Krio were the only Sierra Leonean ethnic group with connections with England through the Transatlantic slave trade. They are generally the descendants of black people (mainly West Indians and African Americans who lived in England in the 18th century and freed Black American slaves who escaped to the British during the American Revolutionary War. In 1787, hundreds of London's Black poor (a category which included the East Indian seamen known as lascars) agreed to go to this West African country on the condition that they would retain the status of British subjects, to live in freedom under the protection of the British Crown and be defended by the Royal Navy. Making this fresh start with them were many white people, including girlfriends, wives and widows of the black men[1].
First Wave of Immigrants
Most Black Africans and African Caribbeans arrived in the UK in the mid 1900s, although smaller numbers were already arriving for over a century in advance. This was after World War II, when the UK allowed citizens of former British Colonies, and citizens of current British Colonies to migrate to the UK for work. Up until 1961, Sierra Leone was under British rule, and today it still remains in the Commonwealth of Nations. Historical and language links, amongst others are why the UK serves as a popular destination for Sierra Leonean emmigrants.
Sierra Leonean Britons Today
Today an estimated 250,000 ethnic Sierra Leoneans call the United Kingdom home, and those who do not officially bear British citizenship are represented by the Sierra Leonean High Commision in Holborn, London. For the first time in centuries, Black Africans and outnumbering Black African Caribbeans in the UK, and the Sierra Leonean British population is increasing rapidly, with ever rising numbers of students and businesspeople as well as general migrants coming to the UK.[2]
Famous Sierra Leonean Britons
References
|
