Historic bond with Africa to be marked with scroll for twin-city

The link, formed in 1980, is the longest of its kind involving a British city and a country outside Europe.

Coun John Robinson, portfolio holder for image and culture, will table a motion at a meeting of the city council on Thursday, calling on the authority to “reaffirm its commitment to the long-standing friendship between the two cities by expressing its commitment to the Mayor of Freetown, His Worship Herbert George-Williams, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Sierra Leone’s independence”.

The motion says this will allow the people of both cities to enjoy “lasting friendship and mutual understanding with prosperity, peace, freedom and dignity”.

The words will then be transcribed on a scroll and taken to Freetown by the Rev Allen Bagshawe, chairman of the Freetown Society, who will deliver it to the mayor in time for the anniversary celebrations in the West African country on April 27.

Mr Bagshawe, former vicar of St Matthew’s Church in the Boulevard, said he hoped people in Hull would also pause to reflect and celebrate the genuine bond that has been formed between the two communities.

He said: “Thirty-one years ago when it was a popular time for forming links with other countries, most were going for France, Belgium or Germany. Hull resisted this and said we want to do something different.

“I understand at that time the Sierra Leone High Commission approached Hull about the possibility of forming a link, and Hull said yes, this is what we’ve been waiting for under the then leader of the council, Pat Doyle.

“They went in with a view to actually making it work, rather than it being a nominal link as so often has been the problem.

“They really wanted to make a difference and do something that would support Freetown, and allow us to learn from them. The Freetown Society was set up to do that and keep it on the agenda.”

A range of ongoing cultural, civic, artistic, and educational links between the two cities have followed, including a series of special events held in 2007 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade, which followed a campaign led by Hull MP William Wilberforce.

Mr Bagshawe, who will be making his fourth trip to Freetown when he leaves on Good Friday, said: “I’m very proud of Hull for doing it and I’m proud that we took it differently and I think sometimes this is the hidden gem of Hull. That’s why I give a lot of my time to building on those links and making things happen.

“We ought to be proud of it. Would that more people catch on and realise we are part of this.”

He said although the former colony has made great strides since its devastating nine-year civil war, which ended in 2000, it still needed help.

“The people are very friendly and still very loyal to Great Britain and it’s a privilege to go out there.

“Each time I’ve seen the place improving gradually and trying to get off its knees. The problem is it’s rich in resources but other people have stolen its diamonds and taken the wealth from it.

“It needs international help, not international pilfering. There are schools with no running water and no toilets and an awful lot more that needs doing. If ever a nation needs help and support it’s Sierra Leone.”

Although the twinning link is relatively recent, the two cities share an historic affinity.

Unlike most other major British ports, Hull did not derive its wealth from the slave trade, and in Wilberforce was home to the leading advocate for its abolition.

Sierra Leone, which means “Lion Mountains” and was named by a Portuguese explorer, was at the heart of the slave trade until 1792 when Freetown was founded as a home for former slaves.