A huge tree in Sierra Leone, hundreds of years old, located in the capital Freetown, was felled by a violent storm, informs the BBC.
President Julius Maada Bio said the tree’s collapse on Wednesday night was “a great loss for the nation”. The African head of state also added that that tree was a symbol of freedom for the first settlers. He also appears on the African country’s banknotes.
A hundred-year-old tree in Sierra Leone, which also appears on banknotes, was felled by a violent storm. Photo source Profimedia Images
A hundred-year-old tree in Sierra Leone, which also appears on banknotes, was felled by a violent storm. Photo source Profimedia ImagesA hundred-year-old tree in Sierra Leone, which also appears on banknotes, was felled by a violent storm. Photo source Profimedia ImagesA hundred-year-old tree in Sierra Leone, which also appears on banknotes, was felled by a violent storm. Photo source Profimedia ImagesA hundred-year-old tree in Sierra Leone, which also appears on banknotes, was felled by a violent storm. Photo source Profimedia ImagesA hundred-year-old tree in Sierra Leone, which also appears on banknotes, was felled by a violent storm. Photo source Profimedia ImagesA hundred-year-old tree in Sierra Leone, which also appears on banknotes, was felled by a violent storm. Photo source Profimedia ImagesA hundred-year-old tree in Sierra Leone, which also appears on banknotes, was felled by a violent storm. Photo source Profimedia ImagesA hundred-year-old tree in Sierra Leone, which also appears on banknotes, was felled by a violent storm. Photo source Profimedia ImagesA hundred-year-old tree in Sierra Leone, which also appears on banknotes, was felled by a violent storm. Photo source Profimedia ImagesA hundred-year-old tree in Sierra Leone, which also appears on banknotes, was felled by a violent storm. Photo source Profimedia ImagesA hundred-year-old tree in Sierra Leone, which also appears on banknotes, was felled by a violent storm. Photo source Profimedia ImagesA hundred-year-old tree in Sierra Leone, which also appears on banknotes, was felled by a violent storm. Photo source Profimedia Images,
However, there were people who rejoiced at the fall of the tree, such as Pastor Francis Mambu, the leader of a very popular Christian church in Sierra Leone, who claimed that the tree was used for witchcraft.
A heavy storm caused a branch to snap a week ago, but last night’s storm snapped the trunk, leaving only part of it stuck in the ground.
The 70-meter tall tree was believed to be the oldest of its kind in Sierra Leone, with authorities estimating its age at 400 years.
Just 300 meters away are the Freedom Steps, once climbed by freed slaves upon arrival in Sierra Leone. They then offered thanks to the tree before settling in Freetown.
The city grew over the years, developing around the tree. President Julius Maada Bio and other officials are yet to decide what will happen to the tree’s location. “We will have something in the same place that will testify to the important position that the tree occupies in our history,” the head of state wrote on Twitter.
The trunk and roots will stay where they are and new shoots could lead to a new tree.
