Partition of Sierra Leone

[Gary Oswald]

So Sierra Leone was originally divided into the Colony (which is where the British dumped escaped slaves) and the protectorate (which is the five districts ruled by the paramount chiefs of native africans under British overlordship). The Map above shows the two bits of the colony vs the rest of the country.

When independence happened the residents of the colony, primarily creoles, didn't want to be joined together with the protectorate, they knew they'd be outnumbered by the interior and felt their interests would never be represented in a united Sierra Leone. Thus the Creole party aimed for independence of the colony and the protectorate as different countries or at the very least as a federation.

The Stevenson constitution of 1947 which increased the size of the legislative council became the main target of anger within the colony, for three reasons 1: the british governor maintained a veto, 2: universal adult suffrage wasn't introduced and 3: the 7 elected members from the colony were outnumbered by not only 14 europeans but also 14 unelected chiefs from the protectorate. This summed up the colony's fears that they'd be side-lined by the power structure from the protectorate.

In the 1951 elections, the anti constitution separatist forces won the majority of the elected seats but the pro constitution party was kept into power by the chiefs. This increasingly led to anger, the members on the council attempted to block any legislation and stall out the council, protests strikes and riots were also organised within the colony. But the British basically just ignored it, their whole policy was about forming independent countries big enough to survive without assistance.

Even within Sierra Leonean politics it quickly stopped mattering, the main result of it being to unite the protectorate in support of the People's party out of a reaction to creole hostility to them (the desire for partition was often tinged with racist beliefs that the protectorate people were savages). In the next election, 1957, the peoples party dominated the interior and even the colony seats voted instead for a pan african socialist party, the separatists got 0 seats. The People's party quickly drove Sierra Leone towards independence and freetown independence hasn't really been seriously suggested since.

But let's say Britain blinks during the riots. And Freetown isn't included into the protectorate.

What's the possible future for the colony? There might be some calls to remain with Britain or even integrate but the UK would not want that at all so the question really is it large enough to be feasible as an independent country? What would it even be called if Sierra Leone is the name of the protectorate?

Economically it has most of the factories, but historically they were mostly unprofitable because it was cheaper to export goods than make them, even if you own the tools to do so. What they don't have is any of the diamond mines or raw materials of the colony, and it doesn't even have a monopoly on the coast to act as middlemen.

 

[Charles EP M.]

If the factories aren't profitable and there's nothing else useful in the colony, I'd assume it quickly goes bankrupt and Most-Of-OTL-Sierra-Leone has the awkward position of having to constantly deal with it (it's on their border and people will migrate across for work) without wanting to formally annex it. Up until anybody finds a way to make the factories work out.

 

[Gary Oswald]

If the factories aren't profitable and there's nothing else useful in the colony, I'd assume it quickly goes bankrupt and Most-Of-OTL-Sierra-Leone has the awkward position of having to constantly deal with it (it's on their border and people will migrate across for work) without wanting to formally annex it. Up until anybody finds a way to make the factories work out.

The problem I have is I don't know enough about economics to know why the factories weren't profitable.

It feels like they should be. Sierra Leone had an educated workforce, all the tools needed and they were making things, beer cans, shoes, etc. that people in freetown were buying.

But they never managed to compete with imported goods, the majority of products bought at any point were european made. By the 70s most of the factories had shut down.

Possibly without being able to fall back on diamond sales, there'll be more effort to protect the factories with tarrifs. If you assume that frictionless trade benefits the mine owners at the cost of the factories, it would be an example of freetown benefiting from partition.

 

[Alex Richards]

I think you're right about the colony ending up independent anyway, and there's probably at least a period where you've got the awkward situation of Sierra Leone-Freetown and Sierra Leone-Makali (that looks like a decent option for the capital of the protectorate anyway- roughly central, on three tribal boundaries) before one or the other changes their name- I suspect the protectorate is more likely there actually. Can't help but wonder if they end up keeping the monarchy around for longer as well- long enough to end up in a Jamaica 'well we all know they'll just quietly become a republic once the Queen goes' situation perhaps?

I could also see there being a degree of conflict between Freetown and Bonthe- the latter seems to be the sort of place that would end up with its own separatist movement/desire to join the protectorate instead.

Of course the colony would essentially be a city-state, albeit one with a pretty decent hinterland. That's going to affect things significantly, especially if they end up being much more in the European sphere in terms of alliances. Potential grounds for leveraging themselves as a nice, stable trade entrepot perhaps? Though there's not the advantages of Hong Kong or Singapore so I really don't know.

 

[Gary Oswald]

Of course the colony would essentially be a city-state, albeit one with a pretty decent hinterland. That's going to affect things significantly, especially if they end up being much more in the European sphere in terms of alliances. Potential grounds for leveraging themselves as a nice, stable trade entrepot perhaps? Though there's not the advantages of Hong Kong or Singapore so I really don't know.

Largest national harbour in Africa on the one hand, no real in built market to sell to on the other.

 

[Dan1988]

Would this affect Liberia, in some way?

 

[Gary Oswald]

Would this affect Liberia, in some way?

Given the collaboration between militias on both sides of border, economic connections and the possibilities of this derailing the mano river union formation then just by butterflies yes, their histories are entwined to the extent that one will sneeze when the other does.

But difficult to see the direct consequences. Liberia doesn't have the same relationship between the settlers and the interior chiefs that Sierra Leone does, I'm not sure Tubman would see any warnings in it.