Fourah Bay College is a

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

in the neighbourhood of Mount Aureol in

Freetown Freetown () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, e ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

. Founded on 18 February 1827, it is the first

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

-style university built in

Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

and, furthermore, the first university-level institution in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. It is a constituent college of the

University of Sierra Leone The University of Sierra Leone is the name of the former unitary public university system in Sierra Leone. Established in February 1827, it is the oldest university in Africa. As of May 2005, the University of Sierra Leone was reconstituted into ...

(USL) and was formerly affiliated with

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

(1876–1967).

History

Foundation

The college was established in February 1827 as an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

missionary school by the Church Missionary Society with support from Charles MacCarthy, the governor of Sierra Leone. Samuel Ajayi Crowther was the first student to be enrolled at Fourah Bay. Fourah Bay College soon became a magnet for Sierra Leone Creoles and other Africans seeking higher education in

British West Africa British West Africa was the collective name for British settlements in West Africa during the colonial period, either in the general geographical sense or the formal colonial administrative entity. British West Africa as a colonial entity was ...

. These included Nigerians, Ghanaians, Ivorians and many more, especially in the fields of

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and education. It was the first western-style university in

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

. Under

colonialism Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

, Freetown was known as the "

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

of Africa" due to the large number of excellent schools in Freetown and surrounding areas. The first black principal of the university was an

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

, Reverend Edward Jones from

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, United States. Lamina Sankoh was a prominent early academic; Francis Heiser was principal from 1920 to 1922. Davidson Nicol was the first Sierra Leonean principal in 1966. In 1985 unrest broke out in Fourah Bay College following a purge of those suspected of militancy inspired by Gaddafi's Green Book, and retaliatory violence and arrests ensued.

Old Fourah Bay College Building

Governor William Fergusson laid the foundation stone of the original Fourah Bay College building when construction started in 1845, with construction supervised by Edward Jones, who became the institution's first principal. The original Fourah Bay College building remained in regular use until

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

when the college was temporarily moved outside Freetown. After the war it became the headquarters of Sierra Leone Government Railway and later as a Magistrate court. The building was proclaimed a

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

in 1955. The building ceased to be in use in early 1990, and caught fire in 1999.

Administration

Faculties

* Faculty of Arts * Faculty of Engineering * Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences * Faculty of Social Sciences * Faculty of Law *Faculty of Applied Accounting

Institutes

Institute of Adult Education and Extra-Mural Studies

Institute of African Studies

Work began on the building of the Institute of African Studies in 1966 with half the £40,000 being provided by the UK Technical Assistance Programme. The first director was Michael Crowder with J. G. Edowu-Hyde as secretary. The journal ''Sierra Leone Studies'' was also relaunched at this time.

Institute of Marine Biology and Oceanography

Institute of Population Studies

Institute of Library, Information and Communication Studies

Students

As of 1998/1999, the student enrollment was around 2,000 in four faculties and five institutes. It had consistently expanded in the 10 previous years.

Notable alumni

''See also :Fourah Bay College alumni'' * Samuel Ajayi Crowther, one-time

bishop of West Africa and first graduate of Fourah Bay College * Lati Hyde-Forster, first African principal of Annie Walsh Memorial School and first female graduate of Fourah Bay College * Sir Ernest Dunstan Morgan, pharmaceutical entrepreneur and philanthropist * Sir Samuel Bankole-Jones (1911– 1981), former chief justice and first Sierra Leonean president of the Court of Appeal * Sir Salako Benka-Coker (1900–1965), first Sierra Leonean chief justice of the Supreme Court * Sir Ernest Beoku-Betts (1895–1957),

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyzes and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal education in law (a law degree) and often a Lawyer, legal prac ...

and one-time mayor of Freetown * Sir Henry Lightfoot Boston (1898–1969), first African Governor-General of Sierra LeoneFisher, H. (1969). ''Elections and Coups in Sierra Leone, 1967''. The Journal of Modern African Studies, 7(4), 611-636. doi:10.1017/S0022278X00018863 * Sir Samuel Lewis (1843–1903), first mayor of Freetown and first

n to receive a knighthood * Sir Emile Fashole-Luke (1895–1980), former chief justice and Speaker of Parliament * Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, economist and current mayor of Freetown * Thomas Decker,

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

, poet, journalist, and

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

* Henry Rawlingson Carr, educator and administrator * Christian Frederick Cole, first black graduate of

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and first African

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

to practice in the

English courts The Courts of England and Wales, supported administratively by His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service, are the Civil law (common law), civil and Criminal law, criminal courts responsible for the administration of justice in England and Wales ...

* Enid Ayodele Forde (born 1932), geospatial analyst,

chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. It may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

of the geography department at Fourah Bay College and first Sierra Leonean woman to gain a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

Florence Mugambi
Blazing a trail: Women Africanist PhDs
Northwestern Program of African Studies News and Events, Vol. 30, No. 3 (Spring 2020). * Harry Alphonso Sawyerr (1909–1986),

and

theologian * Hillary Sao Kanu,

commissioner of Police A police commissioner is the head of a police department, responsible for overseeing its operations and ensuring the effective enforcement of laws and maintenance of public order. They develop and implement policies, manage budgets, and coordinate ...

of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) * Ade Renner Thomas (born 1945),

and one-time Chief Justice of Sierra Leone * Michael Adekunle Ajasin * Edward Fasholé-Luke (born 1934) academic and Anglican

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

* David Omashola Carew, economist and former cabinet minister * Victor Chukuma Johnson (1944–2012), former chairman and deputy leader of the All People's Congress * Robert Wellesley Cole, general surgeon and first

West African West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ma ...

to become a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons * Henry Olufemi Macauley (born 1962), businessman with expertise in the oil industries and former minister of energy * Violet Showers Johnson, professor of

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

and director of

Africana studies Black studies or Africana studies (with nationally specific terms, such as African American studies and Black Canadian studies), is an interdisciplinary academic field that primarily focuses on the study of the history, culture, and politics of ...

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

* Clifford Nelson Fyle, academic and author, known for writing the

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

to the Sierra Leone National Anthem * Thomas Josiah Thompson (1867–1941), lawyer, one-time mayor of Freetown and newspaper proprietor. * Gershon Beresford Collier (1927–1994), former chief justice of Sierra Leone, educator and

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

* Samuel Benjamin Thomas (1833– 1901), philanthropist, entrepreneur and one of the richest men in 19th-century Africa. * Sam Franklyn Gibson, former mayor of Freetown. * Kelvin Anderson * J. E. Casely Hayford * Africanus Horton,

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

, scientist and political thinker who worked towards African independence a century before it occurred * Thomas Horatio Jackson * Desmond Finney, actor and nominee for the Zafaa Global Film Awards * James Ayodele Jenkins-Johnston, barrister and

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

defender * Edward Wilmot Blyden III (1918–2010),

political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

and former dean at Fourah Bay College * Abel Bankole Stronge, lawyer and one-time Speaker of the Parliament of Sierra Leone * John Bankole Thompson (1936–2021), jurist, judge and

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

* Akintola Gustavus Wyse (died 2002), author and professor of history at Fourah Bay College * Moses Nathanael Scott (1911–1988), clergyman and Anglican Bishop of Sierra Leone who later became

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

of the Province of West Africa * Obadiah Johnson *

Kenneth Dike Kenneth Onwuka Dike (17 December 1917 – 26 October 1983) was a Nigerian educationist, historian and the first Nigerian Vice-Chancellor of the nation's premier college, the University of Ibadan. During the Nigerian civil war, he moved to H ...

, vice-chancellor of the

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public university located in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Initially founded as the University College Ibadan in 1948, it maintained its affiliation with the University of London. In 1962, it became an independe ...

* Thomas Sylvester Johnson (1873–1955), educator, theologian and former

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of Sierra Leone *

Eldred Durosimi Jones Professor Eldred Durosimi Jones (6 January 1925 – 21 March 2020)''Africa Who's Who'', London: Africa Journal for Africa Books Ltd, 1981, p. 537. was a Sierra Leonean academic and literary critic, known for his book ''Othello's Countrymen: A Stud ...

(1925–2020), linguist, literary critic,

university professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a 'person who professes'. Professors ...

and principal of Fourah Bay College * Arthur Daniel Porter III (1924–2019), author, professor of history and university administrator * Alexander Babatunde Akinyele * Zainab Bangura * Kojo Botsio * J. B. Dauda, foreign minister * M. G. Ejaife * David J. Francis * Ibrahim Fofanah, Footballer * Ella Koblo Gulama * Abu Bakarr Kanu, Professor of Chemistry at the Winston-Salem State University * John Karefa-Smart *

Fatou Sanyang Kinteh Fatou Sanyang Kinteh also known as Fatou Kinteh is a Gambian politician and women's rights activist. She currently serves as the Gambian minister for women's affairs, children, and social welfare. She also serves as the national coordinator of ...

* Ernest Bai Koroma, President of Sierra Leone * Sia Koroma, first lady * Tamba Lamina, Sierra Leonean cabinet minister * Sir Milton Margai * Sam Mbakwe * Benjamin Quartey-Papafio * Frederick Poku Sarkodee, one of the three Ghanaian High Court judges that were martyred on June 30, 1982. * Kadi Sesay * Shekou Touray, Permanent Representative of Sierra Leone to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

References

External links

*
Official Fourah Bay College website

Fourah Bay College history