Lamina Sankoh (28 June 1884 – 1964), born Etheldred Nathaniel Jones,
was a
Sierra Leone Creole pre-independence politician, educator, banker and cleric. Sankoh is known most prominently for helping to found the
Peoples Party in 1948, one of the first political parties in Sierra Leone. It eventually became the
Sierra Leone People's Party.
Early life
Lamina Sankoh was born as Etheldred Nathaniel Jones in
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...
,
British Sierra Leone, in the Mountain District in the city of
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 ...
on 28 June 1884 to ethnic
Creole parents. He attended a village school in Gloucester, The Cathedral School, Albert Academy and
CMS Grammar School. He eventually graduated from
Fourah Bay College, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree. He then went to study theology and philosophy at
Wycliffe Hall,
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
, in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, matriculating in 1921. From the 1920s he changed his name to Lamina Sankoh.
Professional career
Sankoh returned to Gloucester in 1924 and received a position as priest and was appointed curate of Holy Trinity Church. He preached for progressive thinking within the church, because of which he also left the post in 1927. While a curate, Sankoh also lectured at Fourah Bay. After leaving the church, Sankoh travelled to the U.K. in order to study education at Oxford. A year later, he travelled to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, where he taught at various
historically black colleges, including
Tuskegee University
Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU; formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute) is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was founded as a normal school for teachers on July 4, 1881, by the ...
in
Tuskegee, Alabama
Tuskegee ( ) is a city in Macon County, Alabama, Macon County, Alabama, United States. General Thomas Simpson Woodward, a Creek War veteran under Andrew Jackson, laid out the city and founded it in 1833. It became the county seat in the same y ...
,
Lincoln University in
Chester County, Pennsylvania
Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially referred to as Chesco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in ...
and
South Carolina State University in
Orangeburg, South Carolina
Orangeburg, also known as ''The Burg'', is the principal city in and the county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population of the city was 13,964 according to the 2020 United Stat ...
.
Back to Britain
In 1930, Sankoh left the U.S. to go back to
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales
* The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
, where he became actively involved with the
(WASU), a
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
-based activist organization campaigning for self-government of their colonies 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 ...
. He eventually became the editor of WASU's journal, as well as a regular contributor.
Back to Sierra Leone
In the 1940s, Sankoh returned to Sierra Leone. He became closely involved in municipal and local affairs, including the restructuring of city government in Freetown. He became a city councillor in 1948. He also resumed teaching at Fourah Bay, this time adult education. At one point, Sankoh was the president of the Freetown adult education society. He established a "penny-savings" bank, as well as a newspaper called ''
The African Vanguard''. He also established an independent church for Sierra Leoneans that was "relatively free of western influence". Sankoh fought hard for the unification of Sierra Leone into one nation. He founded the "People's Forum" and the "
Peoples Party" in 1948, which eventually became the party known today as the
Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP).
Sankoh died in 1964. A prominent street in downtown Freetown was named after him.
[Hadi Bah]
"With a few exceptions, English names still dominate streets of Freetown"
News – Discover Sierra Leone, ''Sierraleone365''.
Sources
1984, Sierra-Leone.org.
References
External links