Lati Hyde-Forster, MBE (14 June 1911 – 12 September 2001) was the first woman to graduate

Fourah Bay College Fourah Bay College is a public university in the neighbourhood of Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Founded on 18 February 1827, it is the first western-style university built in Sub-Saharan Africa and, furthermore, the first university-le ...

. She was also the first African woman school principal in

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 ...

Early life and education

Latilewa Christiana Hyde was born on 14 June 1911 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 ...

British Sierra Leone The Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone (informally British Sierra Leone) was the British colonial administration in Sierra Leone from 1808 to 1961, part of the British Empire from the abolitionism era until the decolonisation era. The Crow ...

. She is the daughter of Christiana (née Fraser) and Jonathan Hyde Her father was a Methodist Minister and a graduate of Ranmoor College, Sheffield. Her mother was the local postmaster and registrar of births and deaths in Murray Town. Both of her parents were Krios. She went to secondary school at

Annie Walsh Memorial School The Annie Walsh Memorial School is an all-girls secondary school in Freetown, Sierra Leone. It was established in 1849 in Charlotte, a newly established village for recaptives. Notable alumni * Zainab Bangura: Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone, ...

. In 1938, she was the first woman to graduate from

. She got married in 1947 and became Latilewa Hyde-Forster.

Career

In 1947, Hyde-Forster was a senior teacher at Methodist Girls High School in

Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

. In 1961, she returned to

as Vice-Principal and in 1961 became the first black female principal in Sierra Leone.

Honors

Hyde-Forster received an MBE for her services to education and the community.

References

1911 births 2001 deaths Sierra Leone Creole people Annie Walsh Memorial School alumni Fourah Bay College alumni Sierra Leonean educators Members_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire {{SierraLeone-bio-stub