Sierra Leon to preserve iconic cotton tree in Museum
Written by Tunde Adeyemi on May 26, 2023
Sierra Leonean President, Julius Maada Bio says parts of the iconic cotton tree that was brought down by a storm in the capital Freetown will now be preserved in a museum.
The preservation of the tree will be led by the tourism and cultural affairs ministry, and would serve as a reminder of the country’s shared heritage and history.
President Bio said the tree, which stood for hundreds of years, wasn’t just a tree, but “a connection between the past, present and the future and must be immortalize.
Earlier, the president had described the tree “as a great loss for the nation” and said the tree which appears on the country’s banknotes was a symbol of liberty for early settlers. The 70m (230 ft)-high cotton tree was said to be the oldest of its kind in the country – a government statement estimated it to be 400 years old.
