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| Part of Sierra Leone’s History Is Being Dismantled Board by Board | |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — On a busy roundabout in the heart of this nation’s capital stands an ancient cotton tree, marking the spot where Freetown was founded by freed slaves from North America more than 200 years ago. Walk for a few minutes toward the southeast, past the vendors who line the derelict remains of Victoria Park and through the bustling streets of the city center, and you will find at the corner of two rutted dirt roads a house that looks more suited to the American South than to a steamy West African capital. | FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — On a busy roundabout in the heart of this nation’s capital stands an ancient cotton tree, marking the spot where Freetown was founded by freed slaves from North America more than 200 years ago. Walk for a few minutes toward the southeast, past the vendors who line the derelict remains of Victoria Park and through the bustling streets of the city center, and you will find at the corner of two rutted dirt roads a house that looks more suited to the American South than to a steamy West African capital. |
| The Young House, as it has been known for as long as anyone can remember, is a two-story dwelling constructed primarily from wooden boards and painted a bright lemon yellow, clashing starkly with the squat concrete buildings around it. | The Young House, as it has been known for as long as anyone can remember, is a two-story dwelling constructed primarily from wooden boards and painted a bright lemon yellow, clashing starkly with the squat concrete buildings around it. |
| It is what is known here as a board house (or bod ose in the local Krio language), one of an ever decreasing number still standing in the capital and the surrounding villages. Its style is as old as the city itself, brought over from the Americas by the settlers who arrived in several waves from 1792 onward. | It is what is known here as a board house (or bod ose in the local Krio language), one of an ever decreasing number still standing in the capital and the surrounding villages. Its style is as old as the city itself, brought over from the Americas by the settlers who arrived in several waves from 1792 onward. |
| But amid rapid urbanization, rampant poverty and a cultural preference for concrete, this architectural legacy of the city’s founding is fast disappearing. | But amid rapid urbanization, rampant poverty and a cultural preference for concrete, this architectural legacy of the city’s founding is fast disappearing. |
| “Every day, more are being pulled down, to be replaced by modern concrete-and-glass buildings,” said Isatu Smith, who as the chairwoman of the country’s Monuments and Relics Commission is responsible for making sure that does not happen. | “Every day, more are being pulled down, to be replaced by modern concrete-and-glass buildings,” said Isatu Smith, who as the chairwoman of the country’s Monuments and Relics Commission is responsible for making sure that does not happen. |
| “The scale of it is alarming,” she said, sitting in her cramped office a stone’s throw from the cotton tree. “If we cannot protect these houses, it will be a major part of our history and our heritage erased. They are a testament to the resilience of people who came from slavery to found this city. They’re iconic.” | “The scale of it is alarming,” she said, sitting in her cramped office a stone’s throw from the cotton tree. “If we cannot protect these houses, it will be a major part of our history and our heritage erased. They are a testament to the resilience of people who came from slavery to found this city. They’re iconic.” |
| Sylvester Johnson, a 35-year-old anesthetist who lives at the Young House, said he did not know how old the building was, only that when his great-grandmother Cecilia Young was born there in 1904, the house had been in the family for generations. | Sylvester Johnson, a 35-year-old anesthetist who lives at the Young House, said he did not know how old the building was, only that when his great-grandmother Cecilia Young was born there in 1904, the house had been in the family for generations. |
| “It’s a legacy,” he said. “I went from a baby to a man in this house. Everyone here knows its history.” | “It’s a legacy,” he said. “I went from a baby to a man in this house. Everyone here knows its history.” |
| Fatmata Dean, a matriarch who has lived her whole life in a small board house nearby, is also proud of her home. | Fatmata Dean, a matriarch who has lived her whole life in a small board house nearby, is also proud of her home. |
| “Everyone has a different style, but I’m proud of my bod ose,” she said. “We take care of it. When a part of it gets damaged, we change it.” | “Everyone has a different style, but I’m proud of my bod ose,” she said. “We take care of it. When a part of it gets damaged, we change it.” |
| But their enthusiasm for these old homes is not typical, and Ms. Smith says she knows she is fighting an uphill battle. | But their enthusiasm for these old homes is not typical, and Ms. Smith says she knows she is fighting an uphill battle. |
| After decades of neglect, many of the board houses are rotting through, the mahogany boards that make up the walls finally succumbing to the relentless battering of successive rainy seasons. Others teeter at precarious angles and shake when the wind is strong. Many have been fixed up so many times that any remaining boards are concealed behind a patchwork of rusting corrugated zinc sheeting. | After decades of neglect, many of the board houses are rotting through, the mahogany boards that make up the walls finally succumbing to the relentless battering of successive rainy seasons. Others teeter at precarious angles and shake when the wind is strong. Many have been fixed up so many times that any remaining boards are concealed behind a patchwork of rusting corrugated zinc sheeting. |
| Lamin Sesay, 30, said the worst thing about his home, a weather-beaten board house in the center of town, was the pests. | Lamin Sesay, 30, said the worst thing about his home, a weather-beaten board house in the center of town, was the pests. |
| “Anytime you put down food, the rats will eat it,” he said. “And bedbugs are a problem, too.” | “Anytime you put down food, the rats will eat it,” he said. “And bedbugs are a problem, too.” |
| He complained that the noise of the street passed straight through the thin wooden walls and kept him awake at night. | He complained that the noise of the street passed straight through the thin wooden walls and kept him awake at night. |
| The board houses are also expensive to maintain. With the once-thick forests of the Freetown Peninsula now bare or protected, timber is hard to come by and is much more costly than concrete. | The board houses are also expensive to maintain. With the once-thick forests of the Freetown Peninsula now bare or protected, timber is hard to come by and is much more costly than concrete. |
| But perhaps the toughest challenge, Ms. Smith said, goes deeper than practical concerns: overcoming a mind-set ingrained through decades of Western-oriented education that denigrated local traditions. | But perhaps the toughest challenge, Ms. Smith said, goes deeper than practical concerns: overcoming a mind-set ingrained through decades of Western-oriented education that denigrated local traditions. |
| “The history we were taught had a Western bias,” she said of the education system under British rule, which ended with independence in 1961. “We were taught to be ashamed of our traditional practices, and to glorify the white man.” | “The history we were taught had a Western bias,” she said of the education system under British rule, which ended with independence in 1961. “We were taught to be ashamed of our traditional practices, and to glorify the white man.” |
| As a result, she said, many Sierra Leoneans do not have pride in their cultural heritage and rarely go out of their way to preserve it. | As a result, she said, many Sierra Leoneans do not have pride in their cultural heritage and rarely go out of their way to preserve it. |
| “The bod ose is not fashionable now,” said Fatmata Thomas, whose family of 35 lives in an elaborate concrete building adjacent to the rickety 130-year-old board house where she grew up. “Concrete is more beautiful. When I have the money, I will pull it down and build a new one out of concrete, three or four stories high.” | “The bod ose is not fashionable now,” said Fatmata Thomas, whose family of 35 lives in an elaborate concrete building adjacent to the rickety 130-year-old board house where she grew up. “Concrete is more beautiful. When I have the money, I will pull it down and build a new one out of concrete, three or four stories high.” |
| Through an intensive campaign, using television and radio ads and community workshops, Ms. Smith and her team are working to instill in Sierra Leoneans a greater sense of pride in their history. | Through an intensive campaign, using television and radio ads and community workshops, Ms. Smith and her team are working to instill in Sierra Leoneans a greater sense of pride in their history. |
| Her team is not the only one fighting to save the board houses. About two years ago, Architectural Field Office, a small international charity focused on urban architecture in postconflict countries, set about trying to map the city’s remaining historical buildings. | Her team is not the only one fighting to save the board houses. About two years ago, Architectural Field Office, a small international charity focused on urban architecture in postconflict countries, set about trying to map the city’s remaining historical buildings. |
| The head of the organization, a Northern Irishman named Killian Doherty, lives here in a three-story concrete apartment block that has tinted windows and is typical of the new construction springing up around the city. | The head of the organization, a Northern Irishman named Killian Doherty, lives here in a three-story concrete apartment block that has tinted windows and is typical of the new construction springing up around the city. |
| “What’s great is that these aren’t empty relics,” he said, explaining what drew him to the board houses. “People’s lives still play out inside them.” | “What’s great is that these aren’t empty relics,” he said, explaining what drew him to the board houses. “People’s lives still play out inside them.” |
| Mr. Doherty called the houses a “declaration of independence.” | Mr. Doherty called the houses a “declaration of independence.” |
| “And we’re at a time now when we can still save them,” he said. | “And we’re at a time now when we can still save them,” he said. |
| Ms. Smith and Mr. Doherty estimate that there are still a few thousand of the houses here and in the coastal villages of the Freetown Peninsula, but no one has a precise tally. Architectural Field Office hopes that documenting and mapping the buildings will make it easier for the government to take action to preserve them. | Ms. Smith and Mr. Doherty estimate that there are still a few thousand of the houses here and in the coastal villages of the Freetown Peninsula, but no one has a precise tally. Architectural Field Office hopes that documenting and mapping the buildings will make it easier for the government to take action to preserve them. |
| But the organization’s initial efforts were unfortunately timed: No sooner had they begun than the Ebola epidemic hit West Africa, bringing normal life to a sudden halt. As the virus spread rapidly westward from the remote northeast of the country toward Freetown, all work stopped. With the outbreak in Sierra Leone now virtually over, Mr. Doherty hopes to resume the project. | But the organization’s initial efforts were unfortunately timed: No sooner had they begun than the Ebola epidemic hit West Africa, bringing normal life to a sudden halt. As the virus spread rapidly westward from the remote northeast of the country toward Freetown, all work stopped. With the outbreak in Sierra Leone now virtually over, Mr. Doherty hopes to resume the project. |
| Persuading people to maintain their board houses — many of them on prime real estate in an increasingly crowded city — instead of tearing them down or selling them to developers will require significant financial incentives, but neither the Monuments and Relics Commission nor Architectural Field Office has the money. | Persuading people to maintain their board houses — many of them on prime real estate in an increasingly crowded city — instead of tearing them down or selling them to developers will require significant financial incentives, but neither the Monuments and Relics Commission nor Architectural Field Office has the money. |
| Finding a donor to support the work has been a challenge. In a country where education, health services and infrastructure are in a state of chronic disrepair, restoring impractical wooden houses is not high on anyone’s list. “Architecture wasn’t a priority even before Ebola,” Mr. Doherty said. | Finding a donor to support the work has been a challenge. In a country where education, health services and infrastructure are in a state of chronic disrepair, restoring impractical wooden houses is not high on anyone’s list. “Architecture wasn’t a priority even before Ebola,” Mr. Doherty said. |
| For now, the burden of keeping up the board houses lies with their owners, and many doubt whether it is worthwhile. | For now, the burden of keeping up the board houses lies with their owners, and many doubt whether it is worthwhile. |
| “To keep it like this, you have no idea how much time I have put into it,” said Mr. Johnson, the anesthetist, from the wood-paneled living room of the Young House. “Sometimes, the boards wear out and I have to replace them. And to maintain the wood, we have to paint the house twice a year.” | “To keep it like this, you have no idea how much time I have put into it,” said Mr. Johnson, the anesthetist, from the wood-paneled living room of the Young House. “Sometimes, the boards wear out and I have to replace them. And to maintain the wood, we have to paint the house twice a year.” |
| Mr. Johnson says he wants to keep the house in the family, but some relatives want it sold. And the fate of the Young House, like many of Freetown’s board houses, hangs in the balance. | Mr. Johnson says he wants to keep the house in the family, but some relatives want it sold. And the fate of the Young House, like many of Freetown’s board houses, hangs in the balance. |