Sierra Leone Creole people

See also the Krio Dayak people of Indonesia.

The Krio are an ethnic group in Sierra Leone, descendants of various groups of freed slaves from the West Indies, North America and Birtain landed in Freetown between 1787 and about 1855.

They speak a distinctive language, Krio, a creole language based on English and African langua. Their language is the national language spoken throughout Sierra Leone. They are mostly found in in Sierra Leone's Western Area partically in Freetown, the capital city of Sierra Leone. They make up about 3% of Sierra Leone population.

History

The ancestors of the Krio include the Black Poor (from England), Black Loyalists (from Nova Scotia), Maroons (from Jamaica), West Indians (mainly from the West India Regiment) and Liberated Africans. Various groups of African Americans and West Indians also kept on migrating to Freetown during the 19th century.

Notable Krios

• Andrew Juxon-Smith, former Head of State
• Sir Samuel Lewis, first mayor of Freetown
• Valentine Strasser, former Head of State
• Albert Cole, footbal star
• Michael Tommy, football star
• John 'Johnny' Taylor, Krio trader during colonian era
• John Henry Malamah Thomas, former mayor of Freetown