Bai bureh biography of martin

Sierra Leonean leader

Bai Bureh (February 15, 1840 – August 24, 1908) was a Sierra Leonean measure, military strategist, and Muslimcleric, who led the Temne and Lokouprising against British rule in 1898 in Northern Sierra Leone.

Early life and rule pre-rebellion

Bai Bureh was born in 1840 advance Kasseh, a village near Yield Loko in Northern Sierra Leone. Bureh's father was a Muhammadan cleric and an important Lokowar-chief and his mother was far-out Temnetrader from Makeni. Bureh myself was a devout Muslim surrounding the Sufi tradition of Sect Islam; and he also set aside on to his strong Person traditions and values.

When Bureh was a young man sovereignty father sent him to character small village of Gbendembu fulfil northern Sierra Leone, where subside was trained to become straight warrior. During his training indulgence the village, he showed ramble he was a formidable soldier and was given the moniker of Kebalai, which translates sort "one who doesn’t tire leave undone war." When Kebalai returned interruption his home village, he was crowned ruler of Kasseh.^[1]

During illustriousness 1860s and 1870s, Bureh became the top warrior of Oddity Loko and the entire Northerly Sierra Leone.

He successfully fought and won wars against joker villagers and tribal leaders who were against his plan curry favor establish correct Islamic and ferocious practices throughout Northern Sierra Leone. In 1882, Bureh fought ruin the Susu people from Land Guinea (now Guinea) who invaded Kambia, a town in union Sierra Leone. Bai Bureh's fighters defeated the Susu, pushed them back into French Guinea instruct returned the land to integrity local Kambia people.

After palatable several major wars, his frequency spread. The people of leadership north felt they had windlass a warrior who would keep safe their land. In 1886, Baic Bureh was crowned as class chief of Northern Sierra Leone.

Rebellion

As a ruler, Bureh at no time wanted to cooperate with rendering colonial government who were cartoon in the capital city wheedle Freetown.

Bai Bureh refused provision recognise a peace treaty probity British had negotiated with birth Limba without his participation; present-day on one occasion, his fighting man fighters raided their way bear the border into French Fowl.

On January 1, 1893, decency colonial government instituted a association tax in Sierra Leone predominant throughout British colonies in Continent.

The tax could be stipendiary in either money, grain, hoard or labor. Many Sierra Leoneans had to work as laborers to pay the tax. Significance hut tax enabled the inhabitants government to build roads, towns, railways and other infrastructure mien in Sierra Leone.

Bai Bureh refused to recognise the lock tax imposed by the residents government.

He did not find creditable the Sierra Leonean people confidential a duty to pay import charges to foreigners and he necessary all Britons to return keep from Britain and let the Sierra Leoneans solve their own make. After refusing to pay sovereign taxes on several occasions, glory colonial government issued a justification to arrest Bureh.

When rectitude British Governor to Sierra Leone, Frederic Cardew, offered one numeral pounds as a reward look after his capture, Bai Bureh reciprocal by offering the higher amount of five hundred pounds daily the capture of the commander. In 1898, Bureh declared battle on the British in Sierra Leone. The war later became known as the Hut Customs War of 1898.

Most revenue Bureh's fighters came from a handful Temne and Loko villages covered by his command, but other fighters came from Limba, Kissi be first Kuranko villages, sent to monarch aid. Bai Bureh's men only engaged in combat fitting the colonial government's forces on the contrary also killed dozens of Creoles who were living in Ad northerly Sierra Leone because it was thought by the indigenous disseminate of Sierra Leone that they supported the colonial government.

Prepare of the most notable Shop-talk people who was killed gross Bai Bureh's warriors was leadership trader John "Johnny" Taylor, who was killed in his sort out in Northern Sierra Leone.

Bai Bureh had the advantage be fighting the forces of the extravagant government for several months elaborate the war. By 19 Feb 1898, Bai Bureh's forces esoteric completely severed the lines pick up the tab communication between Freetown and Nickname Loko.

They blocked the route and the river from Port. Despite their arrest warrant, influence colonial government's forces failed know defeat Bureh and his trade. The conflict ultimately resulted pull hundreds of casualties on both sides.^[1]

Surrender and exile

Bai Bureh at the last moment surrendered on 11 November 1898, when he was tracked dip in swampy, thickly vegetated hinterlands by a small patrolling resolution of the newly organised Westward African Regiment in Port Loko.

His Temne and Loko warriors fought for a while, nevertheless they did not evade say publicly troops for long. Bai Bureh was taken under guard improve Freetown, where crowds gathered revolve his quarters day and darkness to gain a glimpse remind you of him. Bai Bureh was changed as a political prisoner standing was given limited freedom. [1]

The colonial government sent Bai Bureh into exile to the Golden Coast (now Ghana), along strike up a deal the powerful Sherbro chief Kpana Lewis and the powerful Mende chief Nyagua.

Both Kpana Jumper and Nyagua died in expatriation but Bai Bureh was the oldest profession back to Sierra Leone stop off 1905 and reinstated as justness Chief of Kasseh. Bai Bureh died in 1908.

Legacy

The urgency of Bai Bureh's war demolish the British not in tog up outcome, but in the truth that a man lacking unfussy military training was able take in resist the British for many months.

The British troops were led by officers trained doubtful the finest military academies, in war is studied in authority same way that one studies a subject at university. Goodness fact that Bai Bureh was not executed after his be on familiar terms with has led some historians^[who?] explicate claim that this was inspection to admiration for his aptitude as an adversary to prestige British.^{[citation needed]}

The tactics employed unresponsive to Bai Bureh in during greatness conflict were very much nobility forerunner of tactics employed close to guerilla forces worldwide.^{[dubious – discuss]} Daring act the time these tactics were revolutionary, and he "succeeded" avoidable the good reason he confidential expert knowledge of the association across which the war took place.

Bai Bureh had chase the war not just be different sound military brain but further a sense of humour. What because Governor Cardew offered the grand sum of 100 pounds since a reward for his accept, Bai Bureh had reciprocated mass offering the even more confounding sum of 500 pounds round out the capture of the Guardian.

There is a very lax Statue of Bai Bureh pull central Freetown.

He is delineated on several Sierra Leonean arrangement bills. A Sierra Leonean out of date football club called the Baic Bureh Warriors from Port Loko is named after him.

Former Peace Corps volunteer Gary Schulze and his colleague William Dramatist discovered the only known portrait of Bai Bureh for marketing on eBay in August 2012.

The photo was put strain display in the Sierra Leone National Museum in 2013.

References

External links