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Krio dress is a powerful expression of cultural pride, blending West African fabrics with Victorian elegance in a style that is entirely unique.
Murray Town, located on the western peninsula of Sierra Leone, lies between Congo Town, Aberdeen, Lumley, and Wilberforce. Although it is now part of the Municipality of Freetown, it is still often regarded as a village. The settlement was founded in April 1829 to house Liberated Africans brought to Freetown by the British Royal Navy’s West Africa Squadron. Initially home to 326 freed Africans, many from the Egba tribe of Nigeria who spoke Yoruba, the village was named after George Murray, the British Secretary of State for the Colonies. Over time, Murray Town grew into a diverse community with strong Methodist traditions centered around Ebenezer Methodist Church and Jordan West African Methodist Church.
Throughout its history, Murray Town has been home to many important institutions and landmarks. These include the historic Hudson Market, the Sierra Leone Grammar School, the West African Methodist Collegiate School, the headquarters of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces, and the Milton Margai School for the Blind. The village has also contributed significantly to health, sports, and education, hosting the first prostheses center for amputee patients, the first National School of Nursing, and the country’s first sports club, Aqua. More recently, the Krio Museum and Cultural Center, known as “Krio Ose,” began construction as a project to preserve and celebrate Krio heritage.
Murray Town has produced many distinguished figures who made historic contributions to Sierra Leone and beyond. Among them are Sir Samuel Lewis, the first African to be knighted; Lati Hyde-Forster, the first African woman to earn a degree from Fourah Bay College and later principal of Annie Walsh Memorial School; and Thomas Decker, a journalist, linguist, and promoter of the Krio language who translated Shakespeare into Krio. The village has long been known for its strong sense of community, cultural traditions, and social unity, where families, churches, and local organizations played an important role in shaping village life. Despite social and demographic changes over time, Murray Town remains a vibrant and welcoming community with a proud place in Sierra Leone’s history.
This historical sketch is reproduced with the kind permission of Sam Walker of KDU of London
