61st Independence Anniversary Statement by Ambassador Mohamed Hassan Kaisamba Ankara, Turkey
As we are in the month of Ramadan, I would like to greet you all by saying ‘Salaam Alaikum’. Today, we are celebrating the 61st anniversary of our independence.
Every year, on 27th April we celebrate Independence Day as a national holiday in Sierra Leone to commemorate the independence of the nation from the United Kingdom on 27th April 1961.
The staff of the Embassy of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Ankara Turkey (61st Independence Celebration)
Today, we are here to acknowledge our privilege of being citizens of a free Sierra Leone and to celebrate its independence. For those of us born after 1961, we need to ask those who were born before this period to know the pains and anguish of being enslaved under colonial rule. For every Sierra Leonean in those moments, it was an enormous task to fight against the colonizers, the British.
Those difficult moments and struggles should not be allowed to wipe off our memories. This is why, every Independence Day, we do not only celebrate our freedom, but we also pay tribute to those who fought for it, and for those who held a vision for our nation.
The idea of being an independent country, where sovereign power lies with us to determine our future, places a huge responsibility on our shoulders. The fundamental importance of its beauty is that our country has gained respect from the world for the democratic route chosen by her.
As a nation, we have had military coups, fought a bloody civil war for a decade and had experienced a devastating epidemic and catastrophic floods and mudslide. Please let us observe a moment of silence for our fallen compatriots during these periods.
Notwithstanding those obstacles, we are people of resilience and always show greater hope for the future. As a nation, we have collectively and individually worked together to move our country forward, to develop and transform our country that we can all be proud of.
During the Swearing-In Ceremony of His Excellency Dr Julius Maada Bio on 4th April 2018 as President of the Republic, he stated that and I quote ‘my election and my new administration is the dawn of a new era to change and transform Sierra Leone’.
On the basis of that proclamation, we have to resolve as a nation to lay a solid and sound foundation for our next generations. This is the only way to create the conditions for a united, peaceful, confident, enterprising, dynamic and progressive Sierra Leone.
Congratulations on our 61st Independence Anniversary. May God bless the people and the Republic of Sierra Leone. Thank you