Sierra Leone Greets the Queen(1962)

Name: Sierra Leone Greets the Queen
Director: T. Cummins
Genre: Documentary
Released: 1962-01-01
Duration: 22 min
Cast: Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Milton Margai, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, George Elliott

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Milton Margai Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh George Elliott

Watching Sierra Leone Greets the Queen gives one a flavour of the hectic nature of royal tours; in just one week (from the 25th November to the 1st December 1961) the Queen and Prince Philip covered an exhausting array of sights, zooming around the country to take in the capital city Freetown, Bo, the Guma Dam, digging for diamonds (Sierra Leone’s biggest export), Hangha and observing the iron ore works at Marampa. The visit was politically significant - Sierra Leona had become independent from Britain in April the same year. Colonialism’s influence is felt throughout the film, and not just in the place names (Victoria Park, Queen Elizabeth II Quay) - the ‘day in the life of a Bo schoolboy’ seems not radically different from the British equivalent, while the ‘children’s rally’ consists of boys dressed impractically in boaters and blazers, and girls marching in gymslips.