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BBC Pidgin of Wednesday, 31 May 2023

Source: BBC

Wetin be di ogbonge tin about di fallen cotton tree wey make Sierra Leone goment wan put am for museum?

Cotton tree wey dey middle of capital Freetown Cotton tree wey dey middle of capital Freetown

Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio say dem go preserve parts of di ogbonge cotton tree wey fall due to storm for inside museum.

E say na di tourism and cultural affairs ministry go handle di preservation of di tree and e go serve as reminder of di kontri shared heritage and history.

Oga Bio tok all dis one wen im go di site wia di tree fall for di centre of di city.

One week ago, heavy rainstorm bin cause one of di tree branches to fall but pipo bin tink say e go survive.

But on Wednesday wen anoda storm happun, e fall di full tree as only some of di trunk still dey standing.

Di president bin don call di tree say "na great loss for di nation" and say di tree na symbol of freedom for early settlers.

Di tree also dey show for Sierra Leone money.

But some Christians don hail di falling of di trees, because according to dem, pipo dey use di trees do witchcraft.

Wetin be di tori about dis tree

Di 70m high cotton tree dey believed to be di oldest of im kind for di kontri.

Goment statement say di tree fit don reach 400 years old.

Just 300m away na di Freedom Steps wia freed slaves wey just enta di kontri dey climb to go pray for di tree before dem start to dey live for Freetown.

Even as d city grow ova di years, den just expand am around di old tree for im heart.

President Bio bin tweet say, "we go get sometin for di same spot wey go bear testament to di great Cotton Tree place for our history".

Di trunk and roots still dey ground so di hope be say di new shoots fit grow into new tree.

Plenti pipo dey sad becos di tree fall, some call di mata say e dey "horrific".

Sierra Leone poet Oumar Farouk Sesay write poem about di tree.

E describe am say na di kontri Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, Big Ben and oda kain world landmarks like dat.

But some Christians dey happy say di tree fall.

Popular Pastor Francis Mambu wey dey lead di Faith Healing Nible Church, say e believe pipo dey use di roots of di tree for witchcraft.

Di pastor wey get plenti members for Sierra Leone, bin tok for im church in recent weeks say di tree go fall.