The City is honored to host Mr Michael Boulware Moore, CEO of the International African American Museum (IAAM) and his team as Freetown and Charleston share multiple links dating back to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Bunce Island in Sierra Leone was the site where Sierra Leonean captives’ feet touched African soil for the last time and Gadsden Wharf in Charleston was the site where over 90% of those captives’ feet touched American soil for the first time.
Mr. Moore has traced his personal ancestry to Sierra Leone through DNA testing and so his visit also has tremendous personal significance.
The Freetown City Council, together with other major stakeholders in tourism, will collaborate with the Charleston City Council and IAAM to harness the benefits of the historical and cultural ties between the two cities, creating a bridge for those whose ancestors left Bunce Island hundreds of years ago, to return home.
As Freetown and Charleston develop our city twinning relationship, this initiative supports the Mayor’s efforts to drive job creation in Freetown through tourism.
