Sierra Leone Greets the Queen

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 Leones 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 Colonialisms 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 childrens rally consists of boys dressed impractically in boaters and blazers and girls marching in gymslips