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Bo, Sierra Leone

City in Southern Province, Sierra Leone

  • 8 min read
  • 11 chapters
Bo-City-Sierra-Leone
Patrick S. Bangura · CC0

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The city of Bo is one of Sierra Leone's six municipalities and is locally governed by the directly elected Bo City Council, which is headed by a mayor. The Mayor and members of the Bo City Council are directly elected every four years in a municipal election. Kobba Musa, Bo's current mayor, was elected in 2023.

The city is the primary home of Njala University, the second largest university in Sierra Leone, after the Fourah Bay College. Bo is also home to the Bo Government Secondary School, commonly known as Bo School, which is one of the biggest and most prominent secondary schools in West Africa. The school has a history of producing some of Sierra Leone's most gifted students. The city is home to the Bo Stadium, the second largest stadium in Sierra Leone, and is mostly used for football matches.

Bo is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Sierra Leone. The city is home to a significant population of many of Sierra Leone's ethnic groups, with no single ethnic group forming a majority. Bo is the principal home of the Mende people, who form the plurality of the city's population. As with most parts of Sierra Leone, the Krio language of the Sierra Leone Creole people is by far the most widely spoken language in Bo and is the primary means of communication in the city.

The city's population is religiously diverse, primarily among Muslims and Christians.

History

Bo began its modern development with the coming of the Sierra Leone Government Railway in 1889 and became an educational centre in 1906, when the Bo Government Secondary School was established.

From 1930 until independence in 1961, it was the capital of the Protectorate of Sierra Leone. The city is the administrative centre of the Southern Province. After Freetown, Bo is the leading transportation, commercial, and educational centre of Sierra Leone.

The Sierra Leone Government Railway was closed in 1974.

The inhabitants of Bo are known for their resolve, resistance and hospitality.

Etymology

According to folklore, the town was named after its generosity. An elephant was killed by a hunter, and people from the surrounding villages came to receive their share. Because the amount of meat was so large, the hunter spent days distributing it. He said "Bi-woo", which in Mende language means "this is yours," (with reference to the meat) was said so much that the area came to be known as "Bi-woo", which became "Bo".

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