By: Mohamed Sahr
In the bid of showcasing the past legacy that Fourah Bay College had been known for within Sub-Sahara Africa, the Minister of Tourism under the Adama Sillah-led government visited the ancient FBC building at Cline Town on Sunday 24th July 2022.
Hassan Hindolo Senesie, Minister of Tourism and Cultural Preservation in the Fourah Bay College Student Union Government said amongst the many responsibilities bestowed on his ministry, one of them has to deal with educating the students about the historicity and heritage of Fourah Bay College. He revealed that over time students had been having the anxiety to unveil what they had heard about the old Fourah Bay College at Cline Town before it came to Mount Aureole. ‘’So I realize it as a need to take students to that campus at Cline Town and have an expert to educate them equally,’’ Hassan Hindolo Senesie affirmed.
He said that this tour had been timely as a result of the fact that the old campus has to be renovated in no more time, and that prompted his ministry to pay a maiden visit to the place for the students to see the building in its old form before the climax of the rehabilitation process.
Hassan Hindolo Senesie disclosed that during the visit, students were given the opportunities to know some of the past students who attended the university and the impactful they had played in Sub-Sahara Africa especially Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Ghana through the western style of education they acquired.
He said his administration would continue to streamline the relevance of tourism within and outside the campus; adding that he felt inspired by the demand of the students to know the shared historic background of the university as well as the irreplaceable legacy it had left in the West Africa region.
The Minister of Tourism implored the university authority to see the need to organize field trips and traditional programs, especially during the alumni celebration for the general students to enjoy the pride of the university.
He appreciated the turnouts of the students and the Research and Development-lead at Monument and Relics Commission which meticulously explained the details of the old Fourah Bay College. “Learning by visitation is one of the methods of attainable forte to education,” Hassan Hindolo Senesie stated.
Momoh Musa Francis, Lead Research and Development Person at the Monument and Relics Commission said the most prominent educated elites in Sub-Sahara Africa attained their education in the old Fourah Bay College and it served as a symbol of a refreshing gateway to western education in West Africa.
He revealed that Monument and Relics Commission has been given two hundred thousand dollar grants to restore the building as it was in the 20th century; noting that after the completion of the rehabilitation process, the commission would strive to hold workshops and trips for students to understand and see the history of the old campus. “Coming here is not a mistake, it is a conscious effort to know the domain of heritage,” Momoh Musa Francis said.
Alie Vangahun, a year one student of the Law Department thanked the Minister of Tourism and Preservation under the leadership of Adama Sillah for such a milestone. He said the tour had helped him loads as a student at first-hand with regards to the history of the old campus and the myths behind it.
