Sir Milton Augustus Strieby Margai (December 7, 1895 - April 28, 1964) was a Sierra Leonean
politicianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
and the first
prime ministerA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician. In many systems, the prime minister selects and can dismiss other members of the cabinet, and...
of
Sierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea in the north, Liberia in the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has a population estimated at 6.4 million...
. He was the main architect of the post-colonial constitution of Sierra Leone and guided his nation to independence in 1961.
Margai was born in the town of
GbangbatokeGbangbatoke is a small town in Moyamba District in the Southern province of Sierra Leone. The town is best known for being the birthplace of two of Sierra Leone's most prominent politicians, Sir Milton Margai and Sir Albert Margai. The population of Gbangbatoke is predominantly from the Mede ethnic...
, in what is now part of
Moyamba DistrictMoyamba District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Moyamba. The district has a population of 260,910 . The district is the largest in the Southern Province by geographical area, occupying a total area of 6,902 km² and comprises fourteen...
in the
Southern ProvinceSouthern Province or South Province may refer to:*South Province, Cameroon*South Province, Rwanda*South Province, New Caledonia*Southern Province, Sierra Leone*Southern Province, Sri Lanka*Southern Province, Zambia...
of Sierra Leone to
MendeThe Mende are one of the two largest ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, along with the Temne. They make 30% of Sierra Leone's total population or 1,932 015 members...
parents. At the time of his birth his country was a British Protectorate.
Sir Milton Augustus Strieby Margai (December 7, 1895 - April 28, 1964) was a Sierra Leonean
politicianA politician or political leader is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making. This includes people who hold decision-making positions in government, and people who seek those positions, whether by means of election, coup d'état, appointment, electoral fraud, conquest,...
and the first
prime ministerA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. The position is usually held by, but need not always be held by, a politician. In many systems, the prime minister selects and can dismiss other members of the cabinet, and...
of
Sierra LeoneSierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea in the north, Liberia in the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has a population estimated at 6.4 million...
. He was the main architect of the post-colonial constitution of Sierra Leone and guided his nation to independence in 1961.
Early life
Margai was born in the town of
GbangbatokeGbangbatoke is a small town in Moyamba District in the Southern province of Sierra Leone. The town is best known for being the birthplace of two of Sierra Leone's most prominent politicians, Sir Milton Margai and Sir Albert Margai. The population of Gbangbatoke is predominantly from the Mede ethnic...
, in what is now part of
Moyamba DistrictMoyamba District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Its capital and largest city is Moyamba. The district has a population of 260,910 . The district is the largest in the Southern Province by geographical area, occupying a total area of 6,902 km² and comprises fourteen...
in the
Southern ProvinceSouthern Province or South Province may refer to:*South Province, Cameroon*South Province, Rwanda*South Province, New Caledonia*Southern Province, Sierra Leone*Southern Province, Sri Lanka*Southern Province, Zambia...
of Sierra Leone to
MendeThe Mende are one of the two largest ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, along with the Temne. They make 30% of Sierra Leone's total population or 1,932 015 members...
parents. At the time of his birth his country was a British Protectorate. His father, M.E.S. Margai, hailed from
Bonthe DistrictBonthe District is a District comprises several islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the southwestern coast of Sierra Leone. It's capital and largest city is the island of Mattru Jong. Other major towns in the district are Sherbro Island and Bonthe Island. Bonthe District is the least populous...
and was an affluent businessman. He received his primary education at the Evangelical United Brethren School in
BontheBonthe is an island in Bonthe District of the southern Province of Sierra Leone. The town has a current population of 10,000 . In colonial times it used to be a major trading centre for piassava and other agricultural products. It is located at around...
,
Bonthe DistrictBonthe District is a District comprises several islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the southwestern coast of Sierra Leone. It's capital and largest city is the island of Mattru Jong. Other major towns in the district are Sherbro Island and Bonthe Island. Bonthe District is the least populous...
. and his secondary education at Albert Academy in
FreetownFreetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country and with a population of 1,070,200. The city is the economic and financial center of Sierra Leone...
. He earned his bachelors degree in history and was the first Protectorate man to graduate from
Fourah Bay CollegeFourah Bay College is the oldest university college in West Africa. It is located atop Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The first principal of the university was an African American, Reverend Edward Jones...
in 1921. Margai went to medical school in England and became doctor in 1926 at King's College Medical School, University of Durham. Margai also attended the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. He was the first Protectorate man to become a medical doctor.
Margai played several musical instruments: the piano, violin and the organ.
Medical career
Margai returned to Sierra Leone in 1928 after earning his medical degree and enjoyed an exceptional career in the Colonial Medical Service. He served in 11 of 12 districts in the protectorate. He waged informational campaigns on social welfare and hygiene.
Women's Health Reform
Margai trained health care workers to instruct female community leaders in the Mende women's association, The Sande, to give courses in hygiene, literacy and child care to young female members.
Working in concert with local women's groups, Margai trained midwives and was the author of an instruction manual on midwifery in the Mende language.
Political career
In 1949 he founded the nationalist
Sierra Leone People's PartySierra Leone People's Party is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with the All People's Congress . John Oponjo Benjamin. The party's support is mainly based in South-Eastern Sierra Leone and largely among the Mende people...
(SLPP) with
Siaka StevensSiaka Probyn Stevens was the 3rd prime minister of Sierra Leone from 1967-1971 and the 1st president of Sierra Leone from 1971-1985...
, which won the 1951 election to the Legislative Council. After heading the departments of Health, Agriculture, and Forestry, he was elected chief minister in 1954. Although the SLPP won elections again in 1957, the following year Margai's leadership of the party was challenged by his younger brother,
AlbertSir Albert Michael Margai was the second prime minister of Sierra Leone and the half-brother of Sir Milton Margai, the country's first Prime Minister...
, but even though he narrowly won the internal party election, he declined the leadership of the party, and left to form the opposition People's National Party, rejoining his brother in a coalition government in 1960.
Colonialism
Though Margai was Pro-British and conservative in his political views, he felt that Sierra Leone would fare better as a self-determined state.
1958 Constitution
In 1951 Margai oversaw the drafting of a new constitution which triggered the process of
decolonizationDecolonization refers to the undoing of colonialism, the establishment of governance or authority through the creation of settlements by another country or jurisdiction. The term generally refers to the achievement of independence by the various Western colonies and protectorates in Asia and...
. In 1953 Sierra Leone was granted local ministerial powers and Margai was made Chief Minister. The new constitution ensured Sierra Leone a parliamentary system within the Commonwealth of Nations and was formally adopted in 1958.
Independence
Margai led the Sierra Leone delegation at the constitutional conferences that were held with British Colonial Secretary
Iain MacleodIain Norman Macleod was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister.-Early life:...
in
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
in 1960. On April 27, 1961, Milton Margai led Sierra Leone to independence from the United Kingdom. The nation held its
first general electionsGeneral elections were held in Sierra Leone in May 1962, just over a year after the country gained independence from the United Kingdom. The first to be held under universal suffrage, they were won by the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party, whose leader Milton Margai remained Prime Minister.-Results:...
on May 27, 1962 and Margai was elected Sierra Leone's first Prime Minister by a landslide. His party, the
Sierra Leone People's PartySierra Leone People's Party is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with the All People's Congress . John Oponjo Benjamin. The party's support is mainly based in South-Eastern Sierra Leone and largely among the Mende people...
(SLPP) won majority of seat in parliament.
Premiership
Over the next two years, as Sierra Leone headed for independence, Margai oversaw the creation of a new constitution for the colony, and upon its adoption in 1958, he became Prime Minister.
Knighthood
Knighted in 1959, he was prime minister at the time of independence on April 27, 1961, and won the ensuing election in 1962. He appointed the youngest Queens Council attorney in the Commonwealth at that time, Berthan Macaulay, to serve as his Attorney General. Margai died in office in
FreetownFreetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country and with a population of 1,070,200. The city is the economic and financial center of Sierra Leone...
in 1964 and was succeeded as prime minister by his brother Albert Margai.
Legacy
Today, Sierra Leoneans regard Sir Milton Margai as a man of honesty and high principle, and look back to his time in office as a period of prosperity and social harmony. Sir Milton is the only post-Independence leader of Sierra Leone still universally admired and respected by the people of that country. He was a member of the
Evangelical United Brethren ChurchThe Evangelical United Brethren Church was an American Protestant church which was formed in 1946 by the merger of the Evangelical Church with the Church of the United Brethren in Christ...
.
Sir Milton Margai School for the Blind
In 1961 Margai appealed for funding to build a school for the blind in
FreetownFreetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country and with a population of 1,070,200. The city is the economic and financial center of Sierra Leone...
. In 1962, he set the foundation stone for the building at Wilkinson Road. The school motto is: "We cannot see but we will conquer". In 2006, the school was the subject of a three part documentary on
BBC NewsBBC News, formerly BBC News and Current Affairs, is the department within the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the corporation's news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online....
. The Milton Margai School for the Blind Choir has toured the UK twice in 2003 and 2006.
Milton Margai College of Education and Technology
In 1963 the Milton Margai College of Education and Technology was established. The first incarnation of the school was the Milton Margai Teacher's College but as the school grew and the curriculum expanded the name was changed to the Milton Margai College of Education. In 2000, the school merged with the Freetown Technical Institute.
See also
- Sierra Leone People's Party
Sierra Leone People's Party is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with the All People's Congress . John Oponjo Benjamin. The party's support is mainly based in South-Eastern Sierra Leone and largely among the Mende people...
- Sir Albert Margai
Sir Albert Michael Margai was the second prime minister of Sierra Leone and the half-brother of Sir Milton Margai, the country's first Prime Minister...
- Charles Margai
Charles Francis Kondo Margai is a Sierra Leonean lawyer and politician. He is the leader of the People's Movement for Democratic Change the third major political party in Sierra Leone, after the big two, the Sierra Leone People's Party and the All People's Congress . He was his party's candidate...
External links