The Fula and Islamic Education in Freetown, Sierra Leone

Abstract

This study examines the role of the Fula in Islamic education in
Freetown, the capital city of Sierra Leone, from the colonial to the postcolonial
period. The Fula educational initiative forges a partnership
between the Muslim private sector and local educators. Not only does it
provide a model for responding to the challenge of developing Islamic
education in Sierra Leone, but it is a model that can be implemented
throughout Africa. It is especially important given the increasing multiethnic
student population and limited government support for Islamic
education in Sierra Leone and across the continent. The recent decline in
support from foreign Islamic countries for education in Africa adds
urgency to the need for African Muslims, such as the Fula, to pursue alternative approaches to promoting
Islamic education through broad-based cooperation among local educators, indigenous Muslim businesspersons, and the govemment.
For over two centuries the Fula, a devout Muslim group in
Africa,' were pioneers in the spread of Islam not just in Freetown
but throughout Sierra Leone. In fact, the Fula ...