Sierra Leone’s Freetown Memorial, a monument to First World War fallen soldiers created by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1931, has been refreshed. Oshinówò Studio is the architect behind the project, which features an extension to the original structure in the shape of a prism in structural glass, boldly illuminated in a nod of respect and honour to the local Carrier Corps.
Explore the new Freetown Memorial by Oshinówò Studio
Oshinówò Studio’s founder, Tosin Oshinówò, worked on integrating the geometric structure and its mesmerising lighting design with the etching of the names of more than 900 fallen Sierra Leone Carrier Corps members – individually commemorated within the memorial for the first time.
This type of project was a first for Oshinowo too, who was attracted to take part in the competition by the challenge of a new typology, as much as by its importance. ‘It has been an absolute privilege to design this monument. That said, I have always been drawn to new challenges, and it was precisely the unfamiliarity of this commission that attracted me. At the time, I was also exploring the relationship between public space and memory as part of an academic enquiry, and I became increasingly aware of these spaces’ cultural and historical significance. I brought that curiosity and personal interest into the project, allowing it to inform my approach to the design,’ she said.
‘We wanted to create a memorial that could transcend the limitations of its physical location. Light became a natural medium’
Tosin Oshinówò
The structure reaches 8.4m in height, its four glass ‘fins’ (weighing a total of 4,000 kg) emitting a colourful glow that culminates in a pillar of light projecting upwards and visible from a 5km radius across Freetown. This was the result of the design team’s ambition for their scheme to expand its impact and conceptually resonate beyond its physical space.
‘Through our engagement with the site and its context, we recognised that the monument, located within the forecourt of the Ministry of Finance, now sits within a controlled-access area. We wanted to create a memorial that could transcend the limitations of its physical location and extend its presence into the wider city. Light became a natural medium through which to achieve this,’ Oshinowo explains.
‘While the monument serves as a memorial to the fallen, we also saw an opportunity to create a broader space for collective remembrance, acknowledging some of the other tragedies that have shaped Sierra Leone’s history. The beam of light will be illuminated on significant days throughout the year, allowing the memorial to extend beyond its immediate commemorative purpose. In doing so, it becomes a contemporary monument that speaks to the people of Sierra Leone today while carrying its message of remembrance and hope to future generations.’
‘The beam of light will be illuminated on significant days throughout the year, allowing the memorial to extend beyond its immediate commemorative purpose’
Tosin Oshinówò
Oshinówò worked with an expert international team to realise this technically complex and important commission. Engineers, glass designers, laser consultants and construction partners from Nigeria, the Netherlands, Spain, Sierra Leone and the UK worked on the project. Meanwhile, stonemasons and bronze specialists worked on the existing memorial, restoring it to its former glory to accompany the new elements’ public reveal this weekend.
This didn’t come without its challenges, Oshinowo recalls: ‘Conceptually, the project came together quite naturally; the real challenge lay in its technical delivery. It has been an incredibly rewarding experience, but one that presented a number of significant technical and logistical challenges.
‘Our first obstacle was that Sir Edward Lutyens’ existing structure had not been designed to carry the additional weight of the new monument. We therefore developed a reinforcement strategy, which I have fondly called a root canal, to accommodate the new structure without compromising or damaging the existing masonry.’
An epitaph from poets Nii Ayikwei Parkes and Julianknxx, written in Krio and English, and inscribed on the pavilion, reads: ‘From today you will be carried, you are borne, now and ever.’
‘This memorial is part of one of the most significant projects we have undertaken since the Second World War. It is about righting a historic wrong and renewing a promise we made a century ago: that everybody who died for the Commonwealth in the First World War, no matter where, no matter how, no matter who they were, would be commemorated equally,’ says Claire Horton CBE, director general at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
‘We were looking for a response that was ambitious yet accurate, one that would allow us, for the first time, to honour by name the servicemen of the Sierra Leone Carrier Corps. We wanted to commission a memorial that would transform historical research and knowledge into meaningful action, helping people in Sierra Leone and around the world to have a fuller, international understanding of the global scale of the World Wars and the diverse individuals whose service helped shape our shared history.’