Julius Momoh Gulama (born Julius Foday Cole, 1893 – 8 March 1951) was a

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

paramount chief A paramount chief is the English-language designation for the highest-level political leader in a regional or local polity or country administered politically with a chief-based system. This term is used occasionally in anthropological and arch ...

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

in the preindependence era. As

of Kaiyamba Chiefdom, he ruled the largest and most powerful Mende chiefdom in the

. Gulama was a founding member of two key organizations that worked towards independence for

: the Protectorate Educational Progressive Union (PEPU) and the Sierra Leone Organizational Society (SOS). When Sierra Leone became independent, both organizations merged to form the Sierra Leone People's Party, Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). He was the father of

Ella Koblo Gulama Paramount Chief A paramount chief is the English-language designation for the highest-level political leader in a regional or local polity or country administered politically with a chief-based system. This term is used occasionally in ...

and

Komeh Gulama Lansana Komeh Gulama Lansana was the wife of Brigadier David Lansana, Force Commander of the Sierra Leone Army until his execution in 1975. Lansana is the daughter of Paramount Chief Julius Gulama, one of the Founding Fathers of postcolonial Sierra Leo ...

Early life and education

He was born Julius Foday Cole in

Moyamba Moyamba is the capital and largest city of Moyamba District, in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. There has been a recorded population of 11,485 in the 2004 census. The city is ethnically diverse, although the Mende people make up the majo ...

Moyamba District Moyamba District is a district in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone, with a population of 318,064 in the 2015 census. Its capital and largest city is Moyamba. The other major towns include Njala, Rotifunk and Shenge. The district is the la ...

in the Southern Province of

British Sierra Leone The Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone (informally British Sierra Leone) was the British colonial administration in Sierra Leone from 1808 to 1961, part of the British Empire from the abolitionism era until the decolonisation era. The Crow ...

to Mende Paramount Chief Momoh Gulama of Kaiyamba Chiefdom and Talla, his Temne wife. He received his primary school education at the EUB School at

Rotifunk Rotifunk is a town in Moyamba District, in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. The Sherbro people, Sherbro make up the largest ethnic group in the town. Rotifunk is the birthplace of Sierra Leonean politician, John Karefa-Smart, and writer ...

and graduated secondary school at

Albert Academy The Albert Academy (AA) is a secondary school in Freetown, Sierra Leone. The school's motto is ''Esse Quam Vederi'' (Rather to be than to Seem). It is situated at Berry Street in Freetown. Among its alumni are Sierra Leone's first Prime Ministe ...

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...

Heir presumptive

It was understood in

that he would one day succeed his father

Momoh Gulama Momoh Gulama was a Sierra Leonean paramount chief who ruled Kaiyamba Chiefdom in Moyamba District. Early life Gulama was born in Moyamba, Moyamba District in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. His was the second son of Kaiyamba, a Mende p ...

. Prior to his reign, he taught at

Harford School for Girls Harford Secondary School for Girls is a secondary school for girls in Moyamba, Sierra Leone. History The roots of the school lie in the Mary Sowers School for Girls, founded by Church of the United Brethren in Christ, United Brethren in Christ (U ...

. He also worked as a ticket master for the Sierra Leone Railway Department and was a clerk in the Kamerun campaign during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and a clerk at the Peterson Zochonis firm in

Reign

His reign as

of Kaiyamba Chiefdom began in 1928. He assumed the

regnal name A regnal name, or regnant name or reign name, is the name used by monarchs and popes during their reigns and, subsequently, historically. Since ancient times, some monarchs have chosen to use a different name from their original name when they ac ...

"Julius Momoh Gulama". Gulama is regarded as one of the Founding Fathers and Mothers of Sierra Leone.

The Sierra Leone Organization Society

Gulama was a founding member of the Sierra Leone Organization Society (SOS), a political association formed with the aim of achieving independence for

. The association consisted of a group of educated protectorate Sierra Leoneans including

John Karefa-Smart Dr. John Albert Musselman Karefa-Smart (17 June 1915 – 26 August 2010) was a Sierra Leonean politician, medical doctor and university professor. He served as the first Foreign Minister under Sierra Leone's first Prime Minister, Sir Milton Mar ...

Siaka Stevens Siaka Probyn Stevens (24 August 1905 – 29 May 1988) was the leader of Sierra Leone from 1967 to 1985, serving as Prime Minister of Sierra Leone, Prime Minister from 1967 to 1971 and as President from 1971 to 1985. Stevens' leadership was ofte ...

, J.D.Manley and Doyle Sumner.

Sierra Leone People's Party

In 1951, the Sierra Leone Organization Society (SOS) united with the Protectorate Educational Progressive Union (PEPU) to form the Sierra Leone People's Party, Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP). Gulama was a founding member of the new political party. It was chaired by Sir Milton Margai and the deputy leader was Chief Bai Farima Tass II.

Public perception and character

Gulama is regarded as one of the Founding Fathers and Mothers of the

Sierra Leone People's Party The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with its main political rival the All People's Congress (APC). It has been the ruling party in Sierra Leone since April 4, 2018. The SLPP do ...

. His reign was distinguished by his efforts to unite Sierra Leoneans of all ethnic groups together. He was a passionate advocate of education in Sierra Leone and he helped establish the

Bo Government School The Bo Government Secondary School commonly known as Bo School is a secondary school located on a property in the center of Bo, the second largest city in Sierra Leone. The school was founded in 1906 at the behest of the British colonial govern ...

Issue

Marriage and family

Gulama was married to Lucy and had three children Samuel, Ella and Komeh. It is the tradition of paramount chief's in Sierra Leone to practice

polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...

and have so-called "junior" wives. From Gulama's junior wife, Lunia, he fathered two more daughters Messy and Yebu. Gulama was progressive and supported

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...

. He promoted education for women and girls in his chiefdom and led by example by having his daughter Ella accompany him to the Council of Chiefs and Protectorate Assembly Meetings.

Ancestry

External links

The life and Times of Honourable PC Madam Ella Koblo Gulama of Sierra Leone
By Awareness Times, September 26, 2006

Sierra Connection

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gulama, Julius 1956 deaths African royalty Sierra Leonean nobility Sierra Leonean royalty Sierra Leone People's Party politicians 1893 births People from Moyamba District