By Julius A. Gulama, Illinois, USA
When people today speak of “Radical Inclusion,” some present it as a new invention or even as a movement within the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). But history tells a different story. The SLPP itself was born out of Radical Inclusion long before the phrase became fashinable.
The SLPP was not born out of exclusion, but out of radical inclusion, uniting chiefs and commoners, educated and uneducated, Freetown and the provinces into one voice for independence.
The Pre-Formative Years
Before the SLPP’s founding in 1951, Sierra Leone’s politics was deeply divided. Creole elites in Freetown pushed for reforms through the National Congress of British West Africa, while chiefs and educated Africans in the provinces-built organizations such as the Protectorate Educational Progressive Union (PEPU) and the Sierra Leone Organization Society (SOS).
Each group had its own interests, often working in isolation. But by the late 1940s, a realization grew: independence could not be achieved without unity. The eventual merger of these associations into one party, the SLPP, was itself an act of Radical Inclusion.
Chief Julius Gulama’s Vision
Few understood this better than Paramount Chief Julius Gulama (my grandfather whom I was named after) of Kaiyamba Chiefdom, Moyamba District. He believed Sierra Leone’s future depended on breaking down barriers between regions.
On April 27, 1944, he gave his daughter, Ella Gulama, in marriage to Paramount Chief Bai Koblo Pathbana II of the North. In an era when inter-provincial unions were rare, the marriage was a symbolic declaration: North and South could be joined, not separated.
Seven years later, when the SLPP was formally launched, Chief Gulama proposed April 27 as its founding date. His colleagues agreed. The same date was later chosen for Sierra Leone’s independence in 1961. Independence Day itself is tied to a legacy of Radical Inclusion.
Madam Ella Koblo Gulama’s Trailblazing Role
The vision carried into the next generation. Madam Ella Koblo Gulama, daughter of Julius Gulama and wife of Bai Koblo Pathbana, became one of Sierra Leone’s most remarkable political pioneers.
• In 1962, she was elected to the House of Parliament, the first woman in sub-Saharan Africa to enter a national legislature.
• Soon after, she was appointed Minister of State by Sir Milton Margai, the first woman cabinet minister in sub-Saharan Africa.
Her career broke both regional and gender barriers, a continuation of the Radical Inclusion her father had set in motion.
Religious Inclusion in Leadership
Radical Inclusion in the SLPP was not only about region, gender, or class. It also embraced religious diversity.
The SLPP elected Alhaji Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah as its presidential candidate in 1995. He went on to become the first Muslim President of Sierra Leone in 1996, further demonstrating that the party’s doors were open to all Sierra Leoneans regardless of faith. His leadership during the most difficult years of civil conflict underscored the SLPP’s belief that the nation’s strength lies in unity through diversity.
The Party’s DNA
The SLPP’s motto, One Country, One People, was never just a slogan. It was a principle that guided the party from day one.
That is why attempts to frame Radical Inclusion as a recent trend or a personal project are misplaced. Radical Inclusion is not a wing of the party. It is the party’s DNA.
From the merger of pre-1951 groups, to the symbolic marriage of 1944, to the leadership of trailblazers like Madam Ella, and the religious inclusiveness reflected in the presidency of Tejan Kabbah, Radical Inclusion has been the force that allowed the SLPP to unite a divided country and lead Sierra Leone to independence.
A Legacy to Protect
The challenge today is not to debate who owns Radical Inclusion, but to live up to it. Sierra Leone moves forward only when it remembers the principle that built the nation in the first place: unity through inclusion.
One Country. One People!
Power Sharing: A Roadmap to One-Party State