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Southend Sierra Leonean festival comes to seafront

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By George Pizani Trainee Reporter
Fun - Saturday saw thousands of Sierra Leonean's fill the seafront <i>(Image: Sierra Leonean Outing)</i>
Fun - Saturday saw thousands of Sierra Leonean's fill the seafront (Image: Sierra Leonean Outing)
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ORGANISERS behind an annual Sierra Leonean festival on Southend seafront are celebrating record turnout at this year's event. 

Between 4,000 and 5,000 people are believed to have flocked to the seafront on Saturday, with some coming from as far as the USA and Germany. 

Community - Sierra Leoneans travelled to Southend over the weekendCommunity - Sierra Leoneans travelled to Southend over the weekend (Image: Sierra Leonean Outing) Dating back to the 1970s, the modern Sierra Leone Outing has been described as the product of a strong relationship between organisers and the council.

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While the community traces the history of the outing back almost 50 years, the event has been held in Southend for the past seven. 

Celebration - Revellers travelled from across the UK and beyond to join the festivitiesCelebration - Revellers travelled from across the UK and beyond to join the festivities (Image: Sierra Leonean Outing) Michael Mansaray, who has organised the last 17 iterations of the festival, said: "We have such a wonderful relationship with Southend Council and we really enjoy coming to the city and brining something a bit different. 

"We're a really vibrant community and have people come from all over the UK, and even the world to take part. 

"This year we had a politician from Sierra Leone attend as well as visitors from the USA and Germany."

Saturday saw thousands of Sierra Leoneans fill the seafront, with food, music and speeches being enjoyed. 

Tributes were also paid to event's long-standing MC Christo P Da Hyperman, who sadly passed away last year. 

Busy - Between 4,000 and 5,000 took part in this year's festivalBusy - Between 4,000 and 5,000 took part in this year's festival (Image: Sierra Leonean Outing) According to Mr Mansaray, Southend has been the perfect home for the festival in recent years, with residents from outside of the Sierra Leonean community also getting stuck in. 

"It's a celebration of love, life and community and we always have a lot of people in Southend who want to come over and speak about what we're celebrating," he said. 

"The outing is also very good for local trade because we bring thousands of people to the city who use the business and public transport to get to Southend."

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The event is officially licensed by Southend Council, with organisers making applications month in advance. 

Support - Organisers worked with Essex Police to ensure the event was a successSupport - Organisers worked with Essex Police to ensure the event was a success (Image: Sierra Leonean Outing) It is designed to replicate the community outings held in Sierra Leone, according to applications previously submitted by organisers.

Last year's event saw Mr Mansaray work closely with Essex Police to reassure attendees who feared further violence in the wake of the machete-wielding thug violence that took place on the seafront. 

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