Madam Yoko’s Grave

The British colony of Sierra Leone had been founded in 1792 with the settlement in Freetown. As the 19th century progressed, the colony expanded its influence and control farther inland. This was spurred further by the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, and in 1896 the British declared a protectorate over hinterlands of Sierra Leone.

In was in this era of increasing British influence that the girl Soma was born, around 1849. Upon coming of age, she adopted the name Yoko during her Sande society initiation. Her first start in politics was likely during the marriage to her second husband, the Taiama chief Gbenjei. After Gbenjei’s death, Yoko married Gbanya Lango, a powerful war chief. This marriage would bring her into contact with the British authorities; when Gbanya Lango was imprisoned by British colonial officials, Yoko went to Governor Rowe to plead his case. Reportedly impressed with Yoko, Governor Rowe flogged but then released Gbanya.

Her third husband died in 1878, leaving Madam Yoko in position to take over as kor mahei, or war chief, of the Kpa Mende. Using shrewd political tactics, force, and British support, Madam Yoko united fourteen Kpa Mende chiefdoms. By 1884 she was known as “Queen of Senehun.”

The creation of the British protectorate, and the colony’s subsequent efforts to impose a “Hut Tax” caused a crisis in Sierra Leone, leading to the Hut Tax War of 1898. When Madam Yoko ordered her people to pay the tax, they rebelled, causing Madam Yoko to flee into the protection of the British. The resistance was unsuccessful, and for demonstrating her loyalty, the British rewarded Madam Yoko with a silver medal from Queen Victoria, and elevated her to Paramount Chief.

Madam Yoko continued to rule as Paramount Chief until her death in 1906. She was buried in the town of Moyamba. Her grave was declared a national monument in Sierra Leone in 2016 and resides within what is now a market area in the town. It is identified by two plaques, one placed by her family’s descendants and another by Sierra Leone’s Monuments and Relics Commission.