Saying goodbye to Sierra Leone’s cotton tree

A towering cotton tree which has stood for several hundred years in Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, has been brought down by a heavy storm. President Julius Maada Bio said the tree fell after a downpour on Wednesday night. He described it as a "great loss to the nation".

Raymond DeSousa George, Ambassador-at-Large of Heritage and culture in the President's Office in Freetown, tells Focus on Africa about the significance of the tree.

(Credit: Saidu BAH/ AFP/ Getty Images).