- Author, Tamasin Ford
- Role, BBC Africa Eye
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr don make name for herself as tree-planting mayor of one West African city wey climate change wan finish.
Di 56-year-old na also di first woman wey dem directly elect as mayor of Freetown - and di first pesin wey dem re-elect since di position become position wey di pipo wey dey live for Sierra Leone capital city fit vote.
BBC Africa Eye bin get unique access to her and her family throughout one year to di run-up to last year elections. Dis bin help us torchlight and understand di highs and lows of Sierra Leone politics and also wetin e dey personally cost to dey popular for politics.
But afta many years of working for finance for London, wetin shock her pass anytin about her return home na di crase about her capabilities as woman.
"E no get any interview wey I bin do wey dem bin no ask: 'So you tink say you fit do dis work as a woman?" Aki-Sawyerr tok wit smile for her face.
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"And I go say: 'Why you dey ask me dis?' I be first and foremost professional… I just happun to be woman.
"You get tins like: 'Oh, she too stubborn. She difficult.' If na man dey [dis behaviours], [dem] go encourage and celebrate am: 'Oh im strong. I know im mind.'"
She give her papa credit for many of her success.
"I don realise say I bin no send many tins for my upbringing. I be one of four girls and pipo go say to [my papa]: 'Hey, so sorry, you know, no boys.'
"Im go be like: 'E no get anytin wey my girls no fit do wey boys go do.'
"So we grow up just full of confidence and no ever tink say our gender fit block us."
Dem born Aki-Sawyerr for Freetown. After she graduate from di city Fourah Bay College with economics degree for 1988, she move to UK.
Not long afterwards, Sierra Leone witness 11-year civil war, wia dem commit plenty atrocities against civilians, and dem cut di hand and leg of thousands of pipo wit machetes.
She bin be one of seven Sierra Leone pipo wey dey live for UK wey set up charity to help children, especially orphans, wey di conflict affect.
Wen Ebola outbreak reach Sierra Leone for 2014, Aki-Sawyerr decide to travel back to serve as volunteer for three-month – wia late Queen Elizabeth II appoint her as OBE. Ten years later she still dey dia.
"Di journey to dis seat. Di journey to wia our family find imsef, e no dey easy," she admit.
Di tin wey make her enter politics come for August 2017, wen Sierra Leone suffer di worst natural disaster for dia history.
One massive mudslide, wey heavy rain cause, take over di streets near Freetown killing 1,141 pipo.
Wia dis foto come from, Reuters
Aki-Sawyerr decide to make di environment her focus afta her election for 2018.
Like many cities wey dey West African coast, Freetown dey vulnerable to flooding, coastal erosion and extreme heat.
As di authorities begin manage di coronavirus pandemic, she launch #FreetownTheTreeTown campaign for January 2020.
Money from di campaign bin come from tokens wey dem sell on private and carbon markets, dem bin pay area pipo for di to plant and monitor trees and mangroves.
Di purpose bin be to plant one million trees inside two years. Although dem don miss di goal, dem don plant more than 600,000 seedlings.
Di project make finalist for last year Earthshot Prize, wey Prince William bin take support pipo wey dey work to provide innovative solutions for environmental issues.
E say di target now na to reach di one million mark by dis year - adding dat "dem don see one excellent tree survival rate of over 80%".
Aki-Sawyerr don win plenty international praise for her climate work.
For 2021, Time magazine name her TIME100 Next list of "emerging leaders wey dey shape di future" for her efforts to clean up Freetown streets, fix im gutter systems and plant trees.
Wia dis foto come from, Freetown City Council
She dey many boards and commissioning groups and she bin speak for di COP28 for Dubai, di UN Climate Change Conference for 2023.
Success wen e come to tackling climate change no easy to measure and critics wey dey closer to home say she never do enough.
"She bin say she go clean Freetown. Freetown still dirty. E get many tins wey she say she go do wey she never do," Mohamed Gento Kamara say, wey bin run against her for di 2023 mayoral elections for di Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) - di party of di current president.
Aki-Sawyerr defend herself by saying she spend "five years wit my hands wey dem tie for my back" as she dey opposition party, di All People's Congress (APC).
"For my first term as mayor, I try to work wit goment but dem bin reject me."
President Julius Maada Bio don also put climate on im agenda.
Im speak for COP26 for Glasgow, and also for last year Africa Climate Summit for Nairobi.
E also launch di Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security one month afta im re-election.
Di inter-party rivalry also get darker undertones as we show for di BBC documentary, wen we bin feem Aki-Sawyerr, her daughter and campaign team for di ground of di APC headquarters on di day of di election as dem bin fire gunshots and tear gas for di building.
One woman died for di violence.
Challenged on weda she go now focus more on politics instead of pipo, she reply: "I reject am.
"But… you gatz get wisdom. You gatz to dey able to work inside situation wey dey different and dynamic as you hold on to your life."
Although she win office again for Freetown last June, dem no swear her in until October as APC, allege fraud for di national polls, come refuse to engage in any official activities.
Di gbas gbos bin only end wit di help of regional negotiators and di African Union.
Di climate campaign still dey Aki-Sawyerr agenda for her final term for office.
But one tin wey she admit be say she "totally underestimated" na "di extent wey female mayor dey ginja so many women and girls".
"E bin no be how I calculate am, e bin no even dey my mind wen I bin dey run for dis office, but na significant part of who I bin be and di impact wey I don make bin really move me."
Sierra Leone dey see more women for politics than ever before, many say na sake of President Maada Bio 2022 Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Act, wey set 30% quota for women in parliament, di cabinet and oda institutions.
Parliament don meet dat target, meaning Sierra Leone now get double di number of female MPs than e bin get before, and way above di average for West Africa.
Quota dey helpful, Aki-Sawyerr say, but dem no dey enough.
She say she dey fear say "fit be more about window dressing" and say "women empowerment need to come from di heart".
As mayor of Freetown she don relise say many oda women no grow up wit di kain confidence sey she enjoy as a girl.
"Seeing me… e dey somehow help women to realise say e no get anytin wey dem no fit to do."
