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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).