By Sallu Kamuskay Salone Messenger
Born in Freetown, Ella Llewleyn Jones is a 46-year-old British Sierra Leonean author and poet who writes under the Pseudonym, Ella.
Based in England, Ella started writing under a pseudonym when she worked as a Special Police Constable in the Metropolitan Police to disguise her identity.
Ella is the author of the book titled Ethnic Muse available on Amazon. Ella’s anthologies address themes such as social injustice, women’s rights, black history, and corruption in African politics.
Ella Llewelyn Jones was born to Krio parents and grew up in Hill Station.
Ella attended the Methodist Girls High School (MGHS) and later moved to the Albert Academy where she continued her Sixth form. Ella later attended Fourah Bay College to study English Language and Literature.
Upon graduating she travelled to England in 1994 and went back to University to study Criminology & Social Policy.
Moving to the United Kingdom, Ella has spent most part of her life in the United Kingdom studying, working, and building a family. Despite the long distance, Ella has never forgotten her home country, she always followed up by reading and watching the news to be updated on things happening in her country.
Her love for writing and her birth country led her to embark on writing books as way to reflect and connect with her country. Ella has recently published the book titled “Sierra Leone in the Diaspora.”
During an interview with us at Salone Messenger, Ella said “My new book is all about our landscape, our tribes, our food and is meant to enlighten Britain about our diverse culture.
“Sierra Leone in the Diaspora” addresses social and political themes such as gender inequality, FGM, child marriage, socio-economic deprivation and corruption in politics, using a mixture of English and Creole words.”
Ella worked for the Metropolitan Police force as a Special Constable for several years and resigned in 2021. Speaking about her favourite poem in the book, she said
“My favourite poem is “Sierra Leone” an acrostic that spells out our country’s name in rhyme while revealing what we’re known for, like our natural resources.”
Ella grew up in a loving family where Christian values were instilled in them. She spent her formative life in St Augustine’s Church, Hill Station either attending Sunday service or youth groups. However she experienced poverty as her dad was only a civil servant and not that wealthy. Ella’s Dad invested in his children and taught them that a good education was the way to success.
Despite of the number of years spent in the United Kingdom, she still cherishes good memories. At home they still eat Sierra Leonean dishes and speak about their childhood experiences growing up in Sierra Leone.
“I’ve always been Sierra Leonean as you are what you are. My Mum lives in Leeds and cooks Sierra Leonean dishes every week. I had Okra soup yesterday for lunch! But people who know me didn’t realise I was African. They assumed I was Black British as I don’t have an accent.”
Ella’s recently published book, Sierra Leone in The Diaspora is now available on Amazon. The book focuses on what unites us as a nation and the beautiful things Sierra Leone is known for as a country “We need to focus on what unites us rather than our differences. Politicians come and go, a nation lasts forever. My Poems are all about unity and love.” She told us at Salone Messenger
You can connect with Ella on the social media platforms below: YouTube: Sierra Leone Poem New. Facebook: Ella Llewleyn Jones.
