Claim: A social media user, Samson Barrie, has shared an image purporting to be the city of Freetown, Sierra Leone. He describes it as “arguably one of the most beautiful cities across the African continent.”
Verdict: False. The image does not depict the real Freetown. Analysis using an AI image-detection tool indicates that 94% of the image is generated by artificial intelligence.
Full Text
A Facebook post by Samson Barrie has been attracting engagement. The post features a stunning image of a modern city with skyscrapers, wide highways, and a large billboard reading, Welcome to Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The caption reads: This is Freetown, the capital city of Sierra Leone. Freetown is arguably one of the most beautiful cities across the African continent.
The post attracted significant engagement, recording 357 reactions, 18 comments, and 8 shares, indicating that it reached a wide audience. While some users admired the image and believed it was genuine, others questioned its authenticity.
Because the post presents the image as a genuine photograph of Sierra Leone’s capital, DUBAWA decided to verify its authenticity. Similar claims were posted here, here, here, and here.
Verification
DUBAWA analysed the image using AI or Not, an artificial intelligence image detection tool.
The analysis showed that the image is 94% likely to have been generated by AI, while the probability of it being a deepfake was 0%. The tool further classified the image under AI-generated content, suggesting it was created using generative AI rather than captured with a camera.
Beyond the AI detection result, DUBAWA observed several visual features that do not correspond with the actual appearance of Freetown. The image portrays a skyline dominated by numerous modern skyscrapers, exceptionally wide and almost empty highways, and a massive digital billboard overlooking the city. These features are inconsistent with Freetown’s current urban landscape.
Caption: These are real images of the real Freetown.
Conclusion
The viral image claiming to show Freetown, Sierra Leone, is False. DUBAWA’s verification found that it is 94% artificial intelligence-generated and does not accurately reflect the appearance of Freetown.