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Some Good News from Liberia
May 3, 2008
Nvasekie N. Konneh
 I have just returned home from another visit to our country, Liberia. As usual, relatives and friends have been asking me how things are going on back there. I have told them that the answer to that question may depend on who you talk to. Just like any other place in the world, things are going so well for some people and not so well for others. If I must give any answer to this question, it is the feeling of optimism that Liberia is going to bounce back but it is going to be a long tough journey before we get there.
This friend of mine was asking specifically about the roads, electricity, and water and how much the Ellen Sirleaf’s government has done about them. I told the friend that on those counts there have not been much progress but those will not influence my decision whether or not to visit or live in Liberia. If we are waiting for light, water, and roads to be all fixed up everywhere before we go to Liberia, we may be waiting for a long long time in the comfort of America and Europe. I told him that at this moment, I can only think of the famous quotation of President John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” The question now is can we all internalize this message and work accordingly? For me, I see Liberia as a recovering patient still on the sick bed. This patient needs many doses of medication. If every Liberian is expecting someone else to fix Liberia first before he or she comes home, it will be like we are all looking up to the sky for the manna to fall.
Of course the government was elected to fix things that the war spoiled. And the international community has shown some commitment to helping the country move forward. None of these is sufficient reason for us to lay back and do nothing. Our experience from the war must fuel our engine of creativity and commitment to uplift our country from the deep pit of underdevelopment to a place where we all can proudly say we have contributed to our country’s recovery. It is certainly going to take collective efforts of all Liberians to take Liberia there. We all must feel obligated to making our contribution no matter how little it is. Of course we can demand of the government to improve security conditions in all parts of the country so that we all cannot be stuck in Monrovia, afraid to venture out.
Most of the time when we talk to friends and relatives in Liberia, they tell us all the terrible tales of hardship in the country. So much so we (those of us in the Diaspora) are convinced that nothing good is happening in the country. Because of all the negative news we hear all the times, some of us have given up hope of better days coming for Liberia. Fact is that if hope is dead in all of us, our country will be like a ship that has run aground and no one to pull it off. We have to believe and have faith and hope in ourselves and only when we act on our faith and hopes can Liberia be what it supposes to be. Whether we are examining things from political or economic perspectives, so much is wrong but our challenge as citizens is to fix them all.
Every time I go home I like to look beyond the hardship stories to find something that is positive, something that is inspiring. However little these success stories may be, they are good enough to keep my own spirit up, boosting up my level of self-confidence. Even in the shark infested waters, some fish can still survive. In the deepest water, some people are able to keep their heads above the water. We must be self-less in encouraging those making strives in the most difficult situation, hoping that their success stories can inspire other people to pull themselves up.
Let’s begin with my friend Abraham Donzo, AKA Funky. Some years ago, he traveled to Europe with the intent to settle. Not being satisfied with Europe, he came to America with the same intention. Not being satisfied with America either, he decided to go back to Liberia. When I met him in 2006, he was engaged in some business. He along with Kalifala Donzo of Virginia started the Public Agenda newspaper which is positively impacting our society today. Though Funky’s main stay is our traditional business of transportation, the fact that he stepped outside the box to do something different is worth being mentioned in this article. I told him that I applaud his courage in starting an institution that is contributing meaningfully to the country’s on-going progress. Through this initiative, he has been able to provide employment for some journalists.
Sheik Kuyateh is a little brother. Several weeks ago, I ran into him on Broad Street. He told me, “Big brother, I want you to visit my office.” He told me he’s hooked up with some investors and had traveled couple of times to Europe on business trips. This is an upgrade from the business he was doing in 2006. Back in 2006, he told me he had won the DV to come to America. I advised him that coming to America on DV was a great opportunity but once he got his green card he must go back to continue his business. Well the DV did not work but Sheik did not give up and today life is promising for this young motivated brother. I was impressed with his energy and sense of optimism about what he’s doing. I told him, “While we are away, I am glad that you guys are holding the ground for us. Some days we will join you guys.” He flattered me by saying, “I am following your footstep. You are my role model and mentor. Your activities over the years have inspired me a lot and thank God we have people like you in our community.”
When flying to Liberia from Abidjan in 2006, there were 15 Lebanese nationals either returning or going to Liberia for the first time to do business. It made me think about how we feel that the Lebanese are “exploiting our people.” But again I thought that while these guys are risking too much to come to Liberia with the confidence that they can make it there, we the citizens sitting in the comfort of America and Europe are still waiting for light and water to be everywhere before we go home. I mentioned this fact to one young man recently here in America and he told me, “These people get plenty money and even if they lose, their investments are insured whereby I have to push many hours here in America. If I take that money to Liberia and things don’t go well, it will be hard for me to recover and I have to come back and push some more hours.”
In the aftermath of the 2005 election and the inauguration of President Sirleaf, many Liberians left Europe and America to go back home. Our friend and brother Sekou Korleh was one of them. When he gave up his job, apartment and car here in the US to go home, many of us thought that he was taking too much risk with his life. Well things have not been bad for this young aggressive community activist. He has since then sent for his wife and children to live with him in Liberia. As always, Sekou is very optimistic about the future of his country. I was with two young brothers who admire Sekou for his “success” and I told them that anyone of them can be successful; all it takes is determination to push on with whatever they believe in. I told them that if they can convince themselves that they can climb the mountain and work hard enough, they will certainly be able to reach to the mountain top however long it takes.
Fumba Konneh is a family brother. We were introduced to each other several years ago when he was on some government mission in the states. In 2006 I met him in Liberia. But it was during my last visit couple of weeks ago that we had the chance to talk lengthily about family, the country and our hopes and dreams. We watched the DVD of one of his oversea trips. This one shows him interacting with a very powerful church leader from London whose church, known as HIS Church sent containers full of relief items to Liberia. He had met the pastor and explained to him the plight of Liberia’s children. These were not used materials. They were all brand new items. As we saw the DVD, the containers were brought to Liberia and the items distributed among the needy. The pastor not only sent the relief items, he came to visit Liberia. In the reception attended by President Sirleaf and some of her top officials, he praised Br. Konneh for telling him about the story of Liberia. The president praised Br. Konneh for his efforts in spreading good news about the country.
Despite everything in Liberia, our people love to celebrate life. The fact that life is a combination of seriousness and fun is something I people have not forgotten despite everything we hear about home. That’s the feeling I got on the last Sunday I spent in Monrovia. That was the day Massebe Kamara was welcomed like a president by her many fans. After her series of performances in the US, Guinea, her diehard fans in Monrovia couldn’t wait to see her. She has set a great record for her community and adoring fans. There was a long convoy of more than 20 vehicles from somewhere behind Coco Cola Factory all the way to Iron Factory in Gardnersville. These vehicles were full with her screaming fans singing to Massebe Kamara’s songs blasting through the loud sound system. I had wanted this to be Massebe’s moment in the spotlight for her artistic creativity but her fans wanted me to stand beside her in the open top jeep. They said they had heard a lot about me and wanted their people to see me beside the star I have produced. I had told them, “the fact that I have helped someone realized her dream is enough for me and I take my satisfaction in that feeling.” They said that was not enough until I stand beside her to waive to her fans. It has to be good to feel one day like a president with hundreds of people on the roads chanting your name. That’s how it kind of felt like. Beside the screaming fans in the cars, there were hundreds or thousands of people, some waving and some curious to know what was going on. It was such good feeling to be in the spotlight knowing that we have done something that so many people appreciate. Promoting our culture either through literature, films, or music has been a dream for me. I am passionate about what I believe in. So the feed-back I saw of the journey we have started gave me lot of comfortable feeling that our efforts are not in vain.
Of course any talk about some of the good things happening in Liberia will not be complete without talking about my brother and friend Musa Bility. I am not talking here about Musa the political appointee of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and current chairman of the Board of Director of the Liberia Water and Sewer Cooperation. I am talking about Musa the business man whose Srimex Inc. is one of the petroleum importing companies in Liberia and who also owns the Truth FM and the Real TV. Long before his entrance in politic, Musa has been a business man. Given his age and what he has been able to accomplish is a triumph of will power and determination to succeed. Between his petroleum importing company and his two media entities, he has been able to employ lot of people. That is a positive contribution that must be applauded. From the composition of the media entities’ board to the employees, one can see that Musa truly believes in diversity.
These are just few of the wonderful stories from Liberia. There is no space to count all the good stories from there. These were heart-warming enough for me and I thought it will be good to share them with my readers. Please do not accuse me of trying to sugarcoat the difficult situation in the country. I recognize that. I only believe that in the midst of that difficulty, there are some positive stories of success and it’s also good to bring those to light.
About the author: Nvasekie Konneh is a nine year veteran of the US Navy and the author of the book of poetry, “Going to War for America.” He’s the chairman of the Liberian Writers Network (LWN) and Chairman of FELMAUSA’s Public Relation Committee. Besides writing, Nvasekie Konneh is a music producer/promoter and CEO of the KonnLove Entertainment and Production. Nvasekie Konneh is the Executive Producer of the Positive Force’s CD, “Liberia, Land of the Free,” and Massebe Kamara’s debut CD, “Dengo.” Contact info: KonnLove@aol.com .
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