STANDARD VOICE Sierra Leoneans From North To South,East To West “ We Are One Family” Time To Unite Posted by on May 1, 2008, 12:53

That this country, called Sierra Leone has a very rich socio-cultural heritage is absolutely indisputable.  Sierra Leoneans are not generally known to be warlike.  As a matter of fact, they are a tolerant and accommodating people.  Even Bai Bureh’s “Hut Tax” war, which was the equivalent of the American “Boston Tea Party” and Thomas Paine’s famous assertion of “no taxation without representation stance and almost all of the internal conflicts  that have afflicted the country over the years have neither been tribally motivated nor religiously influenced.

Educationally, institutions like the (CMS) now Sierra Leone Grammar School, the Annie Walsh Memorial School, Methodist Boys High School, the Methodist Girls High School, St. Edwards Secondary School and the St. Joseph’s Convent were all established to help in educating Sierra Leoneans and other West African nationals as educationists, religious leaders, civil servants, commercial agents and political heads.

In Sierra Leone, where the system of indirect rule (paramount chiefs) played a prominent role, the supremacy of the traditional rulers (Paramount chiefs) was dominant.

Later on, the colonial government established THE BO SCHOOL which was set up for the education of the sons and nominees of Paramount chiefs.  All the various tribes in Sierra Leone were represented at THE BO SCHOOL.  Good interpersonal skills were acquired because the students resided on campus.  Tribal diversity as was manifested through multiculturalism was promoted as a strength that created the environment for the recognition and facilitations of national cohesion.  There was no oasis from wardrobe political opportunists to implement their negative policy of divide and rule.  The promotion of tribalism for political gain is a relatively new phenomenon in the new political dispensation of the republic of Sierra Leone.  The slogan, “one country, one people, one destiny” superseded politics in the past.  It was a rallying call for the inhabitants of the then protectorate to work together cooperatively and collaboratively.

It is essential to stress again that the malady of historical amnesia is nothing new.  It is merely the selective acceptance or non-acceptance of ideas, issues and practices that are deemed to be advantageous for that time period.  In Sierra Leone, historical amnesia ignores the benefits that are derived from a vibrant multicultural environment.

The St. Francis Secondary School, Christ the King College, Magburakah Boys Secondary School and the Prince of Wales also possessed the depth and breadth of the multicultural diversity and vitality that THE BO SCHOOL had.  Northerners who attended THE BO SCHOOL had unfettered opportunities to compete, socialize and learn the nuances of the south-eastern culture during their studies.  THE BO SCHOOL students were able to organize themselves into drama clubs irrespective of regional, tribal, religious or ethic origin.  The students were able to travel to selected towns in the provinces where they would stage concerts.  Observationally, it was alleged by those who had the opportunity to attend the concerts that THE BO SCHOOL had inculcated respect for each other, recognition of talent and leadership qualities, cooperation and collaboration in their students.  The above qualities constituted the core of the school motto, “Manners Maketh man” which Principal, W.W. Smith, would so proudly talk about.

It is also essential to indicate that a significant number of THE BO SCHOOL students ultimately made south-eastern Sierra Leone their permanent residence.  It is not uncommon to find the offspring of northerners who are bilingual (temne/mende; madingo/mende; limba / mende; Kono/ mende; Fullah/ mende; Koranko/ mende).  Of course, the intermarriage of the Mendes and other northern tribes helped to strengthen provincial relationships.

There were also a fairly large number of northerners residing in the south-east than the other way around. Some have argued that south-easterners, by nature, are generally very hospitable and accommodating.  Others have argued that northerners are attracted to the south-east because the two regions are more conducive for trade, commerce, settlement and community relations.

Again, during the colonial days, Bunumbu and Njala colleges were established as educational institutions for the training of teachers.  Later on, Koyeima, Jimmy Bagboh and Kenema were established as central schools.  Both the teacher training colleges and the central schools were opened to students from all over the country irrespective of tribe, religion or political affiliation.  These educational institutions constituted the real melting pots of Sierra Leone.

Times have however changed with the proliferation of primary, secondary and tertiary institutions all over the country.  The age old problem of accessibility to an educational institution has diminished significantly.

However, it is essential to observe that while there are no legal restrictions on students who wish to attend educational institutions outside of their own regions, there are some unspoken words and behavioral patterns that appear to have had a negative impact on students who are interested in attending schools in some parts of the country.  Some south-eastern students have successfully brought with the open display of south-eastern hospitality toward northerners and vice versa. The roots of the once solid relationship that existed between northerners and south-easterners are not completely dead.  President Ernest Bai Koroma is married to an easterner from Kono while the majority leader in Parliament, Hon E. Turay is married to a southerner.  In the process of researching material for this piece, it was discovered that the Minister of Information and Communication who resided in Bo town for quite a while, was once married to an easterner from Blama in Small Bo. All these are clear pictures for the people of this nation to come to the realization that Sierra Leoneans belong to a single family; therefore we should all join hands together to promote the land that we love.