OPINION > Something To Think About In Sierra Leone…His Name Attracts Posted by Joe Sawan on May 2, 2008, 14:09

There is absolutely very little difference between Sierra Leoneans and other nationalities regarding their perception of the significance of names in the status of families in a society.  It is not uncommon for families of lesser means and / or others who crave the limelight to name their offspring after well-established families.

For example, in the United States of America, personalities like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Vanderbilt, Bill Gates and Donald Trump have political, economic and socio-cultural currency in that country.

The fascination with names is equally prominent in Sierra Leone.  This is manifested by the fact that names like Bai Bureh, Adikali Modu, Marah, Koblo, Nyagua, Kai Samba, Kai Tongi, Kailondo, Ndawa, Jaia Kaikai, Benya, Dura, Momoh, Bio, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Siaka P. Stevens, Margai and Koroma are either known to have or have had great financial, political and socio-cultural currency.

What is even more interesting is that in a developing country like Sierra Leone where the incidence of poverty is about seventy percent, a literacy rate of approximately forty percent, an inadequate. Health care system and a very poor infrastructural system, there is the general tendency of the citizens to name their children after the most recognized and highly visible personalities.  In other instances, adults who are perceived to be struggling and less well connected to align themselves with the well established political, financial and commercial families.  Families who name their children after such well established families do so with the hope that they will gain financially and otherwise from such connections.  The adults do so with the expectation that their newly found politically and financially well established families will help those employed by government to be promoted to strategically powerful positions and/or with appointments to lucrative commissions and institutions.  The caveat in all of the above is that political power is not static.  It is very dynamic in the sense that political power does change hands.  Here in Sierra Leone, the Margai’s, Brig. David Lansana, Col. Juxon Smith, Dr. S.P. Stevens, Dr. J.S. Momoh, Capt. Valentine Strasser, Brig. Julius Maada Bio, Dr. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah have all led Sierra Leone.  The latest name fascination is that of Koroma that is, His Excellency Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, the Executive President of the country.  Interestingly, while the name Koroma is usually perceived to be Northern in origin, large numbers of families with the name Koroma are south-easterners.  Now that Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma is occupying the Presidential and not the opposition leader’s chair, his circle of friends, family members, associates, admirers and supporters have increased by many folds across the country.  All of the in-laws who remained in the background during the very lean political years have suddenly resurfaced with gusto. In an amazing fashion, the First Lady is also a Koroma by lineage.  The great Kono politician of NDMC fame, Abu Aiah Koroma, is the First Lady’s late father

The word around the country is that, there is a fierce battle ranging for the attention of President Koroma between the praise singers (Yelibas)/ sycophants and the more serious minded patriots/ nationalists.  The Stevens, Momoh and Strasser honeymoons were relatively short lived.

Also, the name Kargbo has assumed some very high degree of prominence of late. The prevailing view is that the high profile role now being played by the information and Communications Ministers is partly responsible for the interest in the name Kargbo. His colleagues have expressed the hope that he will temper his political position on the responsibility of the media in the interest of national cohesion.