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Richmond Konneh reaching out, talking with conference critics By Sidiki Trawally for FELMAUSA, July 14, 2007
Photo: UNITY IN SIGHT: (l-r) Human Rights activist Sheik Sackor, Sekou Sanoe, Anthony Kesselly, Richmond Konneh, Shiwo Kamara, Francis Duwana, Sekou Kanneh and Abu Sillah
In an effort to bring on board those who criticized the conference as well as certain aspect of it and decided to stay away, Konneh was seen holding closed discussions with them, and according to him, these discussions are yielding some good results. He carefully listened to their concerns and reasons why they decided to stay away. Notable among people who he reached out to were pained members of the Board of the Liberian Mandingo Association of Pennsylvania (LIMAP), including Hon. Francis Duwana and Morris Sekou Kanneh. He also held some discussion with current ULAA Board Chairman Anthony Kesselly, who is also a prominent member of the Liberian community in PA. Kesselly, like most others, objected to certain aspect of the conference, most especially the Guest speakership of Prof Alhaji Kromah.
At the Sunday ceremony, President-Elect Konneh was visibly seem engaging and listening attentively to concerns raised by some of the aggrieved individuals, who after the discussion declared their supports for FELMAUSA. "I am on board..." declared an opposition (name withheld). According to Mr. Konneh,
he has been assured by Messrs Kesselly, Duwana, Kanneh
and majority of Mr. Konneh, who was formally introduced as President-Elect of FELMAUSA to Mr. Shiwo Kamara, presidential candidate in the ensuing Liberian Association of Pennsylvania (LAP) election by Kesselly, has said he and other members of his team will continue the outreach effort in other states so that FELMAUSA would be able to represent all Liberian Mandingoes as the umbrella union. "It takes patience, lot ot courage to achieve our dream and we are working towards that direction," Mr. Konneh said. Abu Sillah with wife and child
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July
14,2007 - He was invited to the official baby naming of
Abu Sillah's new born baby boy in Darby, Pennsylvania
Sunday, but FELMAUSA's President-Elect Richmond Mohamed
Konneh had something else in mind. He used the
occasion to reach out to as many critics of the
just-ended National Mandingo Conference that was held in
Philadelphia.
Mr. Konneh said he
intends to continue the dialogue with as many
oppositions as he could to break the impasse and foster
unity in the Mandingo community. He laments deep-seated
disunity that continues to cripple the community. "We,
as leaders of FELMAUSA will not relent in reaching out
to our own brothers and sisters who felt left out in the
process just to have all of us working together as one
group of people."