The Late Madusu Konneh

The 9 year old Madusu Konneh who drowned in Schuylkill River near 56th Street in Southwest Philadelphia was buried on Saturday, August 22, 2009 at the Chester Avenue Cemetery. The interment followed the Jananza Prayer over the body at Masjid Al-Islaah at 65th and Elwood Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia. It was a touching moment for everyone from the mosque to the cemetery where she was finally laid to rest.

Preaching at the grave site, Imam Sheik Sherif told everyone to look at the little 9 year old girl as an example that death is not about age and cautioned that we all should be ready at all time for our time to go. He said that death is a moment when the living should learn some lessons from because “we are all going there one day.” He said that while we are living we should engage in things that pleases our creator, Allah. Also preaching at the gravesite was Imam Ahmed Fofana who said “there is no agreement between anyone and God with regard to when the person would die. Therefore make use of the time you have on earth.”

While the little Madusu Konneh may be dead and buried, the touching effect of her death is still been felt in the Liberian community in general and the Liberian Mandingo community in particular. The meeting held on Friday August 21, 2009, to discuss the community’s reaction to the tragic death brought together officials and members of the Liberian Association of Pennsylvania (LAP), Liberia Mandingo Association of Pennsylvania (LIMAP) and FELMAUSA represented by President Richmond Konneh who is also the official spokesperson for the family of the late Madusu Konneh. In his opening remark, Richmond Konneh thanked everyone for responding to the call for the community to come together in response to the death of “one of our little children.” As a community, he said it was important for us to come together in “time like this.”

Besides the two imams representing Masjid Al-Islaah, Sheik Sherif and Ahmaed Fofana, Rev. Jallah, chairman of the board, Liberia Ministers Associations (group that represent Liberian Christian clergies in America) was also present. Speaking at the meeting, Rev. Jallah said when tragedy such as this befalls the community, we all should respond as a way to sympathize with the bereaved family. He prayed that God will strengthen the family after this sad demise of their daughter. He promised to take the issue to the meeting of the Liberia Minister Association for discussion.

Mohammed Bility, president of the Liberia Mandingo Association of Pennsylvania said that “when situation like this happens, our community is tested; our relationship with one another is tested.” He lamented the fact that a single woman with 7 children has to go through a lot to put food on the table and to have to deal with issue such as this can be very hard to deal with. As such, LIMAP’s president said “we must identify with the family at this difficult time.” He urged the religious leader to provide counseling for the bereaved family.

Present at the meeting were Vofee Jabateh and Lanfia Warity, both of ACANA and its affiliate agency TAMAA. Both of these men considered Madusu their own because she was part of the ACANA after school program and they expressed some fond memories of the little girl. Vofee narrated a story of his first time meeting with Madusu and her mother. He said while standing outside his ACANA office on Chester Avenue in 2005, he saw a women with group of children walking. He could tell they had just arrived because they were not appropriately dressed for the winter weather. When he approached and talked to her, she had no clue. He could tell she needed assistance. That was the beginning of ACANA’s relationship with Mawata Trawally and her children. ACANA was able to provide them with many items including TV for their home. Madusu and her brother Sekou became parts of ACANA’s after school program since 2005 and she should have be part of ACANA Summer camp but funding for that program  was recently cut by the City of Philadelphia.

He said that since the children could not come to the summer camp because funding has been cut by the city, the children are left with no alternative but to roam the streets. He went on to say tha t even though there are swimming pool at Myer Recreation Center, which is just few blocks away from her house, Madusu, her sister and their friends had to go to the dangerous river to swim. He said, fourteen years ago, four children drowned in the same place. Another kid died there 4 years ago. Ever since then the city was been told to fence off the place. Now Madusu has become part of the statistic of children who have died at the dangerous river. But because our immigrant children often get into fight with other children, they have no alternative but to go such dangerous river, risking their lives to have recreation. He urged the community to meet and discuss these issues so that “our community will not lose another child to this kind of tragic situation.” Speaking further, the ACANA CEO said “we must carry on community advocacy to protect our children.”

Anthony Kesselly, president of ULAA, who also spoke at the community meeting said, “We are all saddened by this tragedy.” He said he didn’t know about this place where Madousou died until he heard the news about her death. He said even though he is the ULAA president, “when thing happens at the local level, we let the community leaders to take charge.” He called for meeting of the community leaders to discuss the legal ramification of the tragic loss of the little girl and the place where the tragedy took place.

VP for the Quardu Gbonie Association expressed a deep sorrow and said that his organization will have an emergency meeting to discuss the organization’s response. Representing the Liberia Association of Pennsylvania were the Vice President Dahn Dennis and Borso Jallah, General Coordinator. On behalf of LAP’s president Shiwoh Kamara, they expressed their condolence to the bereaved family and promised LAP’s readiness to identify with the bereaved family in this time of need.

Note: Nvasekie N. Konneh can be reached at: konnlove@aol.com.

Drowning victim's kin aided by 'good people': DN readers pay for girl's funeral, donate money and food

By BARBARA LAKER
Philadelphia Daily News

Even in tough economic times, Daily News readers came forward to give Madousou Konneh, the 9-year-old girl who drowned in the Schuylkill Tuesday night while playing with friends, a proper funeral.

Madusu's mom, Mawata Trawally, a single mom of seven who works as a dishwasher, had no money to bury Madusu. In yesterday's Daily News, family members, who fled war-torn Liberia for Southwest Philadelphia in 2005, described their plight and despair.

By 9 a.m. yesterday, the funeral was paid in full. Sonny DiCrecchio, executive director of the Philadelphia Regional Produce Terminal, picked up the entire tab.

"I have a 9-year-old granddaughter and cannot even begin to think about what this family has to deal with," he said. "To go through the grief of having lost a daughter and then not to have the money to bury her, just broke my heart," he said.

Others donated money and food to the family.

"I was a single mom and worked two jobs to support my children," said Lillian Williams, 78, of West Oak Lane. "I saw she had seven children and works as a dishwasher and I wanted to reach out."

It's not that Williams doesn't have her  own struggles. "I'm deep in debt myself but sometimes some things take precedence," she said."My heart just broke when I read the story," said Wendy Pew, of Center City. "I'm a mother myself, and it was just so tragic what happened. I knew I had to help."

The Konneh family was overwhelmed by the generosity of strangers. "I'm surprised and I didn't expect it," said Madusu's sister, Makula Konneh, 22. "I don't know any of these people, but they're good people," she said. "Everyone has been so kind. I'm so very grateful."

The tragedy happened Tuesday about 7 p.m. when Madusu, her 12-year-old sister, Mafata, and five other friends walked from their homes in the Bartram Gardens section of the city to the river near 56th Street to cool off in the summer heat.