Lofa Does Not Deserve Violence

Febuary 27, 2010 By: M. Sekou Kanneh

When the devil is at work, he closes all reasoning minds and eyes. Otherwise the news we are hearing from Lofa could not possibly be an issue to strike violence that would take the county back for several years. Just imagine the name of the individual involved, Korpu Kamara, a name that could possibly be the symbol of unity between the two tribes (Korpo, a Lorma name and Kamara a Mandingo surname) is now the name for which violence has found its way between uncles and nephews.

Teacher Paul D Korvah told us in a conversation that “Unless we (elders) continue to tell our children the truth concerning the cordial relationship between the Lorma and the Mandingo in what you now call Voinjama District, we will continue to sit over conflict for one toileting behind the other’s house”. The wise teacher was simply trying to say that if our elder did not take precautionary measure in building on the bound they fought to maintain between the both tribes, violence may erupt between them for issues as minor as “toileting behind the other’s house”. Today, you have the two tribes at each and other neck destroying religious buildings for an issue that should jointly claim their both attentions.

It took the splitting of a cola nut to resolve issues of this magnitude as we were told by our elders. No one needed to go in ambush for the other to express their anger or to retaliate. The splitting and eating each side of the cola nut in the public in a given conflict, showed that each had the cleared mind for the other and could do nothing to jeopardize that. This is how civilized our people co-existed for decades.

If our generation with all of the education, experiences of a fourteen-year civil war, religion guidance, and history of our forefathers’ coexistence coupled with government effort to maintain peace, failed to build on those principals, history will write us as failures.
Let me extend my heartfelt thanks to every individual including organization like the FLAA, FELMUSA for calling on both sides to excise patient and allow government institute its investigation in the matter, as whatever destruction we cause will be taking us several years back in development.