By Togba-Nah Tipoteh
During May 2021, Judge Emma Nmano Shannon Walser, a good woman, passed away. Now, in June 2021, Mrs. Theodosia Clark-Wah, another good woman, passes away. As God does nothing bad, we, children of God, praise God for all conditions of life and pray for the peaceful rest of the soul of Mrs. Theodosia Clark-Wah.
Why do we call Mrs. Clark-Wah a good woman? We do so because she is at once a female and a person whose life exhibits love for others rather than for herself. She was not a leader in the New Georgia United Methodist Church for nothing because she practiced the wisdom from the Gospel of Saint Matthew Chapter 22 Verses 34 to 40 that tells us what the Son of God told Saint Peter when he wanted to find out the Greatest Commandment from Jesus. The Son of God replied: Love God first and then love your neighbor as yourself. From this passage of scripture in the Holy Bible, we get the definition of a good person. As Mrs. Theodosia Clark-Wah lived a life of practice according to the Greatest Commandment, we call her a good woman.
Coming from poor living conditions in Maryland County, Liberia, Mrs. Clark-Wah came to Monrovia, where she earned a BSc. Degree in economics and a BBA Degree in Accounting and Finance at the University of Liberia. having realized the value of education for getting a better living, she set up a Community School in the New Georgia Community where she lived. Many poor children went to this school, which accommodated them. She worked with others to improve the living conditions in the Community, starting with the sanitation problem.
When Mrs. Clark-Wah set up her manufacturing plant to produce soap for homes and business places, her Company, Seklaa Enterprise, employed many poor Liberians. Most importantly, was the impact of Seklaa not only on Liberia but on the West African sub-region. Seklaa was into value addition through manufacturing of soap, using local materials, mainly for local consumption. Realizing that this decision on value addition can come only from good decision-makers, Mrs. Clark-Wah resorted to uniting the women of political parties, with the Liberian People’s Party (LPP) as her base, serving as Chairperson, to conscientize and motivate voters to elect good decision-makers. Value addition is indispensable for transforming the Liberian economy from the production of raw materials for export, that is poverty generating, to the production of raw materials to produce products mainly for local consumption, that is poverty alleviating. In producing what we consume and consuming what we produce, we can experience employment boosting, affordable price determination and the sustained improvement in living conditions. No wonder, most of the Legislators in the 52nd and 53rd Legislatures who sought re-election did not get re-elected because of their bad records, working for themselves rather than for their constituents.
Passing by Clara Town and Verhee (wrongly called Vai) Town and seeing market sellers buying imported goods from foreigners, brings tears to one’s eyes because the same market people have been advised to form businesses to sell the goods that can be produced in Liberia and sell goods that can not be produced in Liberia. The Liberian Marketing Association (LMA) remains interested in promoting this dependency syndrome for the benefits of the officers at the expense of the members who continue to pay placement and garbage collection fees and the garbage is not being collected, making the sanitation and public health situation worse. This worse situation is also bad for the market people because it makes them sick and reduces their possibilities of continuing their marketing activities.
The evidence on the life of Mrs. Theodosia Clark-Wah clearly shows us that the position of many men that women are only useful in the bedroom and in the kitchen is completely wrong!!! Although Mrs. Theodosia Clark-Wah has passed away, let the awareness about her work spread widely so as to motivate people to follow her good example in the struggle to make Liberia a better place for All Liberians.
GWEH FEH KPEI
(The Kpelle language for The Struggle Continues )
