“Those forget their dead have cut off their roots from their branches, and therefore consumed their heritage from the face of the earth.” Â – G.K. Wolomeahn (Kpelleh)
“If you are a hunchback, go and see how they bury hunchbacks when they die.” – N. Wah Barh (Sapoh)
From times existing beyond the reach of memory, humans have been honoring their dead. In Rome and ancient Greece, stretching far back into antiquity–to the Sumerians, Mesopotamians and Egyptians–large steles, stones, statutes, and tombs have been erected over the centuries to etch their shadows across time itself and defy eternity.
But sadly, it would seem Liberians have been direlect in their duty to their own dead, save one man, who, in the nick of time, seeks to correct this flaw, and avert the wrath of the ancestors.
The announcement during his “State of the Nation Address” (SONA), that the state (the Republic of Liberia) would assume the “rescue” of the remains (bodies and memories) of slain President William R. Tolbert, Jr. and President Samuel Kayon Doe, Sr. from the dust of oblivion to the lofty height of deference and remembrance, and be accorded due respect, was a welcoming development and a genuine gesture of reconciliation.
This act alone–if none else is recorded during his tenure–stands as a testament of his moral fiber, the revelation of a courageous character, and the validation of the timber of his faith. This gallant gesture uncovered and lay bare the veritable acuity of President Joseph Nyuema Boakai as an elder of the land, seasoned in its customs and mores, knowledgeable in the importance of the veneration of our leaders and aged (especially the departed); and, he has resolved by the help of God and the consensus of his fellow citizens, to do right by our honored dead. This should be embraced by all Liberians across the board.
This magnanimous consideration will serve as a road-marker and road map for those who will follow him in years to come. History will recall that he did the right thing where his predecessors had failed or neglected to purge the soil of their blood and pacify pacify their spirits.
While President Tolbert had represented the old order of the Americo-Liberian rule, and President Doe depicted the new dispensation of indigenous control, President Boakai forges a synergy of old and new, creating a center of both/and, rather than a false dichotomy of either/or. This third way affirms rather than denies coexistence and the mutual thriving of all citizens.
To the chagrin of the two extremes, he carves out a middle path, narrowing the divide which had widened in years before, culminating in a brutal civil war with its resultant chaos, catastrophe, and death.
Caught in-between “the right” (conservative) and “the left” (liberal) forces, President Joseph Nyuema Boakai puts forward a third way: the Gandhi and King pillar– a proposition framed on the edifice of peace and love, reciprocity and respect, dignity and honor for all, without regard to ethnicity, class, or wealth.
This act of classic wisdom (rare in leaders of today), calms doubt and alleys fears, restoring trust in a vulnerable people who have lived in the long night of apprehension and disquiet since our civil war(s). This wisdom further nurtures hope and nourishes a bright promise of a new day, premised upon patriotism and nationalism, and which cherishes “this glorious land of liberty by God’s command!”
Now, then, for this venerable recognition, you paid your predecessors (and our presidents), Tolbert and Doe, H.E. Joseph Nyumah Boakai has earned himself the titles “The Standard Bearer of Peace and Reconciliation;” “The Master Unifier of all Liberians;” “The Elephant that is slow but smashing;” “The Foya Leopard which does not growl loudly, driving away its followers;” “The Bush Cow who walks through every set trap;” “The Owl who, the more it sees, the less it says;” and “The Father who listens to all his children before rendering judgment!”
Once again, your magnanimous consideration of providing fitting burials for our fallen heroes and leaders has covered our shame, erased our nakedness, redeemed our honor, and emancipated our pride.
Hail to the Chief! You are Our Standard Bearer of Peace!
Kettehkumuehn E. Murray
Vice Chair Administration/VICTORY FORÂ CHANGEÂ PARTY
