Hello again...

Right. I needed that long break to catch my breath. Now where were we?

They say a Diamond never looses its luster (Happy 49th Sierra Leone)

They say a diamond never looses its luster

Mine did and was the more brilliant after regaining its former radiance

What then shall I call my precious stone

How then should I name her

Mined from the depths of colonial exploration

From the transatlantic slave trade to brain drain

Cleansed on the rivers of tears shed by the victims of

sla, ruf, people’s army and  kamajor abuse

Cut on the backs of students and trade unions

Faceted from its many peoples

The mountain krios and the swampland mendes

the many Temnes and the resilient Limbas

The Industrious Fula and the roving mandingos

The Lokos, Konos, Korankos

Sherbros, Susus, Yalunkas and Vais

Polished by the hands of child soldiers and their elders

From January 6 to June 6

May 25 to May 8

Spot shined with the blood of heroes and villains

Foday Sankoh and Maskita

Hinga Norman and Johnny Paul

Madam Yoko and sengbeh pieh

Breaking the monotony of the process by singing

Bai bureh was a warrior

he fought against the british,

the british made him  surrender,

he halla koto mamu

All the time keeping hopes bright for a dazzling brilliance

With a national shout for Jesus

Emanating from heroes and villains alike

Watch the decrease in dazzling brilliance

Corrupted by shades of woo teh teh green and osai-owai red

But she shone bright once more

With the strong elbow grease augmented by

ogaman, green beret, special forces and executive outcomes

Becoming all the more stronger for it

Stronger even more than the vinegar dissolved pearl concocted by Cleopatra

A tiny speck blemish free

Strong enough to bear our burdens,

As unique as rubbery Reed

Whose pliable hands encircle us in its warm embrace

As powerful as a mother's kiss wiping away pain effortlessly

A woman's best friend? No doubt

But much more than that, my crush

Always appreciated

like the cries of 

"kol wata de,

kol wata de

kol wan, kol wan"

in the middle of June

forever the strongest

yet with colors supple

softer than the double mounds

of loma and bintumani

More beautiful than the vitality gained by a virgin cherubim,

 Back arched,

Toe curled,

Eyes star filled

From the kiss of the rising sun

Its color fiery alive

As If the sun

fell in love with the stars

Took them on a romantic walk in the Milky Way

 Dressed in solar plumes

I extol her beauty

Until my mind is crystal

And my quill runs dry

And for that I will still call her my diamond

Because like the Greeks intended when naming a diamond

She overpowered all obstacles

And tamed all negative aspirations

To stand now bright,

Showing forth her good.

Long Live our Sierra Leone and happy Independence Anniversary to all her children.

Clean Up the World {Sierra Leone, 1995/1996}...Mr Mason

Sierra Leone is our home and together we must strive
for a better cleaner brighter home tomorrow
and sierra leone will be our home when together we all strive
for a better cleaner brighter home tomorrow

yes we can make it when we care enough for the living
when we dip our hands
in the street and the lanes
make it clear

Live a better way
when we learn to change this while situation
just look around you
there's work enough to be done
when we start to clean just you and me.

And our god will give a smile on this great change we have made,
the moon and stars and the sun will guide us all the way
and everyone great or small in this little land of ours
will have to grow and live in a better day

yes we can make it if we care enough for the littering
when we clean our homes
and we clean our schools
make it right

live in a better day
and make sierra leone a healthy nation
just look around you
there's a lot enough to be done
when we start to clean just you and me.

Why I am Black...

I can say with a Great degree of certainty, when I became black.
The steps to been a member of the black family although never planned have been the most significant that I have ever taken.


Drawn by an intellectual appeal, enticed by a translation of intentions to actions, lured by the promise of the acquisition of better oratory skills and seduced by the charisma of members of the black family, my joining that body is one of the easiest and most logical decisions I have ever made.


So Pardon me…don’t let my actions surprise you for I am, have always been and will always be black, hence my proclivity to seek first the political kingdom. That has always been part of the black political creed.


You see, I can make as persuasive an argument to been born black as I can to been black as a matter of choice. Those who do not know about us have labeled us with certain tribal and socio economic demographics. I am proof of their ignorance. My convoluted history of been both a “krio boy” and a “mende borboh” proves that I and the black family transcends any label that we have been tagged with.


When some were yelling that membership is primarily cultic, my firsthand experience taught membership was an introduction to a family of mentors and great inspirations, a family that always seeks justice while aspiring to greater heights in education. When the uninformed yelled that belonging was unnecessary, the necessity for political participation was inculcated in me by the family, teaching me above all else that political participation should not be limited only to elections. When the voice of the opposition arose, the family taught me that opposition voices are just the frustrations of the minority with the success of the majority and the minority should not be begrudged that access.


Today I am confident enough in my black ideology to identify myself as above all been a black man, because among the primary tenets of the black ideology is a recognition and protection of the dignity and value of human life and relationships.


You see I will always be that double threat. Born black in the valleys of kailahun town in the previous millennium and then reborn again black without the intermission of death, on Mount Aureol in this new millennium.


Long Live the black family and all those who bear its interests at heart.

If only Reason would become your policy...

Those who love the United States should be quaking in their boots right now. Why? We are living on the ruins of every great nation from our history and that history tells us that the fall of each and every one of those mighty and seemingly indestructible nations came from within. Some smart people before me determined that “the bigger you are the harder you fall”. The tea party movement with its penchant for a revolutionary cry and the violence that plagues the present political landscape have turned our time into one that is most favorable for uprisings and violent upheavals. No matter how you frame any of the present day arguments, the basic tenets of every segment of the American States is that of love for the nation that transforms itself into how it cares for its peoples. This violent rhetoric has strayed far from that and can in no way be considered the voice of reason. Reasonably, “The Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act” should by no rationale have given place to the kinds of uproar that is deafening the political landscape. This just brings joy to those out there who seek to harm what started off as a nation that had always sought to move on the next democratic step to seek the welfare of its people. It brings joy to them because what is been delivered out there and what they ultimately see is a nation deeply divided against itself, a nation not even willing to listen to a voice of reason...and we all know what happens to a house divided against itself...

On a broader scale, it also raises a further reaching question of how the American State can reach out and try to influence the modern day issues of the Israel/Palestine conflict, the Iran Nuclear capability, the genocide in Sudan, the economic concessions of the European Union member states and the continued growth and expansion of the Chinese economic might when it cannot decide amongst its own people whether or not to improve the public health policy that most if not all agree is exploitative if not wholly inefficient?

What Life Has Taught Me (About Political Leadership)

We are approaching the era of the extinction of the immediate post colonial leadership in Africa. The period between the sixties (the era of escalating independence) and now has been characterized by more examples of bad leadership.

We have come to associate the majority of those post-colonial leaders with words like dictators, politricians and the likes, and their governments have been recognized more with words like, corruption, embezzlement, misuse of office and widespread propaganda.

These attributes are all cultivated as evidenced by their predominant absence in traditional governments before its corruption by those who thought they possessed better governmental systems. Moreover, the majority of these leaders had acquired their education from western nations. In those days it was the norm rather the exception that Western sponsored African Leaders would have spent some stage of their educational journey in states like United Sates, England, Russia and Germany. 

Happily, those days are gone, but what is the hope for the African Leadership? An extensive number of individuals hoping to dabble in their country's political environment are swimming the tide of globalization. Garnering experiences from self acclaimed established and exemplary democracies. But what are the lessons that are been learnt? That a presidential election can be determined by the brother of one of the candidates, that the president can have extra marital affairs as long as the wife is allowed to carry out her own clandestine relationships, that the office of the president can be degraded and disrespected and constantly mocked, that rhetoric comes before the needs of the people they're representing, that party affiliation trumps all policy goals, that propaganda is one of the best tools in the arsenal of the opposition, that re-designation of terms in an unfavorable light is an art that scares the uninformed from supporting policies that may end up been for their own good, that having at least one news outlet in your pocket is a must so as to dump your propaganda unto your base, that  a country's interest comes before all others, that intervention into other nations affairs is one way to insure the person in power always leans towards addressing your country's national interest, that as long as you don't massacre people, you can get away with imprisoning a large section of a demographic group without been considered tribalistic, that you can be corrupt as long as you have juniors who can take the fall when you are found out, that you can get away with a gulf in income and wealth distribution between the classes as long as you don't allow some people to starve to death, that there are more ways than one to establish a system of presidential succession by kin. That money can buy your freedom from the law and at the same time take care of any problems you may encounter. That justice depends on who you know. That you can kill your political opponents before they are strong enough to challenge you as long as you can provide enough obfuscation about the circumstances surrounding that assassination.


Yeah Yeah Yeah, i hear you saying that all systems are corrupt and the whole system should not be judged by those individual failures... Can you say double standards... Colonial powers did not afford Africans that excuse when they made it a policy to systematically destroy the intrinsic traditional leadership structures in the name of knowing what was best for "those people". Why then should the same excuse be afforded them.

Growing up i always used to hear that we the children are tomorrow's future. Tomorrow is now here and the same voices that were wailing against the injustice of the leadership in Africa are the same ones their now exercising the same prerogatives that they knew then were wrong. The thirst for power at whatever cost, (another admirable attribute cultivated by our Western Educated leaders) has blinded their eyes to the plight of their people. It is a malaise, that will only continue to be exacerbated if we fail to go back to the leadership we were born into. The traditional leadership characterized by a chief who cares for his subjects, guided by elders whose wisdom in all leadership matters is one of the many attributes the young aspire to attain.

Moral Bankruptcy of the Fourth Estate

The media business must be the easiest job in the world. Find a popular figure, prop him/her up as a shining example of humanity, follow their every move and bless them with column inches. At the first allegation of indiscretion, crucify the person, not on moral grounds (because lets face it, the media is as morally corrupt as any criminal enterprise out there), but on the basis of the individual been an example for the young. Not satisfied with the initial embarrassment, the media then provides huge financial incentives for other media hungry whores to come out of the woodwork and make further allegations and before long even the use of the word "allegedly" becomes redundant as these people's reputations are then assassinated never with the hope of been revived because after the destruction of an icon the press moves on to repeat the cycle of building up someone just for that person to be torn to shreds in the near future by the same press. At this rate no one will fault popular figures for their distrust and distaste of the media.

Equity v. Equality

Let me get this straight...A woman is more likely than a man to gain custody in any divorce proceedings. The woman has the only opinion when it comes to questions of abortion or birth. The man is more likely to be ordered to pay child support than would a woman. If a woman has an illegitimate child in a marriage, and the husband in the marriage takes care of that illegitimate child like his own, the biological father has no claim to the child. In instances of suspected domestic violence, no matter the alleged aggressor, the man is asked to temporarily vacate the premises...And yet we say men have all the power in the world...Please!!!

When we forgive too quickly...

I offer my sincerest apologies on behalf of Sierra Leone to all those devastated by the war, truamatised maimed and ignored. The young women who have watched life roll past them while they have to deal with experiences of been raped. Young men whose pride has forever been stolen, because they have stood by, incapacitated and helpless while untold suffering has been meted out to their loved ones. The parents who have had to make a sacrifice greater even than self sacrifice, that of having to choose which one of their children they have to save. To all those young ones who watched their parents been inexplicably gunned down and had to suffer the double indignity of watching people celebrate those deaths. I cannot say sorry enough.

I hope you do not take my apologies as me making light of a very deep truama, but as my country lacks the propensity to say sorry, i stand in the gap for her.

As much as we don't have the bones of all the students gunned down in the conflict on display or a memorial graveside of all the lives lost, you remain our testimony of what we as a nation have been through. and as we accept the fault for what our actions accomplished, we applaud your strength, your heroism that constantly reminds us, no longer will you stand by and let another generation go through what you have endured. The same politicuans may still be recycling the policies that led to the darkest periods in our history, but as your presence reminds us, we are now stronger than we were before. we will no longer be drawn to further their aims at the expense of our lives, our pride and our future.

The present provides us a forum to look back on the tragedies of the past as inseparable points of our legacy. This should provide us with the strength to overcome present tragedies. As we adopt our Christian virtue of forgiveness, let it not be at the expense of forgetting the plights of untold number of victims and may their presence constantly convict us of our actions and prevent us from entering the chasm of human degradation we just emerged out of.

What life has taught me (about the man biting dog phenomenom)

In life, given the opportunity given the opportunity to fall in love with a prince or a frog, it is a miracle on the one occasion the frog is chosen. On all the other occasions, the prince wins hands down.

You have to look no further than this to know why we all strive to be Princes...

Paying the Pledge to Africa of our lives, fortunes and sacred honor

The one thing the framers of the declaration of independence of the United States and those who fought for and advocated for a free and independent Africa have in common, is their willingness to lay down their life, their fortune and sacred honor towards the realization of their collective dream.

"...And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." US Declaration of Independence.

“…We want all men to know that we shall maintain and contend for the freedom and equality of every man, woman and child of our race, with our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor…” Marcus Garvey.

The difference is that most of the men who made the above pledge on the declaration of independence not only possessed strong beliefs of those words, but they most often paid for the signature of the Declaration with their, life, fortune and sacred honor. We have the unparralleled opportunity to do the same for our land and her people. The best speeches have been made, the issues aired and the challenges thrown. All we have to do now as a people is bear the cost for the development of Africa. Doing this with the knowledge that to make the ultimate sacrifice for our land is not so much a sacrifice as an opportunity. An opporrtunity to leave our children a better legacy than we were endowed with. We may not be universally recognised for our action, but our siblings and their loved ones will be living the benefits of our sacrifice.

What life has taught me.

2010 was going to be a good year. It was to be my year. After a turbulent 2008 and an eventful 2009, the new year was going to herald all the joys that had been withheld by the previous years, or so i thought...

As a result of these hopes, spending the second night of the new year in jail was never what i had in mind to start off the new year, but then, all one can do is plan.

The day started off blissfully enough, a short run in the morning to get the body going, followed by an exceptionally long shower and a day taking things easy with a few choice Robert Ludlum and James Rollins novels to exercise the intellect.

Come early evening, the promise of a delightful company of good looking women and witty guys, coupled with good food was far too good to resist, so as i picked up my friend, the joys of the coming night were all i was thinking of.

The night in question passed pleasantly enough until after all the festivities had been observed and we were driving back home. In the midst of a three car convoy, on Glenwood Ave(a street frequently intersparsed by traffic lights), fartherest from my mind was to be pulled over and yelled at, "You have been drinking". Now provided i come from a country whose police force are the butt of many jokes because of rampant corruption, i have lived out of that system long enough to be instilled with the opinion that police do not misuse their powers and they are polite when carrying out their duties. My acceptance of this proves my naivite. Not the first time i've been pulled over, i was expecting the usual question of "you know why i pulled you over?" so i must say that this approach rankled me a bit.

After an encounter that left me shivering in the cold night air, drenched in soda that he had spilled all over me, in handcuffs that he kept telling me were for my own good and after taking and testing negative in two breathaliser tests, i was arrested for refusing to corporate with a public official, the charge been levied because i knew my opinions at that moment could get me n trouble, so i kept my mouth shut. For all the good that did me, i still had the unwanted pleasure of riding downtown in the back of a police car where i was processed completely, my immigration status was fully investigated, and a bail of $500 was set. This was in addition to the receipt of multiple tickets for speeding 20 miles above the speed limit, failing to signal, following too closely and failing to identify oneself.

For a couple of weeks after it happened i still sould not believe it had happened to me. I could not get myself to go out. when i eventually did i thought all eyes were on me. A jailbird. and i could not carry out my activities early enough so i could get back to my house, my room and my bed.

Even as i lived through a decade of arguably the worst civil war in the history of mankind, in a country where a minority of the human population was doing its best to take itself out of the human race and auditioning for roles in the beastly kingdom, i have never been this humiliated neither have i been a victim of such blatant injustice.

I grew up in a police family. My dad, various aunts and uncles, grandma, grandpa have at one time or another graced the rolls of the police force and whilst i do not extend any hate to those members of my own family i can say without any equivocation that i have never met a member of any police force that i have liked. I have now learnt that this feeling itself may be mutual.

After coming to terms with this, all i have to show for it are a crushed spirit, a displacement of any modicum of respect in the police force, soda stained blazers, vests and pants, bills running close to a thousand dollars, a waste of five hours in a driver's safety class and a first hand experience of what the jail in downtown raleigh looks like and if anything, it has taught me that some people have the best idea of what to do in the USA. Blend into the society, exploit all the resources made available to you and at the earliest opportunity when you can maintain a better than average standard of living back in your home country, get the hell out of here.

YES I DO...

I try to be what you have made me...At heart an intellectual whose hands no longer know how to till. But now knowing words don't feed the belly as much as they are food for the soul, Hunger drives me to discover myself...A farmer.
I watch and see your garb getting in the way of your opinion in discourse in a way my garb would never have interfered with war. The battlefield transformed, elegance superimposed on terrain, blood and pain no longer toughens, victory once measured in scalps now touted with medals. strength drained and the warriors brought down to knees. I fight daily to live.

SEEING RED

I see red

three guys all red

in a room of depressing grey tinged with depressive cream

Guards cowering in blue

with purple faces from exertions of trying to be brave

I see red

red in my head

different from your red head

an axe connecting the two

leaving your head rolling in the pallid grey

I see red

red tinged with blue

followed by white that only sees black

A red ego if there is ever one

because it eclipses all the light in sight

I see red

red splashed on perry ellis

drenching michael kor

blotting Guess

and dripping on a Steve Madden

I see red

and i don't see it often

but when i do

we all see red

Someday, Someplace

someone will tread red

and that's not a threat but a promise