PHOTO: Nonagenarian Momo G. Dassen
By Frank Sainworla, Jr. fsainworla@yahoo.com
ROBERTSPORT, Liberia- It is not often that a nonagenarian, someone in their 90s is seen walking unescorted from his home to attend a program at a distance of within a mile.
This is the story of 90-year-old man Momo G. Dassen who I recently observed strolling upright with his silver and black walking stick entering the Robertsport City Hall in Liberia’s western Grand Cape Mount County, situated over 83 kilometers from Monrovia.
It was here that this writer got to meet this robust Oldman Moses, as he entered the hall for the recent Senatorial Debate in the just-ended Special Senatorial elections earlier in December.
After exchanging pleasantries, the first thing I asked him was: you look relatively strong, how old are you? Then my surprise came when he replied: “I’m 90 years”.
Although the life expectancy rate has gone up in the current era, not many of the elders in their 80s and 90s can take themselves around as independently as this Liberian nonagenarian.
Hailing from the Grand Cape Mount town of Goed, Momo T. Dassen joined the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) in 1956. But after 24 years in the army, he told me that he left the AFL shortly after the April 12, 1980 military coup led by the late Master Sergeant Samuel Kanyon Doe.
Oldman Momo was not prepared to tell me specifically why he decided to leave the army, but the impression he gave was that the coup, which saw the assassination of President William R. Tolbert, Jr. turned him off.
Olman Moses poses for photo with Frank
This father of eleven children, who is currently Gola Governor of Grand Cape Mount County, is grateful to God that he is still alive today, although five of his children have predeceased him. Over the years, he has been practicing the Liberian and African traditional polygamist culture by marrying a total of five wives.
But when asked whether he still has the five wives, Oldman Moses laughed and said he has only one of them with him. And this happens to be the last of the five wives he married back in 1978, making them 22 years in marriage.
Secret to longevity”
One thing I was eager to know from this Liberian nonagenarian is what is his secret to longevity, especially as many of his compatriots at such an age are living sedentary lives or largely inactive at this time.
Longevity is defined by www.scienedirect.com as, “one of the commonly used terms in aging research that may be defined as an individual’s ability to reach longer life span under ideal conditions”.
“Respect older people…take care with the kind of food you eat,” Oldman Moses told me.
This is something he says is seriously lacking in the Liberian society and the world today.
The 90-year-old retired AFL soldier underscored how important it is for parents to nurture their children into appreciating the importance of watching their diet. According to him, healthy diet means good nutrition and balance diet, which is very important.
‘Parents need to teach their children its importance from the early stage of their lives,’ Oldman Moses stressed.
And before leaving the Robersport City Hall to walk back to his residence unescorted by anyone, this spirited nonagenarian restated the point he made earlier about the need for the young generation to respect older people.
And indeed, the wisdom of his thoughts kept resonating with this writer, who finds himself in this younger generation, reflecting on what even the greatest book in the world has said about showing respect to older people.
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you,” Exodus 20:12