By Samuel G. Dweh, Freelance Development Journalist & President—Liberia Association of Writers (LAW) Contacts —+231 (0)886618906/776583266/samuelosophy@yahoo.com/samuelosophy1@gmail.co
Front 9pm of Sunday, August 16, 2020, dozens of Liberians with various physical deformities began converging in front of a building painted beige, red, white and blue, and identified with the following information: SHREE GEETA ASHRAM and Sunrise Business Center Inc.
The building is located at the intersection of UN Drive and LEC (Liberia Electricity Corporation) Junction, Monrovia, Liberia.
Each person came on ‘mobility aid’—crutches, wheelchair, or a boy or girl as an ‘escort’.
Most members of the group are Christians, but preferred honoring the Indian Religious Organization’s humanitarian-based invitation over being at their respective Worship Centers today—globally sanctioned day for Worship by Christians.
“I’m a Christian, but I didn’t go to Church today, because I want to get some of the free foods the Indian people called us here to give us,” one of the guests, Weedor Ndorleh, responded to this writer’s inquiry.
In the group of the disabled persons was a 63-year-old woman, wheelchair-mobile, Madam Doris Banazeah. She had been escorted by her daughter, Justina Freeman, age 31; and grandson, Michael Wisseh, age 10.
“I was born in 1963,” Madam Banazeah said to this freelance journalist during a chat. “I was born with blindness. Blind straight from my mother’s belly. Not caused by Polio, Measles, or whatsoever that causes blindness,” she added.
Madam Banazeah, a member of the United Blind Association (UBA), founded in 1986, explained further: “I came here, to get the Indian people’s free food, because my provision shop broke down.” Madam Banazeah revealed.
The guests met a stack (layer) of 60 bags of rice (25kgs) against the left side of the wall. Other items available were: bread (in various plastic sacs), canned soft drinks, and water (in sachet and bottle)
A long multi-colors rubber floor rug had been laid across both sides of the building’s entrance for any of the guests who would prefer to sit on the floor. One side of the floor mat hosted foot wears of all Indian men who came from different places and pulled off their sandals or shoes before you enter building.
Mr. Manoj Kumar Vatwani (in pink shirt, black trouser) making “Welcome Remarks” to the guests
The host was the Hindu Religious Society in Liberia, an Indian Organization. A written information on a banner (on the right side of the building’s entrance) revealed activities for the day: “First History Making & Appreciation Program…Shree Geeta Ashram….The Hindu Religious Society of Liberia (Est. 1975)…Truth, Love, Compassion (motto)…16th August, 2020…Monrovia, Liberia”
Skilled people were in the group.
One was Exodus Wilson, wheelchair-mobile, an electric power generator mechanic whose temporary workshop was stationed across the road from where the disabled people assembled. “I have ninety US Dollars generator repair contract waiting for me right now, but I can’t leave this place now because I want to get the free things the Indian people have for us—disabled people,” Mr. Wilson said to his male colleague, also in wheelchair.
The other professional person, identified as Alex Kerkula, in a wheelchair, told another person he is a practicing journalist. “I’m the Chief Executive Officer of a young media group called Concern FM, located in Buzzy Quarters, twenty minutes walking distance from here,” Alex said to the person, a male.
About ten minutes after the guests had settled, a white man came from inside the building. He was in pinkish T-shirt and short trouser stopping at his knee. His feet were bare on the floor.
“My brothers and sisters, the Hindu Religious Society in Liberia welcome you here,” the man, later identified as Manoj Kumar Vatwani, president of the Organization, said to the assembly of Persons with Disabilities, and added: “Please do not beg for money from any of the big people who will be here. Your begging any of them will bring shame to you, the institution you are a member of, and to the Hindu Religious Society in Liberia that invited you here. We want to help you stop begging on the streets.”
Mr. The Indian also welcomed a five-member team of traditional Liberian musicians collectively named “Music Madrid”, owned by the Small Town Social Club, Inc., based in the Township of West Point whose boundary is about fifteen yards from the gathering of the disabled people.
“Please do not play the drums when our guests from the Government are speaking,” Mr. Vatwani said to the music band.
Seconds after the Indian left, a praise-song shot up from the group, led by Mr. Toe Wolo: “Welcome You, Indian People to Liberia…” being accompanied by sound of drums made from animal skin.
Later, they turned to a Liberian patriotism song: “Liberians, let’s stop fighting…let’s build our country…” the lyrics went on under the sounds of drums.
At 10am, many of the disabled guests started complaining on thirst and hunger, some saying they had rushed from their homes in the early hours just to be here.
Mr. Vatwani responded to the complaints by giving order to the program’s “support staff” (private Liberian commercial motorcyclists who expressed interest) to begin serving refreshments—the bread and soft drinks near the main gift (rice)
When many of the guests began complaining about “Rest Room”, to free their systems, a member of the Program’s Support Staff, Sam T. Sayee (a motorcyclist) spent his personal money as rental fee for a public bathroom.
A ‘complete body’ man came to get his share of the food, and made a sarcastic comment about the entire body of PWDs, after his demand for the refreshment food and soft drink was ignored by those sharing.
“Please, don’t call them ‘crippled people’, called them ‘disabled people’,” officer Elias Blidi, Leader of the LNP Team, corrected the able-bodied man.
Only fifty persons will be served, declared Mr. Mr. Jeremiah Cooper, an official at the Headquarter of G-77, relaying information from the Host-Organization, through Brown N. Momolu, Chairman of the Motorcycle Union, Waterside/Ecobank Branch, serving as the official information conduit between the Host and the Guests. “The registration book will be closed when the number reached fifty. That’s the order I received from our host, through their information person standing here,” Mr. Cooper, crutches-mobile added.
Later, Jeremiah Cooper announced a registration book closure.
More disabled came, after the registration pause announcement had gone out.
“I will just wait just wait around here, maybe they will say, ‘this guy has been around here for a long time, so let give him some of the things’,” responded one of the late comers, identified as Lassana, Kia Tamba, a member of G-77, to his colleague’s relay of the registration closure announcement. “I’m a member of the Group of seventy-seven.”
The number kept increasing—gradually stretching into the Street. And the weather became hot.
Canopies arrived in a Pickup, erected members of the Support Staff.
By 11pm, some of the guests became complaining about bodily pains from sitting at one spot over two to three hours.
“My butt burning now!” complained Roseline Karyor, amputee (right leg cut from the calve)
At 12:10, Mr. Vatwani came out. He was in his white suit (long-sleeve shirt falling down below the knee—like Hindu Religious wear), replaced with a T-shirt and short trouser he had been in from the early hours. No footwear—same way it was when he was in the ‘non-official wear’.
At 12: 15, the Speaker of the Liberian House of Representatives, Honorable Bhofal Chambers, arrived in a convoy. He was greeted with adulatory song from “Music Madrid”, and another from the body of “street boys”. The latter group sang “My People-o, da Bhofal Chambers We Want… My People-o, da Bhofal Chambers We Want…” continuously.
Mr. Vatwani received his special governmental guest with outstretched arms, and led later led him into the building.
Other top government officials also came, including Mr. Titus Charley of Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor’s Office.
Before entering into the building, all Liberian guests pulled off their foot wears—except House Speaker Bhofal Chambers—on regard to the Hindu Religious traditon.
The “indoor meeting”—between officials of the Hindu Religious Society in Liberia and officials of the Government of Liberia—took over one hour and thirty minutes. This engendered grumbling by most of the guests (disabled)
At 2:36, House Speaker Bhofal Chambers with his host—Mr. Manoj Kumar Vatwani—came out of the building. The guest was led to the stack of rice where he performed a ‘symbolic distribution’ with pushing some bags down to the floor.
“Thank you, Honorable Chambers…thank you, honorable Chambers,” host Manoj Kumar Vatwani said chantingly.
After the symbolic ‘distribution’, Mr. Chambers was escorted to his official car.
Street boys swarmed around House Speaker Chambers’ car, some of them singing the ‘flattering song’ with which they had welcomed him.
The Speaker dropped several notes into the hand of one of the LNP’s Advance Team, who was preventing access of the “street boys” to the top Government official. “Give the money to one of them to share with everybody,” Speaker instructed the Police officer.
Violence erupted after Speaker Chamber’s convoy had left. A gang of the crowd of “street boys” confronted a member of the LNP’s Advance Team for delivering less than the total amount House Speaker Bhofal Chambers had given for the crowd of miscreants.
When the riot subsided, the Hindu Religious Society in Liberia started its humanitarian gesture toward its guests—Persons with Disabilities. One bag of rice went to each person.
At the end of the distribution, a total of seventy (70) bags of rice were given out to disabled people—above the “50 persons” the Host had planned for.