PHOTO: Liberia’s Head of State George Manneh Weah
By Samuel G. Dweh
Professional Writer & Author (of Books) Development, Former president of the Liberia Association of WritersWriting Coach (feature article, fiction writing; LiberianPublisher/Managing of Edu-Diary (12-page education+231 (0)886618906/776583266/samuelosophy@yahoo.com
ACADEMIC SELF-INTRODUCTION:
The writer of this article—a native of Grand Kru County, located in southeastern Liberia—is a High School student (stopped at 12th grade since 1997), but has written five books, coached two Liberian Presidents’ speechwriters (2011 and 2020), had served in all the positions in the print media: Reporter, Sub-editor (Proofreader), News Editor, and Editor-In-Chief with seven different Liberian newspapers—including Daily Observer—from 2011-2016.….the power of reading widely/extensively. This information is a counter against the majority’s perception or argument that only a university graduate can produce high quality academically/intellectually works. The information is also a patriotic call to the Liberian Government and Liberia’s Development Partners (USA, China, UNESCO, UNICEF, etc.) to PROMOTE READING CULTURE through the RIGHT ROLE MODELS (AVID READERS & WRITERS)
This article ends with recommendations (solution methods) to President Weah on how to get the “right persons” for the Historical Booking-Writing Project.
Liberia’s Head of State, George Manneh Weah, appears tilting toward the “leading nation-building profession” for any Country in the Global Community: WRITING. If you don’t believe “Writing” as the “first” on the list of professions that move a Country from one development stage to another, answer these questions:
- Who produced the “text book” you had used (or you are using) in your school?
- At the end of your class teacher’s presentation time, what does he/she leave with you as “reminder” of what he/she said during class time—“words” or “notes” (written version of the “words”)?
- Where do researchers’ go first when they need information about something that happened 200 years ago (at least) in the Country—“Radio Station” or “Library”?
- Which of the professions sustains or keeps a Nation’s heritage—Arts, Culture, Architecture, etc.—beyond thousand years—“Oral History” or “Written History”?
If your answer is “writing”—explicitly stated or implicitly stated—then my argument for “writing” being “at the top of the list of various professions” is justified.
President Weah’s engagement of Liberia’s Authors—persons who personally produced Books, not those who “photocopy” other people’s books (professionally called plagiarism)—was contained in his speech at Liberia’s celebration of 200th Year of Nationhood (1822-2022), held on February 14, 2022 at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex.
“I now throw out a challenge to our many gifted Liberian authors and historical scholars, to capture this rich history and have it printed in textbooks that will become part of the official curriculum of our educational sector,” the Head of State said at the concluding stage of his speech.
This statement has started creating “bubbles of excitement” in each member of Liberia’s community of Authors on “imagining” themselves receiving hundreds of thousands of Liberian dollars—or its equivalent in the ‘globally mighty’ America’s currency—from the Government of George Manneh Weah.
Like me, other Liberian authors are now feeling President turning his “presidential attention” from “loquacity” (plenty talking)—professionalized by majority of post-civil war Liberians on radio Talk Shows or at public discourse points christened “Intellectual Centers” for the President or against him—more to “writers”. Since his plunge into national politics, the former FIFA-rated World’s Best African Footballer has always been passionately closer to those who involved in only plenty talking (especially his political defenders)—and hugely rewards them (with cash)—while the Country’s Authors wallow in abject poverty. (The only writers getting the President’s “financial attention” are those hired for writing his speech“, or those who “fight for him” through articles published in newspapers)
But the President has turned to Liberia’s Professional Writers (Authors) now. So, should we (Authors) drop the “Case” against the Head of State on his “marginalization” of us—especially those not member of his Political Party (Coalition for Democratic Change—CDC)? The President’s “marginalization” against of the “non-Partisan” Authors is squarely based on our “criticisms” on his exclusion of us in “development priority”. I’m feeling Professor Joseph Saye Guanu—Liberia’s most respected Historical Author of “Liberia: The Rise & Fall of the First Republic”—‘complaining’ about his being “marginalized” by President Weah. When has the Head of State visited or invited this renowned Historian and Author for a discussion about a “new” Liberia’s History Project? The Prof. is in the most advanced stage of his life. And he is “seriously sick”, according to people who had personally met him at his residence or at public functions in his native Nimba County, or in Bong County where he does some educational consultancy with the Cuttington University. Will the Head of State wait until this pioneer national Historical Author is “dead” and he begin “showering praises” over his mortal remains on Author’s “historical contributions” to Liberia?
WON’T PRESIDENT GEORGE M. WEAH’S ANNOUNCED HISTORICAL BOOK-WRITING PROJECT END IN “POLITICAL THRASH CAN” LIKE PRESIDENT ELLEN JOHNS SIRLEAF’S?
Madam Ellen Johnson’s “Presidential Photo”
During one of her presidential remarks at a public functions, Head of State Ellen Johnson Sirleaf announced her interest for “Re-writing of Liberia’s History.”
Days after the Head of State’s disclosure, some persons of her Presidential circle told their colleagues that the period covering Liberia’s civil war and post-civil war reconstruction and reconciliation will be parts of the “new Liberian History Book.”
A short period later, President Sirleaf established a committee to scout professional Liberian writers to gather materials for and produce the new History Book. But the project never saw daylight of “reality”
“The President appointed Dr. Amos Claudius Sawyer as head of the committee, and later pumped in five thousand United States dollars to start and complete project. But all the money was spent on only organizing Workshops,” Mr. Robin Dopoe, Jr., a Reporter of the Daily Observer Newspaper during that time said February 23, 2022 during an informal group discussion on opposing views President’s successes and failure on the Project, and President George Manneh Weah’s different interest in similar Project during his Bicentennial celebration’s speech. Some sources said Daily Observer’s Public Publisher, Mr. Kenneth Y. Best, a buddy of Ellen Sirleaf since the 1970s, was part of the Project.
Many Liberians say President Sirleaf’s selection of Dr. Amos Sawyer, who is only known for his “re-writing” Liberia’s Constitution in 1986, instead of making an experienced writer of History Books (like Professor Joseph Saye Guanu) the head of the committee, showed her “unseriousness” on implementation of this “nationalistic patriotic”. Even Mr. Kenneth Y. Best, another of Liberia’s renowned Author of Liberian History Books, would have made the President’s dream a reality. The President’s selection process was “politicized”—selecting the committee chair (an irregular writer, and “restructurer” of only the Country’s Constitution) on his “political connection” with the Head of State, instead of a selection based on “wholesome professionalism” (choosing a prolific writer and author of more than one History Book)
The failure of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to transform her “dream” (of showing the Liberian populace a new) into reality is symbolic of dropping the project into a “political thrash can”. That is: “Madam President, only say it, and pump money into it to create the “political impression” (in others throughout the Country) of your passion for producing a History Book for the Nation, and later abandon the Project when your political followership has expanded”
A writer and Author of “This Child Will Be Great” (an autobiography), President Ellen Johnson performed poor on promotion of authorship (of other Liberians) throughout her presidency, except inviting “writers” to the launch of her self-image promotion Book—“This Child Will Be Great”. She preferred promoting foreigners’ books—evident in her appealing to former U.S. President, George Bush, Jr., for one million books by American authors. The books came and were shared to Liberian schools. So, Liberian students (from Nursery to 12th grade), were learning “American History” and “American cultures”, through these American books, instead of Liberia’s History, Culture, etc. By calling for American books, the Liberian Head of State “impressing” the current Government and other citizens of a Country (America) she had lived over 20 years prior to her becoming Leader of Liberia!
President Sirleaf “endorsed” the Ministry of Education’s introduction of foreign writers’ books as textbooks for Liberia’s High Schools, instead of financially supporting “financially struggling” Liberian writers to produce textbooks to be used by the Country’s schools. One of the foreign books is “Harvest of Corruption” written by Frank Ogodo Ogbechi, a Nigerian, telling the rest of the World about his country’s corruption menace that has tainted the country’s image to the rest of the World.
For the Country’s universities, majority of books being used are by foreign authors, because majority (96%) of Liberian university teachers is not financially empowered by the Government to produce books. On the other hand, majority of them are “academically ill-equipped” (mentally) on book writing. Only “talking” they know! And they are deeply involved in “Intellectual Theft”—illegally photocopying portions of foreign authors’ books (no permission by the authors) and selling the “carbon copies” (spiral bound) and tasking their students to pay for these stapled portions of the “plagiarized” books.
Africa’s oldest Republic (in her 175th year in 2022), Liberia is yet to register her “Book-writing presence” on the list of West African Countries or African Nations whose “History Professors”—had taught or are teaching at Universities—have produced History Books in recent time (21st century) to be used in educational institutions in other Countries. Only Mr. Joseph Saye Guanu (who was a Professor of History at the Cuttington University, Bong County, and Author of History Books) the entire Country is “boasting about” on his published works (History Books) in the 1980s. However, majority of Liberian High Schools are not using any of these Books, and is rarely used by History Teachers at the State-owned Higher Institution (University of Liberia) It’s the same story in majority of private Liberian Universities.
Liberia’s Ministry of Education, during Mr. George Manneh Weah’s Presidency, is threading the footprints of promotion of foreigners’ books for Liberia’s High Schools as the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf-led Government’s Ministry of Education did throughout her Presidency. Some of the foreign Authors’ History Books absorbed by President Weah’s Ministry of Education are: “West African History for WASSCE Candidates” by Joe A.D. Alie (Sierra Leonean), and “Topics in West African History”, jointly produced by Adu Boahen (Ghanaian), Jacob F. Ade Ajayi (Nigerian) and Michael Tidy (Kenyan) Each of these Books were adopted by the authorities of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) Liberia, a Signatory to the establishment of WAEC and WACCE, is under “bound” to use any foreign West African writer’s Book Leader of WAEC or WASSCE (non-Liberia) has thrown at this “Sovereign Nation”! And Liberia’s Ministry of Education is “rejecting” Liberian Authors’ Books sent to the Ministry to absorb and introduce to the Leadership of WAEC or WASSCE to “indorse” for use by West African Countries’ High School students sitting examinations drawn by WAEC or WASSCE.
There is a envy-based or “political barrier”—created by the Head or Leadership of the Ministry of Education’s Department of Textbook Evaluation against Books by Liberian Authors (not connected to any official of the Ministry) whose Books (on any subject) submitted to the Department for inclusion on the list of “new Textbooks” for the national teaching curriculum. This barrier is in the form of words—“Your Book isn’t culturally relevant to Liberia” or “Your Book is poorly written on grammar and spellings” (comment from the Department’s Head or another official), or the Head or Leadership of the Department never gives you audience during your next follow-up visit—based on instruction to you during your previous meeting with official of the Department.
My 16-chapter fictional Book—“Grade Sin”—focusing on “educational crimes” (example: bribery for free grades or promotion) in Liberian High Schools, with solution methods (shown through actions of the story’s character), was rejected by the MOE’s Textbook and Evaluation Department in 2016. The Head, Madam Mardia Herring-Mensah, considered it “culturally irrelevant to Liberia”, but couldn’t return the free copy I personally presented to the Ministry. During this time, whistleblowers (working in the Ministry) were Authors of rejected Books that top officials were in cohort with foreign writers supplying manuscripts to officials of the Ministry to “Liberianize” (change “foreign names” to “Liberian names”) their manuscripts and publish into Books for use in Liberian schools. These foreign writers were given paltry sum (small amount of money), from the Ministry’s National Budget to the Ministry to purchase “Textbooks”. Similar thing was happening with funding from the World Bank to the Ministry of Education for Textbooks purchase, or training of Liberian writers to produced the kind of Textbooks needed by the Ministry.
Even though the MOE’s Book Evaluation Department is “rejecting” Liberian Authors’ Books on “cultural relevance”, but the Department has absorbed a Nigerian Author’s “Harvest of Corruption” (mentioned earlier in this article), which is culturally irrelevant to Liberia’s national corruption status—compared to Nigeria’s the Author is talking about.
For Literature Books, the Liberian Ministry of Education has absorbed many foreign Authors’ Books. The titles of some include: “Lonely Days” (by a Sierra Leonean), “Piercing Sun” (Nigerian), and “Blood of the Strangers” (Nigerian)
“Majority of the textbooks on all subjects being used in All God’s Children High School, where I teach General Science, are by foreigners—Ghanaians, Nigerians, et cetera,” Mr. Stanley Kolleh told me February 26, 2022 during my investigative tours at some Monrovia-based High Schools to get first-hand knowledge of nationality of Authors of book being used for this article.
RECOMMENDATIONS (SOLUTION METHODS) TO PRESIDENT WEAH ON HOW TO GET THE “RIGHT PERSONS” FOR THE HISTORICAL BOOKING-WRITING PROJECT.
President should appoint Professor Joseph Saye Guanu (Liberia’s leading Author of History Books) as Chairman of the Bicentennial Historical BookCommittee you will set up for this Liberia’s Historical Book-Writing Project. For other members of the Committee give instruction for selection of only persons who have been producing books over at least ten years prior to your “declaration”. The writer of this article qualifies for the “selection” based on his authorship career that has spanned over ten years, beginning from 2008 in Nigeria where he lived as refugee and learnt book-writing. Below is his first Book (432 pages), written in Nigeria between 2003 and 2006 and published there in 2008.
The Book is a fictional work about Liberia’s civil war—mass killings (by armed Liberians and members of the Economic Community of West Africa Monitoring Group—ECOMOG), love during killing time (two boys from the two tribal groups—Krahn and Gio/Mano—protecting each other from his witch-hunting tribal colleagues), and general refugee life of Liberians on Ghana’s refugee camp (end of the story) where the Author had lived for 10 years (1990-2001).
Titles of other Books by the same Author are: “Gbayloteh’s Peace Awards” (fiction), strategies of conflict resolution beginning with children; “Grade Sin” (fiction)about 16 of the issues (chapters) in Liberia’s High Schools (bribery for free grades/promotion, drugs) and solution methods (through actions of the story’s character—female student uses her mobile phone for exposing the school’s principal bent on sexually exploiting her for undeserved promotion—chapter 15, etc.); “American DV Lottery Marriage” (fiction), about excitement and frustration in lucky but poor Liberian marriee couple; “The Ebola Dribble” (fiction), Liberians’ doubts in the Ebola virus that invaded the country in 2015, and the huge death tolls caused by the “doubts”; “Dekontee: The Girl Who Draws with Her Mouth” (fiction), about a 13-year-old, 7th grader (Liberian) who picks drawing (illustration) after car accident caused loss of her both hands; and “How To Tame Your Rich & Domineering Woman” (non-fiction), about non-assault strategies a less financially privileged man can apply to make his super-rich and arrogant romantic partner (woman) under his control (submissive)
The Head of State should prevent entry of “politics” in the selection process through the Ruling Party’s member he will appoint as Head of the committee—if he doesn’t want to use an “outsider” (person not connected to the ruling Party), even though the person has deeper knowledge in writing than the President’s pick.
On production of a “new History Book” for Liberia, will President George Manneh Weah successfully passed where his predecessor—President Ellen Johnson—got “stuck”?
Liberians will get the answer from titles of the “new Book” on book shelves in libraries and books public books sale points in Street corners across the Country between the time the President made the announcement (February 14, 2022) and the end of his Presidential tenure.
Mr. President, working with the “experts” (Liberians with practical knowledge) in the writing field is the only way for you to record success in this other “Presidential Legacy” you dreamed about.
About the Author
Samuel G. Dweh is a member of the Wedabo ethnic group of Grand Kru County, situated in the South-Eastern part of Liberia. He’s a member of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), and former president of the Liberia Association of Writers (LAW), a writing coach (feature article, fiction writing/Literature), Diction Tutor (enunciation), and Publisher/Managing of Edu-Diary (12-page education newspaper) He can be reached via: —+231 (0)886618906/776583266/samuelosophy@yahoo.com