By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
Day 1: The opening
Finally! So this was Bintumani III. The buildup was almost overshadowed by the boycott from political parties. Coalition for Change and All Peoples Congress pulled out but somehow the National Grand Coalition cushioned that effect by making a sudden U-turn, just hours to the opening of the event.
It is important to note that the turn out wasn’t disappointing, especially on day one. The frank discussions about peace actually kicked in on day two.
Day one was unofficially dedicated to President Julius Maada Bio. Almost everyone explaining their position paper thanked him and from time to time the crowd in the hall burst in to a loud chorus in his praise: “Maada Biooo, Maada Bioo aaay.”
So as soon as the President declared the conference opened by 2pm, the hall became empty. He left and more than half of the crowd went along with him. That same crowd never came to Bintumani again for the rest of the other two days.
The conference was organized for peace and national cohesion. The official name of the conference is ten words long - National Dialogue Forum Democratic Consolidation for Peace and National Cohesion.
Perhaps the name was an attempt to capture everything just as the three days sessions aimed at doing.
Day 2
It was day two in the conference and tea break is over. Tea Break during this conference was actually cue for mid-day.
Dr Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella had just concluded the first session of the day. That session focused on what Sierra Leone could learn from countries that had gone through their own form of turmoil.
On the stage were representatives from Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda.
Then came the second session of the day, which was session three of the whole conference.
President of the Sierra Leone Bar Association, Basita Micheal and four other panelists took the stage. The topic of discussion was: ‘The nexus between development and peace building, the past, present and future.’
With her on the panel were Dr Charles Silver from the African Peer Review Mechanism, Dr Abu Bakar Kargbo from the National Commission for Democracy, Rosaline Marcathy from the Mano River Union Women’s Peace Network and Marcella Samba Sesay from Campaign for God Governance. If this was football, then this was your star studded line up. To top it off, Alhaji Alpha Kanu from the All Peoples Congress was the moderator.
Alpha Kanu’s attendance alone caused quite a steer, within his party and in other circles. But he went on nevertheless. At the end of the three days, every government official in the hall felt like they owed him a smile, hug or hand shake.
The old man had never given so much interviews in an event, and by the end of Day 3, he was visibly worn out, he said as he kindly turned down Politico’s request for an interview.
“I have given so much interviews from the opening to today, I am really tired now. Please,” he said.
The irony about Alpha Kanu being in charge of that panel was that all most everything his panelists were saying were the things his political party - the APC - should have said if they had attended. This was the free space they had, with everyone at home and abroad watching or listening.
As if she was speaking on behalf of C4C and APC, the Executive Director of Campaign for Good Governance (CGG), Marcella Samba Sesay said: “There is no premise in development that says ‘this is what previous government has done and so we are going to revenge’. You cannot talk about cohesion without inclusiveness.”
Inclusion has been at the heart of the division in Sierra Leone. Political persecution and alienation was also a point the opposition have been making. So in their absence, independent bodies like CGG and Bar Association filled the vacuum.
Basita Michael, the Bar Association President, was also very vocal on the tone of rhetoric and perceived injustice that is perpetrated by government officials and their supporters.
“You can’t preach peace when you are sacking people. You cannot preach peace when you impose the position of the speaker to a minority, you cannot make peace when you are making appointments on tribal line…,” she said.
She then added, in a form of recommendation:
“The government should give immediate attention to those who feel aggrieved or marginalized. The office of the First Lady must cool down her rhetorics. The office of the first lady is very important to national development.”
This was the level of bluntness this space provided.
By what they were saying, you could guess that perhaps there were more cheers at home than in the hall. But hey, who can tell?
At the end of the session, Alpha Kanu took us all on a long monologue, as if to show off his proficiency in the holy Bible. But no one cared, the room excused him and he flowed.
The final day
Femi Claudius Cole is on stage. She was ushered on to it by Shaggy’s song-strength of a woman. The crowd in the room cheered her as they all danced and sang the chorus of the song together.
This was session 6 and was by far the most interesting one. This is the session that provoked emotions like laughter, sorrow, shame and anger.
The topic was: ‘What do we want for peace in Sierra Leone. Carved in Krio and the discussion was also in Krio.
Her panel was the true reflection of ordinary Sierra Leone, without politicians: Idriss Brima from the Kekeh (Tricycle) Union, Mary Bob Kandeh from Market Women Association, Santigie Kargbo from Sierra Leone Union on Disability and Alfred Turay from Ghetto Youths. These people came from some of the most important shades of the population.
After their opening speeches, almost all the panelists were pushing for women to lead the commission. The moderator, Madam Femi, even said the composition should be at least 60% women.
By the middle of the discussion you had the feeling that there was a general consensus that, “Yes! Let’s give the top job to women”.
The only person who didn’t follow the bandwagon was Santigie Kargbo from SLUDI.
“We have a very major problem, almost all the time we are left out in decision making,” Kargbo said during his opening address.
He added “Our major problem is accessibility. On the opening day of the conference, one of our sisters came here and she was on a wheel chair. She had to be carried to enter this place. In the process, part of her dignity was chipped off. So she is not here on the second and the third day, because you don’t want her here.”
A cold shiver ran through the spine of the room and everyone nodded or kept silent in apparent guilt. Deep within, there was a mutual feeling that everyone in the room was guilty of what Kargbo was saying about their situation. He ended by saying that the leadership of the commission should be given to persons with disability. His reasons were simple. “We are not responsible for the current state of the country, you are. You have always been making the decisions.”
And he went on: “Look around, most of us are disable as a result of the civil war. They lost their eye sight, their hands and feet were chopped off,” Kargbo said.
Striking!
If there was anything this conference achieved it was opportunities like these, to speak up and speak freely, up and close to people who you think are either responsible for your problem or can solve your problem.
Whiles Kargbo laid claim to their right to lead a commission like this, Alfred Turay, who was a ghetto youth, was implying that Youths don’t need to even be part of the commission.
In his own words “I said women should lead this commission because I am a feminist.”
Perhaps he was about to justify just what he meant but the crowd didn’t wait. The young men and women in the room erupted and demanded that he stops representing them immediately.
To quell the situation, it took four people to talk loudly to the young people through the mic: the moderator, the chief minister, the minister of political affairs and Alpha Saidu Bangura. They all failed.
What solved it was the national anthem.
Everyone took two minutes and we recited the national anthem very loudly to settle the impasse. After the recitation, that was it. Back to normalcy.
Mary Bob Kandeh from the Market Women Association urged politicians to avoid taking politics to the market, pointing at how divisive the market has been over the last few years.
Idrissa spoke brilliantly on behalf of the Kekeh riders and how much injustice they are facing on the streets. He said all that is a recipe for chaos.
Lively panel, but by the end of it all, Mamy Femi was overwhelmed. This was not what she bargained for. She was ready to moderate the best panel throughout the three days, but it was unbelievable how the discussion was heated.
The Chairman of the conference, Chief Minister Prof. David Francis, said at the end of the session
“Madam Cole wanted the best panel and I said be careful what you wish for.”
The closing
The highlight of this occasion might vary, depending mostly on what someone was paying attention to.
The highlight could be the Children’s Forum Network President’s speech, which pierced through and deflated the ego of politicians in and outside the room. It was the most candid position paper on the opening day.
The highlight could have also been the young girl who came to sing and went on to greet everyone including the Vice President and his WIFE.
Or behind the scenes it could have been a group of top police officials who almost knelt down to greet the Sierra Leone Peoples Party Chairman, Dr Prince Harding.
Or the chiefs who were so excited to see Alpha Kanu in the conference that they had to ignore his hand and grip him for a hug instead.
And at the end of the three days, the sky rumbled and it rained. As if God just approved everything this conference just discussed.
This was Bintumani III for you.
(c) 2019 Politico Online
