The wit of Sierra Leoneans and others

Wit is not the reserve of academics, politicians and other statesmen. Journalists could be counted among them, including some famous Sierra Leone journalists past and present. Some are laced with sarcasm and downright insults while others are accorded literary merit.

Much wit has been attributed to the late Sir Winston Churchill who was among other things famous for his Cuban cigars as well as having a fine palate for a good drink. In the British House of Commons (Parliament) Winston was reported to have a soft spot for either Lady Ashcroft or Lady Bonham Carter I am not quite sure which now. The story is told that one afternoon as Sir Winston walked slowly into the Members’ Room, one the ladies remarked, “There you are Winston, drunk again as usual.” Winston regarded the remark as an insult and slowly retorted. “Madam, today I may be drunk but tomorrow I shall be sober. But you are ugly today and tomorrow you will still be ugly.”

Former Tory Prime Minister Edward Heath was asked to tell the difference between an ACCIDENT and a TRAGEDY. Without batting an eye, Ted Heath answered, “An accident is when Harold Wilson (then leader of the opposition Labour party) falls over the pier into the sea in Eastbourne; a tragedy is when someone rescues him.”

A quip from the irrepressible Italian Prime Minister about newly elected United States President Barrack Obama and which received outright universal condemnation was when he referred to the American President as being over tanned.

Nearer home, in 1949 the then Albert Margai attempted to contest the western urban seat in the colonial Legislative council which was the preserve of the colony elite and occupied by honourable veteran lawyer Otto During.

At a crowded political meeting in the Wilberforce Memorial hall, journalist Bamikole Sawyer attempted to ridicule Margai’s candidacy when the latter retorted in Krio, “den dey cont yams by d dozen coco dey roll go dey.” It meant that when real people were being considered Bamikole Sawyer was a nonentity. That caused a great deal of laughter in the hall especially when taken along with Mr. Sawyer’s unflattering appearance.

We had a brilliant and fearless journalist who was later to be elected President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), Franklin Bunting-Davies.

Olu Ritchie Gordon who is notorious for his jibes, many of them vulgar had published another of his slanders in which he accused Bunting-Davies of having had intercourse with one of his (Bunting-Davies’) father’s wives who then had a child from the unlawful intercourse. Bunting-Davies admitted the unlawful sex with his stepmother and the child but added that the child was Olu Ritchie Gordon who had been adopted by a pa Olu-Gordon. Olu Gordon neither denied the allegation nor ever hit back. From thence until Bunting-Davies death many years later, Olu never attacked him again nor referred to the matter. Olu had also alerted his readers that the brain of Sama Banya was to be opened for scientific analyses. Puawui made a preempted response saying that such a test had already been done the result of which showed Dr. Banya’s brain to have the maximum number of grey cells and other vital components. He next revealed the results of earlier tests carried out on Olu Gordon which suggested not only an advanced case of schizophrenia, but also psychopathy.

Once more the readers of the Peep newspaper are being told that Sama Banya has acknowledged his promiscuousness and sex with his sisters. Readers may note that the otherwise very bright Olu has recently been in and out of the public eye for many months now and rumour has it that he may be the victim of an as yet undisclosed but dreaded blood disease. While details may follow, it is wise for people who live in glass houses not to throw stones. But in all of this who can beat the wit of Teacher Lemp?

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