Gullah Kinship commends President Koroma
It is indeed a fact that the Sierra Leone Gullah Kinship Association is the biggest indigenous Non Governmental Organization in Sierra Leone for now. It was established in over 320 communities and 297 Secondary Schools in both Urban and rural areas including Kaffu Bullon with a numerical strength of about 500,000 registered members. (Photo: President Ernest Bai Koroma)
This Association has been striving very hard for the past sixteen years to rekindle the family and historical ties between the Sierra Leone and the United States and for the United States to rebuild the whole country in a project they titled ‘Rebuilding Sierra Leone.’ The Kinship holds the view that America as a nation owes Sierra Leone immensely as history has revealed that out of the estimated 500,000 slaves carted away to America during the Transatlantic slave trade (1750 – 1807), 350,000 were from Sierra Leone. It was also an established fact that America’s economy was largely dependent on the rice industry during the 18th century. Sierra Leonean slaves, because of their rice farming expertise were engaged in large rice fields by rice planters to plant rice (Carolina rice) which contributed a great deal to the economic advancement of America at the time.
The Association’s President, Chief Pa Komrabai Mbompa .H. Dumbuya traveled to America on two occasions (2008-2009) in a bid to strengthen the relationship for the overall development of Sierra Leone which was successful. Chief Mbompa was awarded with the key to the city of Union, South Carolina for his devotion and dedication to the cause of humanity which he did present to His Excellency Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma in an official ceremony at State House on the 17th September 2009.
Negotiations with a Church, St. Morie in South Carolina for the supply of free rice to Sierra Leone were undermined by a group of unpatriotic Sierra Leoneans occupying powerful government positions by tagging the chief and his Organization as illegitimate and unrecognized.
This did not go down well with the entire membership. The association then wrote a letter of complaint against these enemies of state (Zainab Bangura Foreign Affairs Minister) on the 14th June 2010 to his Excellency the President for his attention. The delay in addressing this issue by the President for a period of over 90 days made the entire membership develop a deep grudge for the President as he was seen as supporting those enemies bent on crippling the development of the nation. But thanks to God for his Excellency’s initiative for mandating the Office of National Security to thoroughly and speedily investigate the allegation on the letter of complaint and report to him for action.
The President’s action greatly helped in reducing the grudge the membership had against him. The Association is patiently waiting for the outcome of the investigation as they have submitted all relevant documents relating to their complaints to the Office of National Security.
Lamin Kamara, Deputy Chair Educational Development Programme Gullah.
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