Golden Jubilee celebrations take-off in Europe
Sierra Leone’s much anticipated Golden Jubilee celebrations kicked-off last Friday with a seminar at the Vrije University in the Holland capital of Amsterdam. (Photo: From L-R; Professor Wouter of the Vrije University in Amsterdam who moderated the seminar, Dr. John M. Kabia, Mrs Rosemary Kargbo, Ambassador Dr. Christian S. Kargbo and Head of Chancery, Haja Fatmata Binta Wurie)
Organised by the Sierra Leone Central Union which is a non-governmental, non-profit making and non-political organisation embracing other splinter groups in Holland, the seminar attracted both Sierra Leoneans and non-Sierra Leoneans as well.
Delivering a paper on the theme, “Armed Conflict, Intervention and Accountability: the case of Sierra Leone”, Ambassador Dr. Christian Kargbo focussed on the economic effects the eleven year war inflicted on Sierra Leone which eventually rendered the country economically paralysed. “The cost has been overwhelming both in terms of human lives and infrastructure. At least 50,000 people are said to have been killed and property amounting to millions of dollars lost as a direct consequence of the conflict”, Ambassador Kargbo said.
Sierra Leonean born Publisher and conflict management expert based in Manchester in the United Kingdom, Dr. John M. Kabia of the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace gave a lecture on the pros and cons of military interventions with particular reference to the ECOMOG interventions in both Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Dr. Kabia spoke eloquently on the need for interventions to avoid human catastrophe but at the same time gave a graphic picture on some of the lapses by the interventionists.
The Golden Jubilee celebrations will continue on April 16th when the Sierra Leone Humanitarian Organisation will host a dinner at the city of Rotterdam in Holland. Furthermore, the Muslim branch of the Sierra Leone Central Union will be holding a prayer session for Sierra Leone on April 23rd in the city of Den Haag (The Hague).
A cross section of participants at the seminar
On D-Day, 27th April, Sierra Leoneans in mainland Europe are expected to converge in Brussels where the Sierra Leone Embassy will be commemorating the Golden Jubilee with members of the diplomatic family in the European capital.
Sierra Leonean born musical maestro based in Belgium, Morlai Bai Kamara will stage a live band performance and DJ Rashid will also be in attendance with his musical set to pump out the latest releases from Sierra Leone.
The celebrations will then move to the city of Enschede on April 29th where the Sierra Leone culture will be displayed. Organisers have vowed to showcase all the cultural devils in Sierra Leone ranging from Paddle, Bloody Mary, Gbagbani, Goboi, Yamama, Poro devil, Bondo devil, Ojeh devil etc.
The celebrations will be climaxed with a never-to-be-forgotten jam session in the diamond city of Antwerp where the Sierra Leone Progressive Union in Belgium will be the grand host.
By Chernor Ojuku Sesay, Information Attaché, Sierra Leone Embassy,Brussels/EU.
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