Last Word A Man Who Encourages His Brother To Make A Fool Of Himself Will Himself Harvest Disgrace District Commissioner Dan Smith was continuing his second tour in Mathanko District, and his administrative methods predictable to the extent that each time he was out of the station; he will hand over the administration of the District to his Assistant who is an African, John Moinina Kamara. “John, I am skipping out of this place for two days and you are in charge,” Dan Smith would almost casually inform John Moinina Kamara. John Moinina Kamara, being an African, was most baffled by the fact that a man from Distant England could tell Africans how to run their own affairs in their country. “I am just as educated s that damned fool of a Dan Smith and I see no reason why the British Administration should use our country as the dumping ground for people who will not be employed in their own country”.Assistant District Commissioner John Moinina Kamara told a gathering of friends one evening in his bungalow. The idea of recruiting a black man as Assistant District Commissioner was still strange to the natives of Mathonko and when Assistant District Commissioner, John Moinina Kamara openly boasted about the capacity of the African to be master of his destiny, the response from the gathering was polite, but very subdued. After the meeting between the chiefs and Assistant District Commissioner John Moinina Kamara, Paramount Chief Alimamy N’Thura informed his friend, Alimamy Sesay, that he was most impressed by the fact that the Assistant District Commissioner John Moinina Kamara could exhibit confidence, suggesting that he was equally as important as the White District Commissioner.”Alimamy, don’t you think that after all, the only difference between us and these White people who keep on coming here to lord it over us, is the colour of our skin? We are all human beings, only that they arrogantly believe that they can impose their culture on other people, a behavior I will one day challenge in public.” Pa Alimamy Sesay replied, “I agree with you entirely Chief, but what baffled me is the fact that our ancestors actually allowed these White people to take over our place, especially when to me it appears that a black man can always defeat a White man in a fist fight. We appear stronger than them, yet, our ancestors allowed them to take over our land.” Paramount Chief Alimamy N’Thura smiled, “that is all history now, Alimamy Sesay. Once we have more and more of the likes of John Moinina Kamara, the White people will be kicked out of this place one of these days.” But Alimamy Sesay continued, “Chief, there is no doubt that we can kick these white people out of our place, but we the black people have still not been creative enough to build corrugated iron sheets. Our people are already accustomed to riding bicycles yet we cannot manufacture them. The gramophone is now very popular among the people and it is sold in Mathanko, but what happened if these white men leave? Will we manufacture our gramophones?” Paramount Chief Alimamy N’Thura roared in laughter, ‘what are you talking about, Alimamy Sesay? Assuming that we cannot manufacture salt, bicycles and gramophones, don’t you think we can work hard, sell our crops and make enough money to buy these items from somewhere else.?” The news that District Commissioner Dan Smith was finally leaving Mathanko was no news to most of the villagers, what was news was the fact their own son, John Moinina Kamara, was going to assume the office of District Commissioner. Paramount Chief Alimamy N’Thura organized a great festive to commemorate the appointment of their own son, a black man to the rank of District Commissioner. Back in Freetown, the appointment of the new officer to fill the vacancy of the Assistant District Commissioner in the Mathanko District Office became a real problem. None of the European staff was prepared to serve as subordinate to a native, even if he is District Commissioner. One morning, the Director of Establishment, John O’ Dwyer, invited six white officers to his office and said desperately, “Gentlemen, you are here to serve the British Empire. I am very disappointed that you, all six of you, could refuse to travel to Mathanko to assume the office of Assistant District Commissioner.” The twenty-nine-year old Malcolm Parker, a tall English man replied causally, “Mr. O’ Dwyer, I am surprised that you have not heard that the people of Mathanko have led a delegation to the Provincial Commissioner of the Central Province, insisting that they no longer require British Citizens in the administration of their district. They now have a district commissioner who is black and they also insist that they need a black Assistant District Commissioner.” The Director of Establishment, John O’Dwyer stood up abruptly and said almost hurriedly, “Gentlemen, I declare this meeting over, good morning.” Three weeks later, James Momodu Massaquoi arrived at Mathanko to assume the office of Assistant District Commissioner to work under District Commissioner John Moinina Kamara, a new and happy development which caused the people of Mathanko to celebrate for two full days. The arrival of the black Assistant District Commissioner, further confirmed to the people that at last, black people could take care of themselves and run their own affairs, including the administration of the district office. Paramount Chief Alimamy N’Thura rushed to the residence of his friend, Alimamy Sesay, and in tears of joy said, “Alimamy Sesay, the Africans have won. We now have a black District Commissioner and a black Assistant District Commissioner, how I wish my late father was here to witness this historic achievement by the black people.” For some strange reason, the court messengers and other junior African government workers did not like the new administrative structure. Sergeant Major Duramani Sesay lamented, “how can you run a respectable district office without a white man? I see there is a conspiracy on the part of some people to undermine the status of Mathanko District, by bringing to the office black people who are in no way different from us.” The Chief Clerk, Daniel Tunde Maxwell was most unhappy especially since the new District Commissioner, John Moinina Kamara, never consulted him on any issue. Even the disbursement of the monthly imprest had been taken away from him by the black District Commissioner. The new Assistant District Commissioner, James Momodu Massaquoi, suddenly discovered that his new boss, District Commissioner Moinina Kamara saw him as a rival and not as a working colleague which created a lot of tension at the District Office. Six months later, Sergeant Major Duramani Sesay and Sergeant Musa Sanu walked up to District Commissioner John Moinina Kamara and complained that all the buildings had deteriorated and that something urgent should be done to repair the buildings. A very furious District Commissioner shouted, “you two people leave my office. I will refuse to tolerate any cheeky comments from any of you. I know it is that stupid Assistant District Commissioner that is putting ideas into your heads. Now, both of you get out of here, you foolish gossips.” That same day, Assistant District Commissioner James Momodu Massaquoi walked into the office of the District Commissioner and asked, “Mr. Kamara, I have noticed that you don`t consult me on issues relating to the administration of the district. We already have a backlog of work including compiling the list of tax estimates and don`t forget tax collection is expected to commence in all the provincial districts next month. Besides, I have also noticed that we have not sent monthly returns to the office of the Provincial Commissioner.” John Moinina Kamara stood up and punched his Assistant heavily on the face, causing James Momodu Massaquoi to bleed profusely. When news filtered into Freetown that Mathanko District was in a state of disarray and that all the government buildings were in a state of disrepair, the Colonial Secretary instructed the Chief Commissioner for the Protectorate to amalgamate Mathanko District with neighboring Malal District, further giving instructions that the district office at Mathanko be shut down as the Malal District office will now serve as headquarters for the newly amalgamated district. Mathanko was now administered directly from Malal District. John Moinina Kamara who had lost his status as District Commissioner was relegated to the rank of Assistant District Commissioner under Andrew Carpenter, the District Commissioner of the newly amalgamated Malal - Mathanko District. James Massaquoi had been redeployed and reduced to the rank of Executive Officer and Personal Assistant to District Commissioner Andrew Carpenter. One morning, District Commissioner Andrew Carpenter invited John Moinina Kamara and James Musa Massaquoi and said firmly, “gentlemen, we are going to rehabilitate Mathanko District from here. Let me make one point very clear to both of you, all disbursement of funds will be done properly here and expenditure should be supported by authentic documents. By the way, whenever you need rice or kerosene or blankets, asks my clerk, he will make the necessary requisition, that is the way things are done here.” When news circulated that the former District Commissioner, John Moinina Kamara and his honest Deputy, James Momodu Massaquoi, had been demoted and that they were now instructed by the firm Englishman District Commissioner Andrew Carpenter, the Paramount Chief of Mathanko, Alimamy N‘Thura walked the distance to Pa Alimamy Sesay‘s house. “The district office in Mathanko has been shut down by the white men, the court messengers and clerks have been withdrawn and shamefully Mathanko is now under the administration of Malal, this is painful, Alimamy Sesay, does it mean that each time I want to confer with the District Commissioner, I must walk the fifteen miles distance to Malal?” The chief lamented. Pa. Alimamy Sesay wept too, “it is painful chief, but the pain is more intense when you are betrayed by your own brothers. Why could not these two people, District Commissioner John Moinina Kamara and James Massaquoi, work as brothers, instead they came to this place and disgraced themselves in the presence of ordinary people, actually fighting in public like street boys and in the process brining shame to Mathanko. Now, we have for the very first time lost the status of having a district headquarters in our own chiefdom. We must now travel the miles distance to Malal to disgracefully wait outside the white man`s office at Malal before we can have audience with a district commissioner.” Paramount Chief Alimamy N‘Thura nodded his head and said in a pitiful tone, “you are right, my dear Alimamy, those two fools came here and betrayed whatever little respect that was left to the black man but they have taught us a lesson-, “a man who encourages his brother to make a fool of himself will himself harvest disgrace.”
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 09:25:03 +0000
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