The Words of a Liberian/African Jewish Rabbi My Brethren and Sisters in the Lord: Blessings to all of you and your households. Remember as of this date and always until eternity to seek first the kingdom of God and all his righteousness and all other things (wealth, good life, beautiful and faithful women, men, and great spiritual and intellectual riches, children, grandchildren, and eternal happiness and joy, etc.) will be yours. Also, love your culture and history and national heritage: learn to speak your native languages and take pride in them; document your history and culture and do not depend on outsiders to write your history. Love your country and fellow countrymen and women and do not segregate--no Congor--no Americo-Liberian--no Country--but just Liberians of varied cultural and historical descent. Therefore, we must not hate ourselves and detest our variety but we must celebrate our diversity because each of us is made in the image of God Almighty. Accordingly, nobody is more superior or inferior than the other. We are all equal under the law and in the presence of God. Therefore, curse on those who feel that due to their material success or ethnic lineage they are better than their brethren because God our creator detests such an unwholesome behavior. Finally, let me directly address some of you that have seized the liberty in recent times to downplay the value of education and cast a blanketed condemnation on all educated Liberians or Africans in an attempt to support your argument that an underdeveloped society such as Liberia or other African and third world societies can prosper without the active involvement of educated Liberians or Africans in the reconstruction process of post war Liberia or Africa. The premise that proponents of this school of thought advance to support their argument is based on the fact that some educated Liberian or African “fools” have demonstrated their wicked behaviors and ineptitude by neglecting the needs of their fellow countrymen and women due to selfish economic greed and lack of patriotism. I can assure those of you who hold this backward belief that such a philosophy will not obtain in Liberia or any part of Africa, irrespective of the fact that Liberia and other African nations have a high illiteracy rate. One reason why some of these mishaps continue to occur in the Liberian society is not because educated Liberians do not know right from wrong but because those that get recirculated in the Liberian system based on the policy of “Who know you” suppress their own brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers because they do not basically have the fear of God at heart. As a consequence they lack the wisdom to lead, for the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. However, I can assure you that not all educated Liberians or Africans fall in that deplorable category; for there are the Mandalas, NKrumahs, Toure’s, Leopold Senghors, Malcom X’s, Martin Luther King’s, Marcus Garvey’s, the great Pharaohs of Egypt, great African kings like Massa Musa, Sundiata Keita, and so forth, that have made great strides to improve the lot of the Black Race. Consequently, I am making this point to say that those of you who contend that Liberians do not need educated people to lead them but that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can lead Liberians or Africans in this twenty-first century even if they do not know the difference between the letter “A” and “Bull Frog” is a big fallacy because your argument does not hold a grain of water! So, if you have spent your years wasting your life drinking Club Beer from bar to bar and from one “Atahyea” shop to the other, then you must be daydreaming to think or deceive yourselves that you can sit and fold your hands while other patriotic citizens go to school in the rain and under the scourging sun and then expect to be awarded with the presidency or leadership of Liberia because that is completely a rebellious philosophy—that you can sit and do nothing while others burn the midnight oil to acquire skills that Liberia or Africa needs, and then you hold everyone at gunpoint with your M-16s and Bazukas, and destroy what our forefathers have spent hundreds of years to build. We will not allow that complacency to continue in Liberia because those of us with nuts will rise up to ensure that rule of law and civilization triumph in Liberia and that perpetrators of heinous war and economic crimes will be brought to justice in the final analysis through the grace of Almighty God. So, I encourage every Liberian youth to go to school and learn a trade and/or acquire a career so you can earn an honest living in the near future because the day will come in Liberia or on the continent of Africa when access to state power will not be dependent on military coup d’etats or rebellious activities but through the ballot box. In addition, such determination will also not be based on “who know you” but based on our achievements and the content of our characters. God bless all of you and please take heed of this vital message. The days of impunity in Liberia are over; so, those Liberians that are in the habit of re-electing rebels or appointing lawbreakers to positions of public trust beware because the days of impunity in Liberia are over and no Liberian is above the law! So, go to school, acquire a career and be law-abiding! A word to the wise is quite sufficient! Rabbi Prince Joseph Tomoonh-Garlodeyh Gbaba, Sr., Ed. D. January 23, 2015
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 16:41:10 +0000
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