By Samuel G. Dweh—Freelance Development Journalist
+23188661896/776583266; samuelosophy@yahoo.com/ samuelosophy1@gmail.com; hafizm.sonnie57@gmail.com
THE PREMISE
Which of these two Media Practitioners’ “information” will the Government feature into National Achieve: Work of the Print Journalist or the Electronic Journalists?
The writer or the speaker: Whose nation-building academic or intellectual production can preserve the Country’s physical/natural image (agriculture, natural resources—iron ore, gold, diamond, bauxite, etc.) for the next generation of citizens to know about each?
A classroom teacher wants to give home-study assignments to his/her students: Will he/she record the information on an audio device (radio, voice recorder, etc.) or write it on the writing board of the class or write it on a sheet?
When a Researcher is doing a research on Liberia, will he/she go to a Radio/Television Station or to a Library?
Which of these two persons can produce the Government’s Journal (National Gazette): The person who can only talk or the person who can write?
Which of these forms of “information medium” will vividly “show” future generation of citizens a “cultural life” of a today’s County to persons to be born 20 years from now: The person in “Written History” or the person in “Oral History”?
When a medical doctor wants his/her patient to purchase different pharmaceutical drugs (tablets and syrups) to be consumed at home, will he/she call the names or write the names on a sheet?
These components of the ‘Premise’ are meant to prove the nation-building importance of “writing” above “talking” in all sectors of national development and personal safety (medical) . I am not writing off “speaking”; but when it comes to “national development”, WRITING is the “senior” of “speaking” (talking)
WRITING: LEADING NATION-BUILDERS, BUT MARGINALIZED BY PREVIOUS GOVERNMENTS
The professional Liberian writers’ community had been ignored by Governments that preceded the Administration of Joseph Nyumah Boakai (inaugurated on the 22nd of January, 2024) Each of these past Governments left out the Writers’ community on financially support. Only the other professions were supported. Such marginalization caused severe economic problems for members of the professional Writers’ community. Majority of members couldn’t provide food in time for their hungry and, nagging and crying children, couldn’t find school fees for the children, pay rents for other people’s homes they were living with their families, and many other challenges.
Mr. Charles Taylor’s Government focused much on “talking” (via Radio stations); “writing” wasn’t a priority profession for the Government.
Madam Ellen Sirleaf’s Government drew closer to the Writers’ community, through the Liberia Association of Writers (LAW), because a “writer” ghost-wrote her published memoire titled “This Child Will be Great”. She invited the leadership of LAW and few professional writers (all representing the entire Liberian writers’ community) to the launch of the Book. But the body of persons she appointed at the Ministry of Education were prioritizing foreign writers’ Books as Text Books for Liberian Schools. All Books of History, Science and Georgraphy were by foreign Authors. Majority of Liberian Authors’ Books were ignored by the the MOE’s Department of Text Book headed by Madam Madea Herring Mensah, who was being exposed (by some MOE’s officials) of being in business partnership with these foreign Authors. During my leadership of the Liberia Association of Writers (LAW)—2017-2022—I was often informed by our contact person (official of the MOE) that the Text Book Department Head was barring Liberian Authors’ Book on a flimsy excuse that the Liberian Authors’ Books were “culturally irrelevant” or “substandard” only to justify her use of foreign writers’ Books on her business partnership with them—and to give each foreign Author paltry sum of the money from The World Bank through its Global Partnership for Education (GPE) huge education-promotion funding to the Liberian education sector. Madam Mensah’s partner in this scheme was Madam Felecia Sackey Doe-Sumah, Head of Basic and Secondary Education as my leadership of LAW was often informed by LAW’s “information person” (official of MOE)
The Government of George Manneh Weah retain these two women—Madea Herring-Mensah and Felecia Sackey Doe-Somah, who continued the “marginalization” of Liberian Authors’ Books.
Outside the Text Books circle, the George Weah-led Government was the “worst” in terms of supporting Liberian Writers’ community. Only pro-President/Government “political writers”—those who only praise-sang the name of the President or demonize his political opponents in their articles published in pro-Government Newspapers—were receiving financial assistance from Head of State George M. Weah or through one of his Ministers.
PRESIDENT JOSEPH NYUMAH BOAKAI WILL BE “DIFFERENT” FROM HIS PREDECESSORS
Sakui Malakpa, a member of the Liberian writers’ community, assisted “Vice President” Joseph Nyumah Boakai on writing his Memoire (Book) about his life in his native Lofa County and his entry into the Capitol Building. The book-production assistance didn’t come from a “professional talker” (at a Radio Station) Based on this writer’s assistance, the now Head of State, His Excellency Joseph Nyumah Boakai knows the importance of “writing” for national development.
HOW THE PROFESSIONAL WRITERS’ COMMUNITY CAN ASSIST PRESIDENT BOAKAI TO DEVELOP LIBERIA
Members will write about Liberia’s Tourism sites President-Elect Joseph N. Boakai had promised to promote.
The writers’ community members will produce Text Books for Liberian Schools—to prevent Liberia’s Pre-JNB time reliance on foreigners’ Books for Liberia’s grade schools to the Universities—the way it had always been during the Presidency of Charles Taylor, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and George Manneh Weah.
Members of the writers’ community will assist the JNB’s Government to produce the Government’s Gazette (official Journal)
INTELLECTUAL WORKS (BOOKS) BY THIS AUTHOR
The Author has two published works (Books) and five Manuscripts to be turned into “Books” when publication fee is available. One is the published Works is featured below:
SYNOPSIS OF THE BOOK
“Grade Sin” is about seventeen of the issues in Liberian High Schools—all represented by a fictional High School named is about highlights.
The Author’s inspiration of producing this imaginary work is from an official education-based report (published in 2013) by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) titled “Mapping of Corruption Risks in the Education Sector of Liberia”, sponsored by the United Nations Development Project (UNDP)
The Report, by the Government of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, focuses on the grade-level schools (Elementary-12th grade) Two of the dozens of findings in the LACC’s Reports are bribery for grades or pass (promotion) and poor National Government’s Monitoring Structure to prevent these “academic crimes”. The synopses of the seventeen issues.
CHAPTERS SUMMARIES OF “GRADE SIN”
CHAPTER ONE: Student Representative Council (SRC) elections: School’s principal and class teachers manipulate for their ‘favorite’ students (presidential candidates) based on ‘monetary’ or ‘sexual’ favor.
CHAPTER TWO: School’s administrative body meets on low salaries; monetary and sexual exploitation by teachers against students on free grades.
CHAPTER THREE: Students with disabilities on mobility impediments in the school.
CHAPTER FOUR: Female Student Union Government’s president anticipates “academic corruption” by teachers or School’s principal, teaches English to English teacher on Government’s public bus where she’s a ticket sale officer.
CHAPTER FIVE: Teachers protest at the Ministry of Education on “low salaries” and “ghost names” in the Ministry’s biometric system.
CHAPTER SIX: Top academic performing female student’s sole education sponsor (biological father) becomes ‘incapacitated’ on life-threatening health problem, which later affects her academic outputs and makes her a prey to a teacher and the school’s principal on sexual exploitation (for free grades).
CHAPTER SEVEN: Another school day: A female student on Facebook (social media) during test time, while some of the other students are committing various ‘academic offenses’.
CHAPTER EIGHT: Narcotic Drugs consumption effect on a male student’s behavior
CHAPTER NINE: A father of a pregnant female student takes knife for the culprit at a Parents-Sch ool meeting.
CHAPTER TEN” Students hustle for school fees from Sports gambling center and Bar (Night Club)
CHAPTER ELEVEN” Top-performing student thrown out of class on exams day on school fee issue, rejects school principal’s offer of free grades. “I want to work for my grades,” he tells the owner of the school.
CHAPTER TWELVE: Female student tops School’s Top Class Third Term’s Exams, Loses sole education sponsor (biological father)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: A school girl and her “sugar daddy” (elderly sponsor of her education) Female students have session on their poor performance, sex for grades/promotion, and the danger of exposing grade-related sexual harassment by teachers or school’s principal in the absence of protective mechanism by national government.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Anti-Grade Crime Lawmaker (member of the House of Representatives) begs school’s principal on bribery for free grades for his child.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: School’s principal falls into female student’s sex-for-grade trap facilitated by her cell phone.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Female student sues school’s administrative body for denying her promotion.
In 2014, I had an inspiration of producing the Movie version of this Novel. Weels later, Mr. Crayton Duncan (now Senator of Sinoe County), Personal Assistant of the Central Bank Governor, Mr. Mill Jones, contributed to printing of the Book with US$70, after each member of my County’s Legislative Caucus Members of my County (Grand Kru) ignored my appeal for printing cost. But each person received a free copy I personally delivered to him in his Legislative Office at the Capitol Building.
Hon. Alex Chersia Grant, Representative of District #3 of Grand Gedeh County, printed out the entire Movie scripts produced by me—being his contribution to the Education Movie project.
I mobilized students from various High Schools for the Movie. After training the students on Acting (The Administration of the SOS School in New Matadi, Sink Monrovia, offered us an Audition space) Later, I delivered copies of the Book at the Text Book Department of the Ministry of Education, followed by official request for financially support, through the Office of the Minister, from the Ministry of Education to be a part of the first post-war Liberian Education Movie. But the Minister never replied to the communication. And never gave me audience during each of my follow-up visits on the Movie Project.
I made similar request to the Prof. Dao Ansu, Sr.-led Ministry of Education—of the Government of George Manneh Weah, but the Ministry never replied to our appeal.
I strongly believe that the new Head of State, His Excellency Joseph Nyumah Boakai and Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung—“RESCUE #1 and RESCUE #2”—will support the Movie version of GRADE SIN. My belief is based on each person’s solid educational background and passion for promoting another Liberian’s creative works to bring about change for the development of the ENTIRE LIBERIA in all sectors.
Welcome, the “RESCUE” Pair/Team into our Country’s Presidency!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Samuel G. Dweh (a member of the Wedabo ethnic group of Grand Kru County) is professional writer (fiction and non-fiction) He is a member of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL), and member and former president (22017-2022) of the Liberia Association of Writers (LAW) He had worked as Proofreader, News Editor, Editor-in-Chief, and Senior Editor-Reporter with seven different Liberian Print Media Institutions (beginning as Proofreader at Daily Observer in 2011) and Reporter-Assistant Editor with one Magazine (IMAGES Magazine owned by veteran Liberian Photo Journalist Mr. Sando Moore) in 2013.
