Molding A New Generation Of Patriots

Liberia is 162 years old. From all indications, the country, like humans, seems to be deteriorating with age. There is a shortage of everything imaginable. Corruption is not lessening at all and the illiteracy number continues to climb. Sometimes it's difficult saying the same thing over and over again with no effect. But this is what is necessary to keep people's feet to the fire!

We in the Washington, DC Area celebrated our 26 on Saturday at the Liberian Embassy. It was the best I have witnessed since I have been going there. If I am not mistaken, there were more people than the food could handle. That's a first.

Each of the 15 counties had a booth to showcase its ware and cultural artifacts. I visited the Sinoe booth and was able to take a glance at the Constitution of the Sinoe County Association. I saw the River Gee County booth and the Grand Bassa County booth. I expected to purchase a bowl of rice and tor-bor-gee at the Lofa County booth, but that was not to be.

For my own reason, I have decided to curtail the eating of chicken. I just feel that I have eaten too much of this particular type of birds in my life time. So, when I did not find tor-bor-gee at the Lofa County booth, I began thinking: Where will I go to find a real good bowl of rice and smoked-fish gravy? This dish is prepared in all counties in Liberia, but when you think about serious dry rice and smoked-fish gravy, I believe Montserrado County takes this one, hands down. So off to the Montserrado County booth I went.

Between the booths of Bong County and Bomi County was the Montserrado County booth. Not much was happening in Bong and Bomi. Without much fanfare, I hurriedly proceeded directly to my destination. I was not disappointed. There was no split peas and pig feet; there was no smoked-fish gravy; but there was dry rice mixed with smoked-fish and SPAM with some real Goba Town palm oil; not the funny-tasting, diluted palm oil we are used to buying in this country.

After eating what I desired and being the patronizing person I am, I decided to take a tour of the Embassy grounds. The place was jammed packed. It was like being down Waterside. Like I said earlier, I have not seen that many vendors and customers on these grounds in many years.

Dorzon and his family, one of Liberia's best food catering groups in our area, was at its usual best. What surprised me though was the killer prices. A plate of rice and cassava leaves was $5.00 last year, This year, it was $10. With the economy this tough and with the number of people I saw, if the Liberian food vendors didn't get rich on this 26 Day celebration, then I just don't know when these people will ever get rich!!!! I ran away from the Montserrado booth just because a small piece of fried fish tail was being sold for $2.50. A man!

When I was a little boy there was no way I would go near a dancing Gbetu or even near a long Devil. Even a Liberian Santa Clause used to make my heart pound. But at the Embassy, Liberian-American children were running after the Gbetu and pulling at its straw attire. As for the long Devil, cell phone cameras were flashing from every close-up angle imaginable. The long Devil was having fun too, tapping little kids and obviously frightened grown ups on the heads with its fleece. These dancing Devils had so much fun, they cared less whether their attendants were close by or not.

I saw placards and posters imploring Liberians to unite, for diversity is obviously the strength we need to survive in that country. Most countries that we know have gone through hell. Yet, they were able to pick up the pieces and move on with the most important thing humans can boast of: Life.

The reconciliation and punishment we seek are not a guarantee that life for us will be all rosy. If punishment, for example, was all that, then rampant corruption and the unending stealing we see in Monrovia would be a thing of the past, especially after the incident of April 12, 1980 and its aftermath. It's a terrible thing to do an over kill in meting out justice just to regret the action a year or two later.

As we celebrate 162 years of underdevelopment, illiteracy and war, Liberians need to pick up a lot of broken pieces and look to the future with the goal of molding a new nation of people with a high sense of patriotic attitude. It is a must that we use this year's celebration to begin charting this new path for our children and their children.