Mr. President, esteemed ladies and gentlemen, as we strive towards a new horizon, for Sierra Leone, our development is too sacred to be left in the hands of any one group. Look at the room tonight and reflect on the complexity of the audience: the expectations we have for our children, the silent and not so silent dreams in our hearts about the road to the positive future we all want. We can only walk on that road when we bond together, when we extol the virtues of kindness, moral rectitude and oneness in all of us. We must do so in the common language of our humanity, in spite of whatever political choices confront us.
As a writer, my duty has always been to say that, in spite of all the political drama, horrors, pain, and sadness we encounter everyday, life is worth living; there is always the song of a bird to inspire us; that it is wonderful to watch our children, especially those who suffered so much during the war, at play; I celebrate the joy of a political prisoner or refugee coming home to his beloved; a woman bathing in a stream, dreaming about the children that she wants to enrol in the local school is something wonderful to write about; there is always hope, and, indeed, a nation that has celebrated fifty years of independence deserves all kinds of acknowledgement by its writers, philosophers, businessmen and women, students, artists and others, as it seeks to transform itself and build a better future.
I wish Sierra Leone and all of us a brighter future.
I thank you all for being here today.
Notes
1. Quoted from Paul Mason: BBC Economics On-line editor, February, 2011
2. Sierra Leone: From 500 BC-1902; Booklet compiled by Arnold Awoonor-Gordon. 2008
3. Nairobi Nation. Kenya; February 14, 2011
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