An Ode to “I Picked Up My Pen” by the Late Henry Olufumi Macauley Sr
by Cheukai Songhai Makari
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace”
- Jimi Hendrix
The last week of 61. Another difficult year. It is becoming more and more frequent as there seems to be less to be happy about in Sierra Leone with each passing year. After avoiding visiting her for a year I don't know what I expected when I returned home two weeks ago, but the stagnancy, despair and undeniable feeling of discontent has been palpable. I feel guilty because at least I have the opportunity to take breaks from witnessing the deterioration of the land that we love in real time while the disgruntlement is evident in the faces of the people experiencing it everyday.
Each year, the lights get dimmer, the smiles less joyful, the stomachs more hungry and the streets more silent. But to me the silence isn't a peaceful one, it's the rumblings of frustrated people that are reaching their boiling point. It’s the calm before the storm.
Although it's a thought that pains me to actualize through putting pen to paper, I can’t shake the feeling that the storm is inevitable unless we start making decisions that are driven by power of love rather than the love of power. This love for everything besides the people and the country we reside in is the trait that is being passed down to generations, limiting the transformation of what could be possible in this country and the change we are able to see in our lifetime. Even as I write this, the change that I believed to be possible last year has shifted as I consider the culture surrounding civic duty and leadership is being promoted, passed down and idolised.
We’ve seen it happen before and while people think that the trauma inflicted on our country was enough to set us on the right path, suffering can be a blinding force.
For the past 61 years we have been passing on the baton of selfish decisions limited to what we can achieve in our lifetime. For a people that claim this is the land that we love, it's always a surprise to see the actions we take reflecting anything but that. As we head into another democratic election since the independence of this great nation I only hope that we can remember the passion and faith our parents once had, and the discouragement they feel only to see Sierra Leone as it is today and allow that to fuel us to ensure that it won’t be our same fate. Entering chapter 62 today, I only hope we can begin to see our country as the extension of ourselves so that when we decide to act in our best interest, it's in the interest of our country the citizens that deserve to enjoy the greatness that this nation has to offer. Another year older means another year wiser and we can to push the needle so that the change that we idealise in Sierra Leone can be something that is considered achievable, even if not in our lifetime at least in the lifetime of those who we pass the baton to.
Looking past 62 doesn't seem as clear or optimistic as it should be, but for today, happiest bittersweet birthday Mama Salone.
Cheukai Songhai Makari is a young passionate Sierra Leonean based in New York City. She was raised in Freetown and is pursuing a career in economic development with a drive to increase the standard of lvinng for the average Sierra Leonean.