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The
Liberian Mandingoes Reconciliation Conference Committee The
Liberian Mandingoes Reconciliation Conference Committee, through
consultative meetings, conferences, and presentations to identify and
address strategic issues facing our ethnic group and to provide
strategic goals for the future, resolved to invite Liberian Mandingo
politicians, intellectuals, and community and civic leaders to a
Liberian Mandingoes Reconciliation Conference. Contingent upon the
success of the aforementioned is the willingness of all parties
involved to participate. To achieve this desired goal, members of the
Liberian Mandingo Reconciliation Conference Committee worked
tirelessly, making calls to all stakeholders, and traveling at times
to various states in the United States to get all Liberian Mandingoes
involved. At its own expense, the committee also set up a web site and
used every mean at its disposal to get our people informed. Consistent
with the generous and welcoming spirit of reconciliation, the LMRCC
developed a ‘suggestion box’ format for the ‘silent majority’
to register its views. Realizing
that reconciling our own differences in the truer sense of the word is
paramount to any successful outcome, this Committee continues to
remain opened to suggestions from our brothers and sisters in line
with our objective of truly reconciling among ourselves. The LMRCC
also believes that reconciling our differences in faith, beliefs,
opinions, and perceptions will result in a very strong United Liberian
Mandingoes of Liberia. It was the dream of this Committee to transport
some of our stakeholders from Liberia to the United States to discuss
among other things, how our kinsmen can be re-orientated and
re-educated to the new Liberia. It is still the dream of this
committee to hold a final Reconciliation Conference in Liberia. The
Conference Committee met with invitees, stakeholders and a broad
representative of the Liberian Mandingo community first in
Philadelphia on Friday, November 27, 2004 at the Alcana Hall and later
in New York on Saturday, November 28, 2004 at the Modzawe Cultural
Center. In Philadelphia, the conferees took part in a science workshop
to learn the skills to use manual portable equipment in areas where
there is no electricity (Liberia). Mr. Ansumana Randolph Jabateh, was
the presenter at the workshop in Philadelphia. In New York however,
they gather to develop measurable and attainable goals for our future.
The conferees resolved to the followings:
(1) Reconcile our differences with one another as well as with other Liberians. Reconciling our differences among ourselves requires an opened minded discussion of our differences. Reaching out in the spirit of brotherhood will go a long way to bridging the divide between Liberian Mandingoes. We must continue the kinship established by our forefathers. A united community is a strong and powerful community. This is the legacy our forefathers left. A divided community is a weak community. We should embrace our brothers irrespective of religious beliefs. Our one unifying factor should be determined by our ethnicity. A national Liberian Mandingoes Reconciliation Conference must be held in Liberia to address this topic. After 14 years of warfare, there is an urgent need for reconciliation with our fellow countrymen. We should extend and reach out to our fellow Liberians including other ethnic groups and religious institutions. By interacting with them, we will erase some of the negative perceptions they have of us, and we will erase whatever negative perception we have of them. (2)
Engage
the Political Process. Business as usual did not benefit our
people that well, but getting involved with the political system will
guarantee us security. Concentrating on commercial activities exposed
a majority of Liberian Mandingoes to extortion, ridicule, false arrest
and sometimes death. One short-term engagement that could be the start
of a larger involvement in the political arena is to vote as a block
or as a group. By canvassing the presidential aspirants for the
October election, we can choose to support a single candidate. Support
must be based on that candidate or political party’s willingness and
ability to address the issues of tribalism, ethnocentrism, and
intolerance (religious and ethnic). If we want to empower one of our
very own, our support should be collective. We should not waste our
votes. We must not blindly support a political party for selfish
reasons. Success depends on setting aside personal agendas for the
good of the community and respect for opposing views. (3)
Set
up a Liberian Mandingo Legal Defense Fund. It is not sufficient to
depend on the government solely for ‘a redress of grievances,’ we
can also question laws that do not protect all Liberians and push to
change those laws through the Liberian Mandingo Legal Defense Fund.
The LMLDF will serve as a watchdog organization against ethnic and
religious discrimination and challenge laws that unfairly disadvantage
our people. We will encourage our people to contribute to this fund.
Attorneys working for the LMLDF will conduct seminars to inform our
people of their rights and responsibilities as citizens. (4)
Invest
in Communication to inform and to Educate. Communication could mean
Television Studios/Stations, Newspapers/Magazines, and other news
organs. This could serve as the means by which our fellow countrymen
can be informed of the values and traditions that make us unique and
dynamic and the contribution we have made to Liberia from its birth to
present. Our ability to have a serious stake in the mass media will
give us the advantage to advocate our causes and change the negative
public perceptions others have of us. (5) Set up an Education/Scholarship Program. The purpose of this program should be to educate our youths and provide funding for the brightest amongst us to study abroad. The advantage of this program is enormous and could be the key to solving the previous four resolutions. We the members of the Liberian Mandingoes
Reconciliation Conference Committee are proud to have served on this
committee. We are thankful to all those who advised, encouraged,
supported, and contributed to the LMRCC. We undertook a difficult task
under one of the most polarized moments in our nation’s history as
well as in our own community. We hope that others will learn from our
successes as well as our mistakes. There will no doubt be other
reconcilers. We have laid some foundations and outlined some
strategies for the greater good of our community. It is in our
interests to use this cornerstone to propel our community into 21st
century Liberia.
Mr.
Mohammed Keita MEMBERS
Mr.
Mohammed S. Bility |
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