Mr. Guest Speaker; Platform Guests, Citizens of Lofa, Quardu-Gboni Residents; Fellow Liberians, Ladies and gentlemen:
Mr. Morris Sekou Kanneh
I took this as a challenge when I was asked by my friend and brother, Francis Duwana, the Chairman of the Barkiedu Massacre Committee, to give a brief history on Barkiedu, the unfortunate venue of one of the heinous tragedies that citizens of the Quardu-Gboni District will continue to repudiate. I took the challenge not as someone who know Barkiedu better than any other person, but as someone who is lucky to be alive today, after parking my belonging to go home and be with my parents to a place I thought would be a safe haven. Somehow, I got diverted due to my inability to get transportation during that fateful month of the massacre.
I took the challenge bearing in mind that had Abu Jawateh, Ambulay Jawateh, Seyeah Kanneh, Sekou Sheriff, Mohamed Dulleh (alias Zito) and a host of other victims from our generation were alive today, I would have probably been in the listening position because of the wealth of knowledge they possessed on the history of Barkiedu, as compared to what I will give here today.
Unfortunately, I am left to take this task due to the intervention of an overly ambitious dictator who had no respect for human life the result of which let to those of our compatriots to their untimely death. May the Almighty Allah give them Aljenna (Heaven). However, Barkiedu, which should actually be pronounced as Ballahkeledu, named after its founder Balla Kelleh, is situated between two major rivers (Nyonmehgor and Lofa River). It had over three hundred town-huts and about seven thousand inhabitants, before the eruption of the war.
Like any other towns in Lofa County and before the introduction of various religious influences, Barkiedu subscribed to traditional fraternity like the Korma Society for male and the Sandy Society for female. Major Sandy and Korma feasts were usually held in the town, almost every other year. The Bi-annual events were usually graced by traditional authorities of our major Lorma Zoes including Jallalorboh from Kpakumai and other Zoes from all around Bondi Clan including Litusu, Kpakumai, Goala and Balakpalasu.
The people of Barkedu boasted of cordial relations with their neighbors – the Lormas. Because of such cordial relationship coupled with the acceptance of their inter-cultural dependency like other tribes, the town boasted of one of the finniest “monkey” bridges over the Lofa River, in the entire county, built and constantly maintained to link Barkiedu with the rest of Bondi, through the help of people of Goala and Litisu during the 1920s up to the 60s. The bridge was abandoned in the 60s when those fraternities were abolished due to acceptance of the Islamic teachings.
Barkedu is the headquarters of Gboni Clan, and if I may say, the biggest town in the Chiefdom, followed by Sakonnehdu, the headquarters of Quardu Clan. Of the several powerful paramount chiefs that history can mention, two of them were from Barkiedu. After Warrior Chief Varflay Kollie Kamara, his son, Kolakoflay Kamara became the chiefdom’s paramount chief during the era of the Provinces. He was also preceded by Paramount Koigbeh Kamara after whom an agreement was fathomed that each of the two Clans (Quardu and Gboni) would be given a term each to produce a paramount chief after the death of the incumbent. What is also widely undisputable and cannot be challenged up to today is that the paramount chieftaincy in the entire chiefdom remains in the domain of the Kamaras, who enjoy the traditional honor of being the uncles of the area. All others are either nephew or nieces. Barkiedu and the entire Quardeu-Gboni had existed and survived outside of the attention of all Liberian Presidents, until 1971 when President William Richard Tolbert mustered the courage and determination to visit the town, during one of his nationwide tours.
Audience at the 2010 Barkiedu Massacre Commemoration
On that day, the veteran traditionalist, the late Oldman MajuVarmah Dulleh, taught some history, not only to President Tolbert but also to his entire entourage some of whom were bewildered by their discovery of the existence of a town in the county with 99.9% of its inhabitants being Mandingos. After getting some history lessons relating to the passage of Captain Willy Lomax, a former American Sailor who was on his way to Musadou to convince locals to be part of the new settlement which we call Liberia today, the President climaxed his visit by taking a comfortable ride via local made raft which replaced the “Monkey Bridge” on the Lofa River.
Unfortunately, and perhaps due to the theory of conspiracy of silence, much publicity was not given to the President’s visit. As such, those very important histories that were narrated by Oldman Maju Varmah were never written for national consumption.
The next visit of a President after President Tolbert was Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, two years ago. Again that visit gave idea to the President against negative perception that Mandingos are foreigners. Thanks to the President for her good gesture by visiting the mass grave of the victims of the massacre situated near the beautiful Barkiedu Mosque. After a 14-year of unwarranted war perpetrated by warmonger and property seeking individuals, Barkiedu is today awakened more than ever before. Their political and economic awareness is sharpened. There is more development now than it was before the war.
Long Live the people of Barkiedu and let the unfortunate July 12th massacre continue to be our strength in continuing to remind all Liberians that no citizen or group of citizens can win the sort of war that has formed part of our national existence.
Liberia is the land or blo we are proud to call home.
