Dr. Kebba S. Bojang
From the birth of this nation,
You have been part of its definition.
In every defining moment,
You stood at the forefront.
From the nation’s very name,
To the founding of its major settlements,
To the naming of its towns and regions,
All bear the imprint of your heritage.
To systematically marginalize a people,
To leave their sons and daughters overlooked,
Is itself an act of collective injustice.
To let the status quo endure
Is to betray the history handed down to you.
Your forebears would look on in disbelief.
Look to Guinea. Look to Côte d’Ivoire.
You will see your people do not bow easily.
So what is it that you fear?
With things as they are,
What is left for you to lose?
Stand up and stand firm for your worth.
Respect is never freely given.
Do not trade your dignity for acceptance.
My people, when will you grow wiser?
You insult your own
In pursuit of acceptance,
Only to be discarded in the end.
And when you feel wronged,
Your grievances are dismissed,
While some among you join the ridicule.
They make you despise your own,
Planting division among you.
Your forebears did not endure
So their children would live in silence.
Honor them not with remembrance alone,
But with the courage to stand upright.
_____
Note: Those who forget their worth become vulnerable to silence, fragmentation, and irrelevance.
