Just a few days shy of my departure from Sierra Leone, I was
invited to talk on a Sports Talk radio show on Kalleone Jams. I will admit that
I avoided the offer a few times, because at this point, I was burned out from
the constant going and coming of family visits, and wanted to spend my last few
days wallowing in love, food, and immediate family. I wanted to put up a sign
that said “Come back later---after my plane leaves.” But the guy who invited me
to the show was none other than Mohammed Sesay, aka Medo, a soccer player, law
student, avid supporter of youth initiatives, and of course, a brother to me. I
gave in to the invite. And today, I am grateful that I did, because my speaking
on that radio show opened up the door for me to reach 20 more girls and in a
unique way, that I could have never imagined before coming to Sierra Leone. God
(and the universe) really does conspire in your favor.
“You know say we nor get freedom of speech nah yah,” Medo
warned. He was reminding me to beware of what I said on the airwaves as the
last time several students were arrested for airing their grievances on a radio
show. Shortly after the show began airing, police arrived to arrest them. I
took note of this, as I would have hated to close out my amazing vacation by
being jailed for offending the government. Albeit, I really had no intention of
speaking on politics anyway, as I am not well versed in the layers of the
current political situation.
The show’s host welcome his listeners to the show, gave them
the latest news on sports happenings, and then peaked their curiosity by
telling them that he had a young lady in the studio. People called in, asked questions
about my background. They asked mostly about how an American-born child could
be so fluent in Krio; I myself don’t know how I pulled that one off because
even when I was on the radio in the DMV, I couldn’t speak on serious topics in
Krio. Oh and for the record, I did ask if I could speak in English, but they
reminded me that maybe some old woman in a village upline would be listening in
and wouldn’t understand me. So I made it through...all for that old woman
upline. *upline = provinces
I spoke a bit about my background in youth development and
sports program development and how I believed that sports are in fact an
effective approach to positive youth development. So now the people wanted to
know WHAT my plans were for sports and youth in Sierra Leone, what I came to do,
what I would do and more importantly, if I would move to Sierra Leone to do
these projects and more importantly, WHEN. I assured them that I do intend on
going back home to develop some of projects I have in mind; however, I
emphasized that there should be no rush in this process and that they should
move away from the notion that anyone and everyone abroad can come home, jump
start projects, and solve problems. It takes time, I told them, and the last
thing I want to do is stick my hand in the pot, without assessing how hot it
is. I want to have a plan of action that will come only after truly assessing
the needs of the populations I want to serve. It will come.
And just when I thought I could relax and enjoy what little
time I had left, or prepare for the nostalgia that I knew was to follow, I was
called in again by Medo because of the response to the topic on the show. No
radio show this time. This time they wanted me to address an all-girls football
(soccer) club, FC Mahmoud. To this, I said a big, fat yes, because, of course,
girls work---that’s just what I do! J
Only problem was I only had two days left in Sierra Leone. So we agreed that I would
meet with the girls on Thursday morning.
I was told that I would be picked up by a guy named Fred
Claye, also known as the youth ambassador. He happened to live in Goderich so I
needed nothing more to head to my getaway spot also in Goderich ;).
On the way, Fred Claye asked that question, the magic
question: how are you going to help them? I told him that I wasn’t. I told him
that I was going to listen to them. Teach maybe. Give some words of advice
maybe. Positively affect one, maybe I would do. All I wanted to do was to hear first
hand what girls and women believe are the most pressing issues for them in
Sierra Leone particularly as female athletes, in this case.
But Fred Claye knows more than I knew in this moment; he,
without a doubt, recognized the importance of the women getting support from
their families, but he also understood their reality in ways that I did not in
the moment. So he moved to do something
that exemplified why in fact he is known as the youth ambassador. Cognizant of
the fact that the girls had withheld some of their biggest challenges and
plight, he picked on them. One by one,
he called on the girls to step up to the front of the room. One by one he
questioned them in a way that only a keen observer and someone who is truly,
deeply, dedicated and passionate to a cause could do. The questions he asked,
forced them to stand face to face with their biggest challenges. Those
questions also expanded my own thoughts, challenged my idea of their plight,
and gave me much needed cultural insight and scope of the situation in Sierra
Leone from these young women’s perspectives.
Fatmata, Haja, Messi.
Fatmata, what do you want to become? A lawyer. Why do you want to become a lawyer.
Explain your passion for law. Why do you want to become something like a
lawyer. What skills do you have? What do you do to show your dedication to this
field. This young woman could barely speak to any of these questions. Although,
she was the first picked on, she had a difficult time answering where her
passion or interest for law had developed. Fred Claye wanted her to see that in
order for you to become something, you have to start with a plan, and start by
taking action. By prioritizing. Taking what you want to do seriously. It was
evident that for one reason or another, she couldn’t do this.
Haja. How does your family feel about you playing soccer?
They strongly dislike it. How does your father feel about you playing soccer.
He often forbids me to. Why doesn’t he want you to play soccer? I am a woman
and he doesn’t want me to be travelling around boys. We are from a tribe that
is associated with a certain religion that has strict rules on interactions
with men before marriage. Haja have you tried talking to your dad about your
desire to play soccer? Haja tell us how you would do that? She hesitated. It
was extremely difficult for her. And thus this would be difficult to do in
front of her father.
Messi. What have you noticed since you became one of the
star players? People all over the streets recognize me. How do you behave in
public? Do you realize why that matters? I notice that both boys and girls say
that they want to be me. What does that mean to you Messi?
The final interrogation of Messi and her response triggered
something within me. I recognized on the spot that one of the areas in which
Sierra Leone lacks is positive youth development, which would include teaching
youth how to set goals with respect to their environment. Many of my sisters
have dreams, yes, but do not know how to create steps to achieve their dreams.
I do not claim to be able to do all. But I do know that I know how to set
goals, work towards them, and that I can teach something as simple as having goals
and setting them. So Godwilling, I promised the girls, I would be back. And
that this time I would come with a small workshop on a Saturday, where we talk
about what they would like to accomplish both on and off the soccer field and
how to accomplish those things.
The hard reality for these girls is that for many of them,
soccer cannot be there end-all-be all. It is important for them to view their
abilities, skills, passion, desire for soccer as the first step to a better
tomorrow. We asked them this: in 10
years, what will you stand in front of 20 girls sitting in the same chairs
which you occupy today, and say? What will be your legacy as someone who has
been gifted with the ability to score goals, run quickly down the field and to defend
your team? What will be your contribution to girls like you?
That encouraging them to develop plan B is not to discourage
them from playing and loving soccer, but for them to figure out how they will
take their talents a step further. That
they should use their gifts to uplift is what I left them with. That a female
soccer player today, will become the first female president of Sierra Leone, is
what I left them with. And my whatsapp contact information, of course.
