A Speech delivered at a Special Session of the

Edward Wilmot Blyden Forum

marking the 41st Anniversary of the

Press Union of Liberia

University of Liberia

September 30, 2005

Members of the Fourth Estate,
Members of the University Family,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

I must admit that the Press Union of Liberia lured me out of my self-imposed silence by inviting me to speak at the Edward Wilmot Blyden Forum on the campus of the University of Liberia. Frankly, I could not resist honouring an invitation to take part in a discourse that bears the name of one of the greatest scholars of the nineteenth century. In addition, the venue of the University of Liberia, where ideas are debated with logic and tolerance, convinced me that it was time to comment on the unfolding drama around me.

My silence has been deliberate for the simple fact that after another seven years of exile, it is prudent to listen, observe and reflect on the state of affairs in the polity. In a society of unreason, blind passion and chronic spiritual inadequacies where principles are difficult to decipher, it is advisable to listen, for here men and women talk passionately and at times recklessly; they agitate blindly and with fury; and they blaspheme unashamedly; not with the naivety of the zealot but with the cunning design of the hypocrite and prankster. Within this context, I reverted to a witticism of my people in Sierra Leone: God made the mouth to open and shut, but the ears he made to stay opened all the time. Thus, in deference to the wisdom of the elders of my other country, Sierra Leone, I have maintained a stoical silence in the midst of hilarious chattering and ponderous absurdities. It had to take the Press Union of Liberia with its enticement for me to break my silence and stand before you, members of the Fourth Estate to comment briefly on “The Media and Liberia’s Quest for Leaders.”

First, we must deal with the Media in Liberia—print and electronic—and its responsibility to the society and to itself. The Media determines what is newsworthy by bringing to our attention those developments in our society that warrant our attention. For example, if a woman beats her husband in the confines of the home and the neighbours witness this spectacle, it remains titillating gossip if the Media does not pick up the story. But as soon as the Media gives coverage to the story, it becomes an issue of debate simply because it brings into focus more issues than the simple act of a courageous woman giving a man a well deserved beating. The Media story will ignite the debate of gender equality, the institution of marriage, the issue of violence in the home and in the larger society and the disequilibrium in the ordering of traditional African society. The Media’s involvement shifts the debate from one of marital altercation and violence to that of sociology and the ramifications of role alteration in a traditional society.

The Media prides itself on reporting but it does more than that. It defines the issues, restricts the judgement of the generality of moderately enlightened people and mitigates or inflames the passion of those who exist on the brink of unreason and fanaticism. The Media in a society like ours that has gone through a process of auto-destruction has the fundamental responsibility of transforming the perception of the majority of those who read, listen and think. Thus, editors and their staff (the editorial staff) must demonstrate a high level of conscientiousness, honesty and dedication to professional ethics. Those who trade in ideas cannot afford the simplicity and comical posturing of entertainers, celebrities and showmen. Serious minded editors, journalists and broadcasters are not eager for cheap publicity and thus are not in the business of self-promotion by having their photos exposed everyday on websites and in newspapers. This manner of self-publicity is better left for those who desire recognition to conceal some inadequacies. It is obvious that serious minded men and women are respected and appreciated by those who are not impressed by outlandish posturing. In a society where small-minded men and women compete frantically for recognition and cheap publicity to conceal their limitations, it behooves those who deal with the transformation of people’s perception and thus with society’s introspection, to resist the temptation of being celebrities and concentrate on the arduous task of enlightenment and human transformation.

In a failed state like ours with chronic deprivation, reckless corruption and callous disregard for the elementary decency of human interaction, some segment of the Media can easily follow the trends in society and indulge in those vices that pollute the ethics of the profession. In a season of political promises, religious quackery and comical showmanship, it is easy to buy sensational headlines with a few dollars. Against this background, issues are subsumed under banner headlines of popularity, divination and hero-worshipping without the issues being analysed and interpreted for the generality of the unsophisticated readers. At times, one wonders whether editors are simply corrupt, grossly incompetent or just conceited with an exaggerated sense of their importance. In a society of broken lives and minds, it is not farfetched to imagine that even in the Fourth Estate, there are those who are equally guilty of empty showmanship like those small-minded men and women who parade themselves gaudily dressed amidst the filth and squalor of this our enlarged ghetto!

The Media has to examine itself and define the role it wants to play in shaping the future of our country. Partisanship in journalism is unprofessional and this attitude invariably transforms reporting and editorial commentaries into propaganda pieces. The Media, to be relevant in the rebuilding and transformation of our society must search for truth and not convey inflated sensationalism to deceive the uninitiated. It is true that poverty is pervasive in our society, but the Media should not be the avenue for desperately poor men and women to put food on the table. It is a dangerous undertaking for society and for future generations to allow the Media to become the conduit for profiteering!

Journalism is a very serious business and should not be the playground for lazy men and women. In our society today, there are many men and women, old and young, who want an easy ride in life. Study and work are extremely difficult for such people and they busy themselves in those pursuits that do not take much effort. The Media is no place for such people. Energetic men and women build great nations and with communication, they advance rapidly. This is seen throughout history. A nation grows productive and progressive when intellectual labour reaches its optimum in the process of invention, discovery and production. The great civilizations of antiquity thrived on communication and writing. The same is true today of those great nations that have set standards of productive growth and development. These nations have used the freedom of communication to excite man’s imagination and thus open up vast possibilities in human advancement. In these nations, people work very hard. With the skills of communication, they progress geometrically. We must learn from them!

The Media in a failed state must play the roles of chronicler, teacher and soothsayer. It has a responsibility to the readers and listeners to recall the history of their tragedy as objectively as possible; to teach them the lessons of their mishaps and to warn of impending tragedies if the lessons of the past are not learned and digested. The Media undertakes these functions as a major stakeholder in society and must thus embed itself in the people’s consciousness as their defender, teacher and first line of resistance against the emergence of tyranny and despotism. In its resistance against the abuses of power, the Media must involve the people at all levels. The one-man ownership of newspapers and radio stations is an anachronism in any society that is prone to despotism. The people must be part of Media ownership by the provision of shares to them. With this will go the establishment of a board of shareholders that would be capable of guiding and checkmating the editorial staff. Within this context, the suppression of any media establishment becomes the suppression of a broad segment of society, and the resistance to such suppression becomes widespread. In addition to this, newspapers and other media outlets must form a union to defend each other. Any attack on a newspaper or radio station must be considered an attack on all of them and in cases of extreme suppression and victimization, there must be collective silence in protest against all forms of governmental suppression.

With this background, we then pose the question: what kind of leadership does the Media envisage for itself in society? The answer to this question will lead us to our theme today: “The Media and Liberia’s Quest for Leaders.” Who are those in the Media that have demonstrated exemplary qualities of honesty, dedication to work, selflessness, patriotism, fearlessness, courage under pressure and threats, principled defense of ideals, consistency in the upholding and promotion of truths despite the consequences and, finally, the tolerance of all and sundry in spite of their passionate defense of absurdities? Who are those in the Media that have shunned profiteering and rewards from the rich and powerful, and in humble submission to their conscience and their God suffer persecution and rejection because they refused to yield to the temptations of a society wallowing in corruption, debauchery and perfidy? Who are the enlightened ones in the Media that have put their knowledge at the service of the humble folks? Who are those among you that fight for justice for the common people, while others tremble in fear and silence simply to protect their hide and possessions? Are there those among you that love human beings simply because they are God’s creation and not because they have wealth, fame or status in society? Finally, who are those in the Media that can walk among the humble folks and feel comfortable and sit at the table of the rich and powerful and feel no arrogance or pride? Those who meet these criteria are your leaders. They must be followed because they exude the humbleness of great personalities and the selflessness of good and decent human beings who serve mankind simply because it is spiritually rewarding!

The Media must reflect on its values and principles in order to participate adequately in “Liberia’s Quest for Leaders.” We have tried to outline certain qualities of leadership by posing some questions. The Media cannot reflect societal vices and expect to be taken seriously in the quest for leaders, especially in a failed state with a preponderance of broken minds. In a society where lies, dishonesty and contempt for decent human values abound, the Media must distance itself from these vices in order to provide the forum for the identification of virtues. Thus, in its quest for leaders in our Republic, the Media must search for the virtuous individual. It must look for the noble soul who is selfless in his/her dealings with all and sundry. This is a morally good quality for individuals who are selfless and with this quality they will serve the people selflessly.

The Media must look for the virtue of honesty in its quest for leaders in Liberia. Honest leaders will surround themselves with honest men and women. Crooked individuals are only comfortable in the company of crooked people. Honest leaders will set standards of decency and allow the people to respect the institutions of state. The people always hold in contempt dishonest leaders and thus are led to disrespect the institutions of state. This is the path that leads to rebellion and insurrection.

The Media in its quest for leaders in Liberia must identify the courageous individuals who swim against the tide of injustice when all others go along with the flow. Courage is about putting one’s life at risk for principles which one holds dear. The courageous ones defy the darkness of the tyrant’s prison when freedom is threatened for all and do not speak in contradictory tones about justice and sacrifice, stability and the sanctity of power. Courage is not shouting in public about injustice to sooth the people’s fears but then creeping in the darkness of night to the tyrant’s lair to reassure him/her. Courage is about refusing to yield to that which degrades men and women!

The Media in its quest for leaders must identify the simple folks who do not display their religious preferences for the eyes of men but worship their God in the privacy of their homes and their hearts. All these hypocrites who blaspheme with pretentious zealotry about religion are dangerous for the stability of the polity in this age of crusading fundamentalisms. Worship your God but leave Him out of the politics of selection. God has better things to do than to speak to liars and cunning beggars!

The Media in its quest for leaders must identify those who are enlightened and knowledgeable through experience in the act of governance. Our nation stands on a precipice. On one side is the abyss. There you have the plunge into darkness and destruction. On the other side is the plain of jagged rocks, broken bottles and poisonous snakes. On this precipice we stand today! Where will we go? In the abyss is the end. On the plain with all its dangers are the possibilities of success; but we need wise leaders with vision to lead us. It is said that where there is no vision the people perish. A nation in crisis needs visionary, knowledgeable and enlightened leaders who are comfortable in the world of finance, of economic management, of diplomacy, of letters, of literature and of culture. In short, you must search for a contemporary Edward Wilmot Blyden—a man or woman of ideas—great and noble ideas; a man or woman of scholarship—exemplary scholarship; a man or woman with experience in the act of governance and management; a man or woman with the qualities to accept defeat and victory with the same calmness and dignity; a man or woman who will not forget the humble people although he or she dines with kings, presidents and wealthy people.

Members of the Fourth Estate, play your role with selfless devotion in Liberia’s quest for leaders. This is your country, and your future, too.

I thank you all.