This groundbreaking book 'Weh Dehn Say? Dehn Say Kapu Sehns Nor Kapu Word', comprising a vast array of Sierra Leonean literature and edited by Eustace James Palmer and Abioseh Michael Porter, terminates the perennial indictment that Sierra Leoneans have not been seriously in pursuit of a literary and artistic tradition. This crucial appraisal of the works of earlier and burgeoning indigenous writers includes the work of Davidson Nicol, Sarif Easmon, Lemuel Johnson, Syl Cheney-Coker and Alhasan Mansaray. However, the line-up of writers is in no way exhaustive. Their works are evocative of national pride and dignity, realising that this tiny West African nation has made some strides, contributing its fair share to literary and cultural milieux of Africa and world literature. These analyses tunnel at the crossroads of Sierra Leone’s wonderful and exotic mélange of a rich and very diverse culture, with its artistic history and destiny.

The nation’s literary artists still trail Nigerians, by a wide gap, who came to Sierra Leone, then the ‘Athens’ of West Africa, to obtain higher education. But why should the mantle of change in leadership wedge such dramatic shift? The advent of Sierra Leone’s decade-long gruesome civil war served as the catalyst that boosted the nation’s literary expediency to undergo a metamorphosis, if not teetering on the brink of a renaissance. Increasingly, Sierra Leoneans are becoming more and more vocal. Finally, our folk are realising the need to write, and are increasingly more comfortable in expressing themselves through literary means. Naturally, budding, home-grown writers are emerging at home and around the world. Before and after independence, writing and publishing were generally left to foreigners, most of whom were Nigerian. The nation’s textbooks were written by these authors. Nigerians really dominated this market. It will take time and sacrifice, with risks, to break this mindset of complacency in order to reverse this trend.

Scholars, like researchers, have endured difficulty in locating the paucity of books written by Sierra Leonean writers, whose works are either out-of-print or never went beyond the bare manuscript stage. This comprehensive, pioneering journey oscillates the pendulum of change by showcasing the work of many Sierra Leonean writers in this well-researched, modest-sized reference book. Since this work is in no way complete, hopefully it might serve as the genesis of more ambitious projects to emerge later. A nation is measured through the prism of its cultural and socio-political framework, crafted by those who interpret and preserve it. Serious writers need our support as much as they need our criticism. The writers, with enthralling voices and startling insights, are overburdened with the urge to tell a compelling story, without second-guessing, and convinced that the risk is worth taking.

Syl Cheney-Coker is considered ‘Sierra Leone’s foremost writer and one of Africa’s major poets'. His published collections of poetry include 'Concerto for an Exile' (1973), 'The Graveyard Also Has Teeth' (1980) and 'The Blood in the Desert’s Eye' (1990). And his impressive novel 'The Last Harmattan of Alusine Dunbar' (1990) won the prestigious Commonwealth Writers’ Prize in 1991. Despite nesting this accolade under his belt, he’s barely known in Sierra Leone, even though his book became a prescribed text at the University of Sierra Leone. Cheney-Coker is more popular in Nigeria, where he taught creative writing for many years, than in his homeland. He’s labelled the angry poet, who passionately expressed doom and despair, traced back to his exile and alienation from his motherland that he loved but left for so long. His expression of disgust due to the malaise in his homeland and the African continent indicts him as much as it torments his aching soul. Fearlessly, he questions the heartless masquerade of brutality and tyranny that African leaders create. They get filthy rich, while neglecting the toiling and starving populace. One of Cheney-Coker’s poems, 'Concerto for an Exile', resonates squarely to Sierra Leoneans and Argentineans, who have endured the ugliness of a brutal civil war:

'And the guns roared on
in Sierra Leone and Argentina
to plunder the tree of agony
in my soul'

Syl Cheney-Coker’s innate passion and intuition, so generously lavished in his writings, transcends cultural, mental and geographical barriers.

Alhasan Mansaray is a young, promising and gifted writer, worth waiting for. He stormed the literary world with his debut novel, 'A Hunting Heritage', a brilliant journey depicting the seance of storytelling through the eyes of a traditional griot – his craft is interwoven with songs that make melody in the heart, mind and soul. He speaks directly to African immigrants pursuing fleeting, greener pastures beyond their homeland, not to abandon their rich cultural legacy, later to lose their precious souls.

Like Cheney-Coker, Mansaray’s passion for writing runs deep, unlike a fleeting writer with a selfish motivation to write. The father of African literature, Chinua Achebe, describes Mansaray’s intriguing novel as the Sierra Leonean version of his own classic 'Things Fall Apart'. Mansaray met a fine African-American poet, Willie James King, while passing through Alabama. Mansaray must have been amused by King, as he directed me toward him when we first made contact. King’s glowing guiding light influenced my craft as well as giving me a renewed passion for writing. Writers need peers to share and critique each other’s work, to produce a seasoned manuscript. I believe Mansaray would publish again, hopefully a blockbuster work of art that compensates for his momentary absence and silence.

An injustice would be done not to mention the nation’s visionary and brilliant playwrights, including Yulisa Maddy, Toni French, Dele Charley, John Kolosa Kargbo and Clifford Garber, who like flies on the wall were motivated by the nation’s endemic ills, especially its political enigma, by fanning the flames of consciousness and awareness through their plays, even at the expense of their safety and freedom. The contributions of entertainers like Ebenezer Calendar, Salia and S.E. Rogers to Sierra Leone’s multifaceted cultural heritage should not be underestimated.

Eustace James Palmer and Abioseh Michael Porter have in 'Knowledge is More Than Mere Words' crafted a brilliant page-turner, which scholars, researchers or anyone searching for Sierra Leonean literature – or indeed those seeking to tap the genius of its artists and writers – might appreciate. This treasure is a priceless addition to any library. I find it to be a smooth, enjoyable and irresistible read. This is a book I would return to again and again. I am almost certain that every reader of this fine book will luxuriate in its varied and much needed revelations. I strongly recommend this book to everyone.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS

* 'Weh Dehn Say? Dehn Say Kapu Sehns Nor Kapu Word', edited by Eustace James Palmer and Abioseh Michael Porter, African World Press, ISBN: 1-59221-645-5.
* Roland Bankole Marke © 2010
* Roland Bankole Marke is a Sierra Leonean writer, poet and songwriter with three books under his belt and a catalogue of articles, short stories and poetry published around the world. He lives and writes in Jacksonville, Florida. Visit his website at www.rolandmarke.com.
* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at Pambazuka News.