{"id":14175,"date":"2024-12-15T08:40:55","date_gmt":"2024-12-15T08:40:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/?p=14175"},"modified":"2024-12-15T08:42:46","modified_gmt":"2024-12-15T08:42:46","slug":"dr-morie-manyeh-amplifies-the-sierra-leonean-voice-at-a-prestigious-commonwealth-poetry-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/?p=14175","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Morie Manyeh Amplifies the Sierra Leonean Voice at a Prestigious Commonwealth Poetry Event."},"content":{"rendered":"

His Excellency Dr. Morie Komba Manyeh, Sierra Leone\u2019s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, addressed an august gathering at the Commonwealth Foundation\u2019s annual High Commissioners\u2019 Festive Poetry Evening held at Marlborough House in central London. This was an occasion to celebrate selected poets and writers whose works continue to inspire people and shape lives in their communities and around the commonwealth.<\/p>\n

During the event Dr. Manyeh delivered a stirring recital of \u201cThe Song of the Women of My Land,\u201d a powerful 2007 poem penned by acclaimed Sierra Leonean poet Oumar Farouk Sesay.<\/p>\n

This poignant poem celebrates the resilience and unsung sacrifices of women, lamenting their historical marginalization while exalting their vital, yet often unacknowledged, contributions to society. Sesay\u2019s commendable work is an appreciated part of a rich but underrated body of Sierra Leonean literature, with \u201cThe Song of the Women of My Land\u201d featured in the West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination syllabus.<\/p>\n

A Poet of notable standing,
\nOumar Farouk Sesay has a sharp literary mind and his contributions span the fields of poetry, plays, and novels. His themes often explore issues hovering around social justice, historical narratives, and gender parity. Sesay\u2019s acclaimed poetry collections include Salute to the Remains of a Peasant, The Edge of a Cry, and 400 Years of Servitude. Sesay was a resident playwright for the Bai Bureh Theatre in Freetown, Sierra Leone, an outlet which played a significant role in fostering creative arts in the country particularly in the 1980s. The Bai Bureh Theatre served as an attractive platform for theatrical productions and took pride in nurturing playwrights during that time.
\nUsing this platform, Sesay contributed to works such as The Tragedy of a Nation and The Great Rape, reflecting social and political themes plaguing Sierra Leone at the time.<\/p>\n

Oumar Farouk Sesay has also held prestigious positions, including President of PEN (Poets Essayists and Novelists) Sierra Leone, and Board Chairman of the National Youth Commission.<\/p>\n

In \u201cThe Song of the Women of My Land,\u201d Sesay intertwines history and resilience, highlighting the strength of women whose sacrifices have largely gone unnoticed in traditional narratives. The poem\u2019s themes are particularly relevant in contemporary Sierra Leone, where the empowerment of women has become a national priority under the perceptive leadership of President Julius Maada Bio, with unfaltering support from First Lady Mrs. Fatima Maada Jaabe Bio. Together, these two highly deserving figures are spearheading a fundamental national revolution to empower women, increase confidence and widen their scope of operations. Their work does not only help to bring light to the historical plight of women in a hugely patriarchal Sierra Leonean society, but actively seeks tangible and practical solutions to enduring challenges faced by girls and women way beyond national boundaries.<\/p>\n

Before reciting the poem, Dr. Manyeh appropriately paid heartfelt tribute to women, especially those of Sierra Leone.
\nDr. Manyeh went on to share a personal story, speaking fondly of his mother\u2019s resilience and how her songs became a metaphor for life\u2019s highs and lows. \u201cLike most Sierra Leonean women, my mother sang when she was happy, she sang when she was sad; there was a song for every mood and for every occasion,\u201d he remarked, illustrating the profound cultural connection between Sierra Leonean women and the art of storytelling through song.<\/p>\n

Dr. Manyeh\u2019s recital served not only as a celebration of Sesay\u2019s literary genius but also as a reflection of Sierra Leone\u2019s positive strides toward gender equality. With groundbreaking policies, a record number of women in parliament and in cabinet positions, and the First Lady\u2019s acclaimed advocacy on global platforms, Sierra Leone is turning Sesay\u2019s engaging \u201csong\u201d into a resonant reality of what is possible with a determined leadership.<\/p>\n

The evening was a befitting celebration of poetry\u2019s power to unite nations, amplify voices, and inspire change- certainly, another stage which provided an opportunity to articulate the fact that the resilience of Sierra Leonean women continues to shape the narrative of progress on the global stage.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\" \"\" \"\" \"\" \"\" \"\" \"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

His Excellency Dr. Morie Komba Manyeh, Sierra Leone\u2019s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, addressed an august gathering at the Commonwealth Foundation\u2019s annual High Commissioners\u2019 Festive Poetry Evening held at Marlborough House in central London. This was an occasion to celebrate selected poets and writers whose works continue to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14181,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14175"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14175\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14186,"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14175\/revisions\/14186"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}