By Wilfred Kabs-Kanu.

It was one of those famous nights that people who attended will never forget. It was the night that brought together Sierra Leone’s celebrities in the U.S. There were intellectuals and professionals from various fields of endeavour. There were the high and mighty , like the two ambassadors and one of the richest Sierra Leoneans alive, Mr. Arthur Smith. There were teachers, architects, doctors, nurses, engineers and lawyers ( Attorney Sadu Bah jokingly threatened to sue when an announcer did not do something right when introducing the Fula Community ). There were the journalists and online participants of discussion forums , men and women now caught in the hurstle and burstle of political activism in Sierra Leone.

There was a lot to eat and enough to drink , though I did not see liquor. There was excitement.There was fascination such as when forumites and onliners met for the first time. They had sent the sparks flying at each other for years but never known each other before .They only met each other for the first time on Saturday night— King Loggy, King Jeppeh Londoh, Brabanxx, The Nationalist, Tejan Kamara, Steven Rogers, Suna Nallo ,Yahya Fanusi,Aiah Fanday , Dr. Cecil Blake, Lawyer Mohamed Sadu Bah , the Fitzjohn brothers Willie and Kwame etc. It was a night of new acquaintances and it was a night for hooking up with long-lost friends, neighbours, townsmates , school and college mates.

The NOSLINA 10th anniversary and Annual Awards Gala Night promised so much and delivered so much : Euphoric thrills , colour, pomp , pageantry . It had every element of a classy occasion . It was Sierra Leone’s version of the American Academy Awards Night (Or any of the various awards nights we see on TV ).

Exciting speeches were made ,though everybody was hard-pressed to strictly adhere to time limits . SHEKU KALLON , the Executive Director and Editor of the NEW PEOPLE (I did not know he was on the beefy side like me—Always saw a slim guy in my mind’s eye ) went out with a bang. He made an excellent farewell multi-media presentation , the handiwork of a very brilliant and eloquent young mind .He chose his words and expressions as carefully as he avoided making eye-contact with me all the time he passed by my table . Kalllon used a very creative flashback technique , with the aid of computer animation and presentation , to trace the birth of NOSLINA. The audience was fascinated and one of the NOSLINA members around our table paid homage not only to his intelligence but his hard work for the organization .

There was Dr. Don Taylor, one of three internationally -famous Sierra Leonean media experts and professors of Mass Communications (The other two being Professors Cecil Blake and Richard Mbayo ) .His intonation took many minds back to the good, old days of the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service ( SLBS ) when a news broadcast from him or Hilton Fyle or Theodore Dougan made one think he was listening to the BBC.

I met Professor Blake for the first time . The former Information and Broadcasting Minister in the President Tejan Kabbah government is a highly -respected International Mass Communications expert, whom some of the other experts in the field have described as their mentor. He was the one who recommended me for the award . In his recommendation letter, he said that he was inspired by the growth he had seen in my professional performance . I was honored to be in his presence and considered the experience a priviledge that I will always cherish.

Infact, talking about cherishing something, this was what made me cherish this award most—The intellectual calibre and independent mind of the man who recommended me for it, a man who was once bold enough to rebuke me at LEONENET when I was not doing well, an experience ( As I HAVE SAID BEFORE ) that acted as a wake-up call to me to put aside “The superfluity of naughtiness” ( As the Apostle Paul would love to put it )and the undesirable baggage that hindered my growth in those days . In becoming more serious and result-oriented , I am proud that I passed the test and Dr.Blake, who awoke me from my slumber , saw cause to then recommend me for such an important award. I thank God for the likes of Dr.Blake who would be honest with you when you are losing the plot but would quickly turn around to upbuild you.

Another interesting experience I will cherish was receiving the award from the hands of Ms. Suna Nallo, one of the participants I hold in very high esteem at our LEONET-TAMU as I told her during an animated argument . Beautiful Suna Nallo was as gracious as her voice on Leonenet.

I will not forget Dr. Yaya Fanusi’s humor when we met for the very first time. I was in a group that was commending me a lot for COCORIOKO and then this man I had also not known before injected : “You are doing a fine job. Everybody loves you, except one man called Dr. Yaya Fanusi “. I took a long look at him as the statement hit a chord in my mind, saw the boyish smile and knew immediately who he was . In the manner of our ( Onliners’) usual first meetings , we embraced warmly and took pictures together.

Sierra Leoneans are a warm and congenial people. We may have our squabbles but none has the capacity for warmth and natural emotions like the Sierra Leonean.

It was a night to remember , my only regret being that me and my entourage had to leave before the end of the program because we had to return to the Home-Coming party for Parliamentarian Hon. Alimamy Kargbo, where a member of our travelling team , friend and brother Retired Col. Idriss Kamara was going to declare for the APC—AND WE HAD TO COVER THE EVENT.

TOMORROW : READ SOME OF WHAT THE VARIOUS SPEAKERS SAID .

In the picture above, standing left to right are : Mohamed Forna, Osman Conteh , Khadija Sesay, Kabs Kanu and Foday Mansaray. Standing at the back is Abdul Bero Kamara, alais CHIEF.