WHAT THE LATE PIOS FORAY’S LOSS MEANT TO ME AND WHY I WILL NEVER STOP WEEPING

By Wilfred Leeroy Kabs-kanu

PIOS MUNDA FORAY, the fantastic and iconic journalist that bestrode our nation like a mighty Colossus , will be laid to rest eternally at the Ascension Town Cemetery in Freetown today after a funeral befitting a hero.

I have been in tears since Pios Foray passed away in Ghana two weeks ago. I try to be buoyant but I have never been myself and I have not stopped missing my friend and brother and will always remember him because we started life together as kids and his life and mine were so intertwined in a familial fashion that he was indeed my brother , though not of the same parents. Some friends do become your brothers and so was Pios Foray. I will always miss you, Pios. We did not come from the same womb, but you were a real brother . Also, our lives were intertwined professionally, both of us having started journalism together in the classroom as school kids. I will never stop missing you, Pios.

Pios Foray and I first met in 1960 when my father was transferred to Bo for the first time and I was enrolled at the St. Francis Primary School where his late father, the legendary teacher, M.K. Foray, was the headmaster. We quickly became buddies because we found out that we had everything in common. Young as we were then, we loved to read adventure stories and we started sharing at that tender age. We had lunch together and had similar friends like John Beckley , A.G. Yanni, Joseph Panda, etc.etc.

We were separated when my father was transferred back to Freetown in 1962 when I then attended the St. Edwards Primary School at Howe Street under another legendary schoolmaster, Mr. Setchie. There I met the late Nicholas Momoh who took over the role of Pios in my life. We walked together and had lunch together. I always missed Pios, though. But our separation was only temporary.

Pios and I reunited when we both passed for secondary school in 1966 and met at Christ The King’s College ( CKC), Bo, where we sat in the same classrooms until we graduated in 1971.

Our school life was one of the most exciting ever. We had interesting classmates like the late Felix Risk, Sassin Nicholas, Charles Mason, Augustine Braima, Stephen Medo, Wurie Kai-Samba, late Albert Margai jr, late Sigismond Massaquoi, John Morris, David Kabia, Kofi Lahai, Fokai Demby, Benedict Lansana, Joseph Ngaojia, Joseph Lombie, Tamba Lamin, Yusuf Ngor Joe Kamara, Steve Swaray ( Now of the IMF ), the late Albert Moody, Augustus Samura, Joseph Palmer etc.

We were not only kids eager to learn but we were interested in politics and social affairs and reading was a major preoccupation, especially by me, Pios, Felix and Sigismond. We devoured books by the week. We used to share detective , mystery and adventure novels and we loved ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ and ‘Huckleberry Finn’ , to the extent that we apportioned names of the characters to ourselves and others . Oh, how we enjoyed the fun of early teenhood. Every novel we read or every prescribed Literature book we studied brought extraordinary fun into our lives as we applied the eccentricities of the characters in our lives and relationships. You will never imagine the fun we had when we studied Thomas Hardy’s ‘Far From The Madding Crowd’. We nicknamed somebody Farmer Oak , another , Susan Tall’s husband and somebody else, Laban. At times, classmates rebelled against these names and threatened me and Pios because we were the originators.

We gave one another comical nicknames, found fun in everything and teased one another . Pios was a great teaser . We would laugh until tears ran down our eyes when Pios was in action . When Tamba Lamin competed in the 3-mile race and could not finish during the inter-secondary sports, Pios led the teasing in class and at times, Tamba would chase him , with Pios jumping over chairs, scampering all around to escape him, while the whole class laughed .

We were troublesome without being disruptive or neglectful of our learning. But one thing that marked our relationships was respect for one another. And that was one thing I will always love and respect Pios Foray for : The mutual love and respect we shared. We never disrespected one another or developed ill-feelings about each other. Whenever we met, it was to share jokes or tease one another or exchange thrilling books and magazines.

The most interesting part of this story is that Pios and I started journalism together in the classroom. I started it in Form 1 by producing the handwritten FREEDOM NATIONAL, which became a hit among students and teachers ( Who took it to the staff room to show other instructors) especially during the epic and sensational 1967 General Elections, which led to a military takeover by the late Brig. David Lansana and a counter-coup two days later by Majors Charles Blake, jumu, Kai-Samba and others. Pios joined me later and produced THE HERALD , which also became a hit. Little did we know then that we were shaping our lives for journalism on the national stage. At times, we attacked each other in our papers when we disagreed over issues and our classmates loved it.

I cannot remember having any major conflict with Pios, though, even though we fought once in class over teasing and were taken to Father Lambe’s office by a passing teacher , but at the office, we proved that we loved each other so much we would never put one another in trouble. We therefore denied fighting as the ever curious and suspicious eyes of Father Lambe scanned us, measuring who was not telling the truth or what punishment to deliver us. Father Lambe had that unique gift of detecting guilt by looking fixedly at you.. Father Lambe soon knew that Pios and I were trying to protect each other. Since we both insisted that we were not fighting and the Principal found no sign of rancour between us, he released us and we returned to class to continue teasing one another. We escaped suspension from school that day because we loved each other as buddies.

We also had very interesting teachers too who really loved their jobs and the children entrusted in their care and made learning and school life very enjoyable—–The late M. Sheku ( whom we nicknamed Kavour ) ; the late Latin teacher, J.M. Gaima ; the late Lumumba Rogers ( Lumumbs ), Pa Dean , the Irish English Literature teacher; K.P. Jackson, F.S. Allie ( Corrosive ), Mr. Ben Morrison , the French teacher ; Mr. Murray Kelly, Mr. Evoy, the Uzupris couple, Father ODwyer, etc. The teachers loved us because we were clever, liked reading and were humorous too. I know they missed us when we graduated.

Pios was an impressive “showman ” in Bo during schooldays, adopting the then famous, popular and much-admired KOLOLO fashion style and the youths of Bo Town talked glowingly about him and admired him. At that time also, his brother , the late C.P.Foray, was Foreign Minister in the Siaka Stevens Government . His younger brother, the late Jon Foray , who also became a journalist, became my buddy in Freetown while I worked at the Secondary Technical School as the teacher.

Pios and I also attended Fourah Bay College and had a lot of good adventures together , especially given the tumultuous student politics of those days, though he never participated in writing articles on CHUKS PRESS where I furthered my journalism interest.

On our graduation from college, I was one of the first persons Pios contacted when he opened THE TABLET newspaper in 1977, shortly after I was released from detention at Pademba Road Prisons, following my arrest for criticizing President Siaka Stevens and helping to mobilize school children during the famous students demonstration , led by Hindolo Trye . We the original journalists of The Tablet included the late Hindolo Trye, Lamini Waritay, the late Frank Kposowa, Jaiah Kallon, etc. In those days, we wrote articles by hand and Pios was very diligent in going around every moment to collect our articles before the newspaper set up office at Rawdon Street. In those days, it was not a requirement to have an office before beginning a newspaper . During other times, I hand-delivered my articles to Pios at Fort Street where he lived. He was so competent and diligent that I often found him in the dark in his room , very busy with only a candle dimly showing light , as electricity had gone, typing our articles with one finger . He would edit the copies while typing. He had a tremendous and tiring time, but he did it patiently. That was how the great Tablet started. After he finished, he took the scripts to the printers. It was very tedious work.

I was the first man who was forced to flee Sierra Leone for Liberia due to persistent dangerous threats from the government, which had not forgiven me for criticizing the President during the student demonstrations. Two years later, Pios and Hindolo fled after the Tablet office was raided and vandalized. They too went to Liberia from where they came to the U.S. on exile. Before they escaped, I continued contributing articles from Liberia, despite threats that President Tolbert and President Stevens were friends and that Stevens could ask Tolbert to deport me. To avoid such eventuality, I changed strategy and began using various pen names to continue contributing to the paper. Pios loved my series : YOUR COUNTRYMEN ABROAD , in which I satirised Sierra Leoneans living in Liberia He sent me a special note to thank me , saying that readers loved the series.

Pios once told a former peace corps volunteer who took profound interest in journalism about Sierra Leone that if I died without publishing a book, it will be the greatest disservice. I also said the same about him to many people. Indeed, Pios has left Sierra Leone impoverished because he did not write an autobiography or a book on his charmed life as a journalist and social activist.

Pios Foray will be missed by all. He was a great asset to the nation and the void he has left will never be filled.

For me, I have lost a valued friend, brother and professional colleague for whom I will never stop weeping . I have lost a professional icon with whom I could have collaborated in this latter life to provide Sierra Leone a masterpiece about the joys of childhood , the best moments of school days and the profession we both loved with a passion. Indeed, I have lost a brother whose relationship taught me that true brothers do not necessarily need to come from the same womb.

May his soul rest in peace.