By Mac Jibba
Perhaps one of the simplest but most difficult questions to answer is to advance reasons for the slow pace in development of Sierra Leone as a single nation in the sub-region. Many Sierra Leoneans believe that the problems of the country are entirely external and that those external factors have plunged the country to occupy the bottom segment of the Human Development Index (HDI).
This could not however be ruled out entirely; but one could as well bear in mind that despite external interferences, some other countries in the sub-region are still forging ahead with development. Ghana is a typical example which also suffered from the brunt of western colonialism as one external factor.
I do agree to some extent that this country’s problems are foreign but to a larger extent, I have the conviction that Sierra Leone is not growing fast as other nations due to domestic problems and a huge junk of this is embedded in the practice of tribalism as a political instrument. The issue of tribalism is one single factor responsible for the underdevelopment of this country. A small country of about 72,325 sqkm with a population of 5.7m (2009 World Bank estimate), struggles with development in the mist of vast deposits of natural resources. Sierra Leone is endowed with huge deposit of minerals including iron ore, gold, diamond, bauxite, rutile and others yet to be explored. But one may wish to know whether the extraction of any of these minerals over the decades has really created any positive impact on the development of the country in general, other than a curse.
It sounds rather ironical for the natives of a country that is very rich in mineral resources at the same time almost every inhabitant there is disgruntled about the economic situation as many are still living on less than a dollar a day. Why is this so, you may want to know. Remember that whenever you point a finger at the external forces for the backwardness of your country, several index fingers are at the same time pointed at you, meaning the problems are with you. One major internal problem responsible for the underdevelopment of Sierra Leone is tribalism. The practice of tribalism by Sierra Leoneans is a major contributing factor for the setback in our development and no one should make mistake about it!
There are about 16 ethnic groups in the country with the Temnes and Mendes being the largest. I personally have the conviction that these two tribes are responsible for 90% of this country’s problems. They are creating problems for the rest of the minorities and that unless something is done drastically to address the issue of tribalism in this country, we would continue to enjoy the bottom position of the HDI. Political lies during manifestos cannot move the country from where it is when the issue of regional divide is left unaddressed. Every region of this country has potential human resource to work together in order to develop the country. Sidelining any is a recipe for chaos. Giving all the top positions in governance to members from the same region or ethnic group cannot solve the problem either; it can only worsen it. We cannot pay lip service to attitudinal change otherwise we would be deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. We have to be mindful of the fact that posterity will judge us at the end of the day.
Through the selfishness of our politicians, tribalism has merged into national politics and has been institutionalized at the detriment of development. As a result, even the intellectuals have lost sight of the culture and concept of nationalism. Sierra Leone, as a nation, does not mean much to us and we rarely have time to tell our children what it means to be a Sierra Leonean. Instead, regional or tribal orientations have overshadowed our plights and what we simply preach is the culture of belonging to a particular tribe or a regional political party without first of all thinking of a nation. We have all become ‘‘coloured birds’’ with either red or green without any just course.
For quite some times we have attributed this menace to the high illiteracy rate in the country but I am altogether mystified by the way some intellectuals respond to the issue of ethnicity, sectionalism and the rest. The illiterate masses have no problem and appear to be innocent, but are corrupt by the so called educated few who rally around then for their votes in times of political activities. They are definitely creating problems for the poor people who have nothing to gain at the end of the day. Sentiments have weighed down our sense of patriotism and both the intellectuals and the illiterates now think alike and we start to wonder who should enlighten who. This is a pity though!
The country is divided into four regions with the Mendes predominantly occupying the south and east while the Temnes are principally in the north. The two main political parties in the country, the All Peoples Congress (APC) and the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), have altogether been institutionalized on regional bases with the APC for the Temnes and SLPP for the Mendes. These two parties behave like mates or rivals with destruction on each others mind for loyalists and never to think of developing the country. If any of these Tribes could imagine that it can develop Sierra Leone single handedly, then that tribe would be building castles in the air. For a nation to develop, it has to be a concerted effort with every ethnic group playing its own part. Unless all the ethnic groups in this country develop the culture of patriotism without regional bias, the pace of development will remain very slow.
Sometimes I wonder how it all started that the Mendes and Temnes cannot dip hands in the same bowl to eat. For no good reason, these two tribes cannot see eye to eye. An average Mende do not want to see an average Temne for reasons best known to them. Whatever is done by either of these people, the other cannot appreciate it. Indeed it is absurd to believe that Sierra Leone could be developed by a single ethnic tribe. It must be achieved collectively so that all could feel the sense of belonging. The Almighty God was not dreaming when he brought together 16 ethnic groups to share a common identity. He has His reasons for whatever He does. Therefore, what God has put together, no man can put asunder otherwise the consequences would be disastrous. Sierra Leone is for Sierra Leoneans and not for a particular tribe; let’s be wise as time is going.
Mac Jibba works at the University of Makeni.
E-mails: mjibba@gmail.com/maadajibba@yahoo.co.uk
