Kambia Town was in frenzy between Monday March 24 and Tuesday March 25, as the Ministry of Information and Civic Education brought the government to the doorsteps of the people.
The event tilted on the theme: “Salone Big Pass We all”, sketched a mingling of the high, not so high and the ordinary.
The panel over the two days was a delicate blend of the people dealing with development aspirations of the people, and the plans, and the often overlooked aspects that the ordinary man in that cut-off area wants.
The information flow from top to bottom and vice versa was on display, and the reactions of the audience showed their anxiety for it for so long, and an answer by a clairvoyant Minister to their prayers.
Minister of Information and Civic Education Chernor Bah’s piquant choice of the speakers exhibites his knack for the feelings of the people and how their concerns are his. From the first day when Minister of Communications, Technology and Innovation Madam Salima Bah, spoke eloquently in Krio about her Ministry’s mandates and how that feeds into the overall national development agenda of the government of President Julius Maada Bio, to Attorney General Alpha Sesay Esq’s articulation of the tripartite and justice reviews and reforms, to energy situation currently and plans as elucidated by first Dr Kamdeh Yumkella and later Ing. Nuni; the presentations were practicable and some were palpable and visible.
The highpoint of the event was the quiz and debate by school pupils. They showed mastery of the issues and some depth of some critical issues. The debate was eye catching and the arguments compelling. The final was between a choice between prioritising “Feed Salone” and “Free Education”. A young Fatmata Yansaneh spoke eloquently on the virtues of free education and how it could help liberate a nation. She carried the prize deservedly.
Another talking point was the reception of the various presentations. The Kambia listening public was keen to absorb but equally eager to be heard. They absorbed every message, listened with rapt attention and vented their anger at some delayed projects as well as some totally absent ones. The retorts and the innuendos formed a fine mix of the ways the audience received the news.
The Information Minister, Chernor Ba, told Kambia their son was controlling the country’s finances and a man retorted that he wasn’t from Kambia but Kenema. A retort it was but indication of their knowledge, even warped, of some issues.
The platform provided by the events gave the people of Kambia a chance to see for themselves a contractor working for them in Kambia. Pa Cole began a name they only got to see for the first time, but he has been implementing a project there for some time now.
Generally, the government has been brought to the people and their concerns have been relayed.