Alhaji Dr. Mohammed Leadi Cole is a Pharmaceutical Scientist who was born in Foulah Tong, in the eastern part of Freetown, Sierra Leone. He received his primary Education at the Amaraia School, the East End Municipal and Government Model Schools. He then attended the Sierra Leone Grammar School up to the sixth form.
He studied Pharmacy at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas, USA graduating with a Bachelor of Science (Hon.) Degree in 1977. He gained a Master of Science Degree in 1982 in Pharmaceutics, from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, USA. That same year, he returned home and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Republic of Sierra Leone Military Forces as the first ever Military Pharmacist, rising to the rank of Captain before retiring. In 1988, Captain Cole won a Commonwealth Scholarship to pursue a PhD Degree in Drug-Formulation at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Upon completion in 1991, Dr. Leadi Cole was appointed Lecturer in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the newly established College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS), University of Sierra Leone. He taught Pharmaceutics until 1997, during which time he published three scientific articles in major Scientific Journals. He relocated to the USA during the rebel war where he practiced as a community pharmacist in Pennsylvania until he retired.
In this book “Foulah Tong---1960 and beyond: showcasing our contributions to nation-building” published in September 2016, Dr. Leadi Cole discusses the complex nature of the community and traces those family ties and religious practices that underpinned the attitude and achievements of Foulahtonians through three distinct Generations. The Author embarked on writing this book with the realization that an important era in Foulah Tong’s history might be lost forever if action is not taken immediately to preserve our history. The publication of this book was therefore very timely indeed.
For Foulahtonians who have lived in the Foulah Tong community for most of the fifty-five years covered in this publication, many can relate to the contents that are discussed, covering the period immediately after independence in 1961, the effects of the rebel war from 1991 to 2002, the Ebola Virus Disease in our community throughout 2014, the effects of the new mountain road on our community, and the installation of the current Imam of Jamie-ul-Salaam Jamaat in November, 2015.
The contents of the book are very thorough covering such Foulah Tong iconic sites and institutions such as Amaraia School, Bamboo Ose, Red Pump, various dance bands and the Jamie-ul-Salaam Mosque. The very interesting and unique relationship between the Oku-Muslims and Oku-Christians of Foulah Tong is adequately discussed in the book. The use of words and phrases in the text that are unique to Foulah Tong challenges the reader to become familiar with some of the every-day words used in the community. Similarly, the inclusion of some Oku words in the text and their meanings will expand the vocabulary base of the reader and will enable the reader to use these words with certainty and confidence.
Every Chapter in this book deals with interesting subjects as they relate to Foulah Tong. The social and religious clubs, the renowned Islamic Scholars and the past and present Imams of Foulah Tong are explored, and their relationship with the cultural diversity of the community is emphasized. Alhaji Leadi Cole’s idea of spreading the timeline of events into ten-year intervals made it easier to visualize the accomplishments of Sierra Leone after independence, the effects of the rebel war and periods of recovery and challenges that followed. The cordial cultural and religious relationship existing in Foulah Tong is discussed and so also does the Religious tolerance that Foulah Tong is very well noted for. Foulah Tong was portrayed in the book as the area in Freetown where the music industry in Sierra Leone was centered and many young Foulah Tong Musicians laid the groundwork for the new generation of Musicians like Emerson, Famous, Jemmy-B, Manzu and Shady Baby.
The Distinguished Foulahtonians listed in Chapter four in the book deserve to be recognized as such and I sincerely believe that after one reads this book, one could very well appreciate the thoughts that I did put into this selection. The role played by Mr. Ibrahim Bun-Sanusi (OBE), a Foulahtonian and Electoral Commissioner in that very critical 1967 General Election in Sierra Leone has been brought out in this book for the world to appreciate. A remarkable patriotic story was swept under the rug and remained dormant for over fifty years. I have thus revealed a very important chapter in post-Independent Sierra Leone’s history, thanks to the efforts of this patriotic Foulahtonian. I also identified Foulahtonians in the professions then and now and tried to relate the present state of our professionals relative to what they used to be shortly after independence.
Finally, I identified what I perceive as the problems confronting Sierra Leone in general and Foulah Tong in particular as the country was getting ready to celebrate its fifty-fifth birthday on 27th April 2016. However, the momentum of the Cultural and Educational well-being of Foulah Tong appears to be on the wane and raises the question whether this is in fact a Foulah Tong problem, or one affecting every facet of Sierra Leone. Do the Foulah Tong people have youths in their midst that are qualified and ready to perform the roles played by their forefathers? This book is an attempt by the Author not only to inform, inspire and entertain, but also to bring these concerns in front of the political-mirror for Foulahtonians to take a good look at ourselves and for the Government likewise to take a good look at our
heritage and potential as future effective National contributors. I also went on to suggest ways to correct the mistakes of the past and to prevent them from happening in the future.
I dedicated this book to the memory of the late Professor Mohamed Tejan Abeonor Dahniya and his late wife Mrs. Florence Dahniya who were both brutally murdered by the rebels in 1999. A complete expose of the Professor and his wife are discussed in this book.
This book is available on Amazon.
The author, Dr. Mohammed Leadi Cole
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