By Amadu Massally,PV Special Correspondent, USA.
In a style that one could argue over for a long time, Mamaja Jalloh, aka. DJ Base, a very important proponent of youth issues and the voice of many other underprivileged masses in Sierra Leone stepped into the forum of a pioneering collaborative Sierra Leone Diaspora effort, the SALONEDiscussion Group.
A forum where serious matters affecting Sierra Leone and her people in the Diaspora and especially at home, are discussed (well, most times), and sometimes with hideous passion. This stirred a bit of a controversy, but it is all in good spirit. A classic example of what we mean when we say ’a serious forum’.
However, he believes he is like any “other positive human being who has been on this earth since creation that happens to find himself in the Lion Mountains, of Sierra Leone, West Africa.”
Born on the 7th of October, 1972, in Wilberforce, a hilly area in the Western part of Freetown, he attended the Wilberforce Primary School and later proceeded to the Sierra Leone Grammar School where he sat for the G.C.E. O’Levels, a popular exam in West Africa. He is “married to a wonderful lady called Mariama (Base) Jalloh "and my son is the best in the world,” the proud husband and father says during an interview I had with him recently. Sulaiman Jalloh a.k.a. Little Base is a charming young man at age 6.
While in high school DJ Base gravitated towards art work.Drawings, stencil, etc where part of his daily life. He also enjoyed music and became successful as a local disc jockey. As a DJ,a profession that will finally give him his most popular name, DJ Base, he played at parties, discos, and also at some popular night clubs including Where Else Disco, the Hotel Bintumani, Heart of Gold, and Rumours Night Club (now known as Old school Night Club).
It was during this time that the AFRC military junta staged a successful coup that saw Johnny Paul Koroma as the leader of the country. Bent on finding a way to fight for the masses so that their voices could be heard, he eventually started working at Radio Democracy F.M. 98.1 at Signal Hill, where he worked consistently from 1999 to 2001.
In 2001 he was asked by the then spokesman of the United Nations Mission In Sierra Leone UNAMSIL, Mr. Patrick Coker to work at the public information department at the radio station to help with building the peace at that time.
It was while there that the radio program he started, NIGHT LINE was born. For five days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday) from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.; and from 2001 until today, that program has continued on while gaining national popularity and even crossing sovereign state boundaries and into neighboring countries. Today, the NIGHT LINE program is arguably the most-widely listened to in the country with 4 to 5 million potential listeners.
Recently, because of the work he has done with regard to nation-building and creating a platform that represents the underprivileged to vent their frustrations he was nationally recognised and all of the political parties sought his support in the recent elections.
The man is a very influential character. As was mentioned the other day on the popular SALONEDiscussion Group forum, by a member, he is like the “Oprah Winfrey” of Sierra Leone. When his show is on, albeit at the very late and wee hours, people tune in. I have had the benefit of speaking to the entire country on his radio show, for about two to three times now, in concert with Young Leaders Sierra Leone. The youth and musicians adore him.
On the 15th, of April 2007 he was invited to Nairobi, Kenya at the 21st Governing Council Meeting to share his experiences in his work as a radio person and how he has influenced young people in Sierra Leone on peace-building initiatives and to also give a presentation on the Millenium Development Goals (M.D.Gs.).
On the 12th to 20th of August 2007 he was also invited by "Initiatives of change" through Hope Sierra Leone an NGO based in-country to share his experiences about his work as a radio person and with his capability to work well with the youths in Sierra Leone to people from all over the world in Caux, Switzerland.
On the 1st and 2nd of September 2007 he was also invited to attend the Sierra Leone youth empowerment conference here in Maryland, to share his experiences about working with youths in Sierra Leone but was unable to make the trip.
Currently he is in Atlanta, Georgia working with West African Ballet RAKABA founder, Mr. Sulaiman Turay and also the new Program Director of africanradioonline.com to see how best he can link up to his program, NIGHT-LINE, so Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora could become aware of what’s happening back home, and vice versa. The discussions on that note over the past few days, is a testament to the much-needed gap-closing initiative. The gap between S/Leonenas in the Diaspora and those at home, that is.
His program deals with all kinds of issues as long as they has to do with the development of Sierra Leone and her people. He has entertained the issues of the physically challenged, amputees, youth groups, civil society, musicians, people from all over the Diaspora, you name it...
Many Sierra Leoneans believe DJ Base has been instrumental in opening the eyes of many of his country people from a social awareness perspective. He has helped to take the ideologies around good governance, responsibility and accountability to the masses and given them another level of awareness through his popular program, Night Line.
His message to Africans in the Diaspora in general and Sierra Leoneans in particular is:
"Let us go back and make Africa, and for Sierra Leoneans, understand that Sierra Leone is a Paradise on this earth.No contribution is too small to make that country especially, and the continent generally, a better place. Let us stop the fussing and fighting, corruption, hatred, and let love spread. THIS IS A CONSCIOUS TIME; AWARENESS AGE.
May peace prevail on this earth!"
Photo: DJ Base in studio.
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