By Dr.Sheik Umarr Kamarah.
It is extremely difficult for me to write this tribute for someone whose physical presence I still wish to cling on to. Someone I spoke to more often than anyone else outside of my home. The late Dr. John Conteh-Morgan was a dear brother, mentor, and intellectual and moral guide.
I know he would not have allowed me to shower him with praise were he alive, for he was the acme of humility. But the Conteh-Morgan I knew would forgive me for sharing with the world what I know about him, and what he meant and still means to me in particular, and Sierra Leone in general. Since most people who knew him or met him along the corridors of academic venues, or have read his books and other scholarly pieces recognize his enormous brilliance, I will only add that he was not only an exemplary scholar, but also a wonderful human being. It is to the quality of his human touch and love for his country that I must now turn.
I was a student at Fourah Bay College when Dr. Conteh-Morgan was a lecturer in French at that great institution. He was a young, handsome, and brilliant scholar that everyone admired and respected. He was the embodiment of standards and integrity. Because I did not study French, I was not one of his students, so he did not know me.
One evening, in June 1983, Dr. Conteh-Morgan took the time to come to campus looking for a student called Sheikh Umarr Kamarah. I had just finished my final exams. He came with joy, armed with praises for, and pride in a student he had never met before. The external examiner for English, from Oxford University, had told him about a first-class examination paper he had read that afternoon. It was, the examiner told him, one of the best exam papers he had ever read on Shakespeare both at Oxford and elsewhere.
The scholar and caring educator he was, Dr. Conteh-Morgan must find this student to personally congratulate him, and encourage him to pursue further studies. Here was a lecturer with a tremendous human touch, one to whom every Sierra Leonean mattered. Since then he became an elder brother, a mentor, a guide. He was always full of praises for others. He was always interested in the academic efforts and endeavors of his colleagues and friends, young and old.
He possessed such a nimble mind that discussing issues with him regularly has made me a better teacher and thinker. I always dream of one day becoming a fine scholar like my Kohthoh Jonn. A lover of ideas, constantly searching for answers to the troublesome questions of life, he loved a good and meaningful debate. He cherished engaging ideas.
He was the scholar’s scholar, the teacher’s teacher, and the mentor’s mentor. I fondly called him the ‘Bolomba’ of ‘Bolombas.’ This Temne word, ‘Bolomba,’ which means, ‘doctor/healer/guide/inspiration’ was the closest I could find to capture some of what this great Sierra Leonean was.
Besides being a Bolomba, Dr. Conteh-Morgan was a patriot thoroughly concerned about his country. He saw beauty in Sierra Leone. He saw the potential of that country becoming a paradise for its citizens. But he was deeply worried about both the social cancer of tribalism that has been gradually eating away the very fabric of our collective destiny, and the political culture of corruption and visionlessness.
Throughout his life, he succeeded to live above the fray. His loyalty was to Sierra Leone, not to tribe. For that he was considered by many to be naïve and idealistic. That he was ‘Ohpotho,’ (the whiteman) simply because he would neither encourage nor participate in tribalism. He had the opportunity to exploit tribe like many of his peers but totally rejected it and took on a lonely fight---combating exclusion and discrimination based on tribe or region. What pained him most was the realization that there was very little he could do to arrest this social cancer. What he did not know was that he had done so much by touching so many lives through the way he led his own life.
His legacy to our country, besides his impressive academic work, was the life he led. He embraced everyone and treated everyone equally. He led an exemplary life not only as a husband, father, son, brother or friend, but also as a Sierra Leonean. He was what the country needed and still needs: A Patriotic Conscience. I hope those of us whose lives Dr. Conteh-Morgan so profoundly touched will not disappoint him. We all know how he would like us to live our lives in relation to other citizens of our country and of the world.
Kohthoh John, you fought valiantly against ignorance, against bigotry, and against injustice. You inspired many young minds to be the best they can be, but more importantly, to embrace decency in their dealings with others. You lived what you preached. Our world will never be the same without you. May your soul rest in perfect peace.
Sheikh Umarr Kamarah
Virginia State University
Petersburg, VA 23806
USA
Photo: The late professor John Conteh-Morgan.
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