Launching of the Siaka P Stevens Presidential Center.
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Category Archives: My Life
AUGUST 24TH 1905
REMEMBERING DR. SIAKA STEVENS WHO WAS BORN ON THIS DAY AUGUST 24TH 1905
Towards retirement
- Image via Wikipedia
A Time to Work and a Time to Rest
Much of my book (What Life has taught me) has dealt with what life has taught me. At 78 I am glad to claim that I am still learning in the school of life and sometimes hardly receiving passing marks. Those who feel that they have nothing more to learn, or are tired of learning, are most probably tired of living. I am certainly not a member of that club, but I am aware of the limitations resulting from increasing age.
The leadership of a country like Sierra Leone is a very demanding job, combining responsibility for the day-to-day affairs of the country and planning for the future with diplomatic work and the performance of ceremonial functions.
Moreover, the African tradition being what it is, our people expect their leader to be also the father of the nation, to hear personally complaints and suggestions, to settle disputes, including personal ones, to attend functions, to relieve cases of hardship and often to represent the country abroad.
Siaka Stevens images on the web
I found these picture of GP on the web.
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Happy Birthday my dear Grandpa
August 24th 1905.
Grandpa and Grama
Leader of the Opposition-Part I
- Image via Wikipedia
“I do not expect that detainees will be kept longer than is really necessary,” declared the Prime Minister in the House of Representa tives at the time of independence. “As soon as we are satisfied that the country is out of danger, we will let almost all of them out.” Although the state of emergency was not lifted until August, 1961, the moment when we were apparently no longer considered to be a threat to the security of the State came on May 18th, when I and the last fifteen of my fellow detainees were released from Pademba Road prison.
Funeral Photos of Dr. Siaka Stevens
May 29th 1988
Siaka Stevens, 82, who led this West African nation for 17 years before retiring as president in 1985, died May 29 at his home.
Siaka Stevens-Freedom Behind Bars-Part II
With regard to the holding of a general election before independence, which the P.N.P., the U.P.P. and several other parties had persistently agitated for, I took it that this was a foregone conclusion for Milton Margai himself had only recently, in London, publicly stated that there would be a pre-independence general election for the people to decide for independence or not. In addition to the Premier’s statement on the issue, general elections had been a prerequisite for the granting of independence by the British in the case of other African countries, even in Ghana where Nkrumah’s Convention People’s Party was not only unquestionably truly representative of the people, but had been in office only two years at the time, whereas the S.L.P.P. Government would be four years old in 1961, when we anticipated independence, with only one year to run.
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Siaka Stevens-Freedom Behind Bars-Part I
There is an old Chinese story I rather like about a peasant who lost his only horse. His neighbours said, “Your only horse has disappeared. Bad luck!” the peasant replied, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?”The next day the horse returned, bringing twenty wild horses with him into the peasant’s compound. The neighbours said, “You have gained twenty new horses. Good luck!”
The peasant replied, “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?” Then the peasant’s only son broke a leg training the horses. The neighbours said, “Your only son has broken a leg and the harvest is at hand. Bad luck!” The peasant replied, “Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?” Within a few days the recruiting serge ants arrived and conscripted all the young men of the village except the boy with the broken leg. The neighbours said, “Your son has escaped conscription while ours are all gone. Good luck!” The peasant replied, “Good luck Bad luck? Who knows?”
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