Welcome Remarks by SALNAM’s president Abubakarr "Biggie" Kamara at the Sierra Leone’s 55th Independence Celebration in Winnipeg, Canada.
Good evening distinguished guests and my fellow Sierra Leoneans. Indeed it is great to see you all here tonight, and on behalf of SALNAM, I am very pleased and delighted to welcome you all to this important event.
Although as a nation, we do not have much to show for it yet, tonight we are gathered here to celebrate the anniversary of the political freedom which our beloved motherland, Sierra Leone gained 55 years ago, on April 27, 1961.
There is no doubt that the achievement of the independence of any nation, is a milestone achievement as it allows a nation or country to be politically and economically autonomous.
Ladies and gentlemen as an independent nation, we have the freedom to control our destiny as a nation, and celebrating this momentous event shouldn’t just serve as a celebration per se, but should also remind us to reflect on developments that have taken place in the country over the years since independence.
It is also an opportunity for us as Sierra Leoneans to make self-reflections to assist us identify the attitude and behaviour we should embrace to support socio-economic and political development in the country. It is our responsibility to do so as caring children of our fatherland. It is also the responsibility of the government of the day to create the condition to encourage ordinary citizens to freely participate in nation building and development.
The yearly celebration of this event should therefore make us hopeful that there is a bright future ahead for our country, Sierra Leone.
I know all of us are happy that we are fortunate to live in a province like Manitoba where we have the freedom to organize, gather and celebrate programs and activities as long as they are within the limits of the law. And like all Manitobans, Sierra Leoneans are productive, law abiding and hardworking people, and they believe in freedom and democracy.
Sierra Leoneans are also making modest contributions to the development of the socio-economic fabric of Manitoba and are looking for ways to improve or enhance their contributions to all round development of the province.
SALNAM is committed to working on its mission to assist the community meet its goals for community members to become productive and participative citizens in all aspects of life in Manitoba.
SALNAM also celebrates this event to give us the opportunity as a community of Sierra Leoneans to discuss issues affecting our community here in Manitoba.
Ours, as we know it, is a community with a large population of youth and young people, and the future of our community is a function of our youth/ young people to engage in community programs and activities, eventhough this has certainly been a challenge in many cases.
I know this, and it is part of the reason why we need to continue discussing issues affecting our youth, who are the future leaders of our community. And our keynote speaker for tonight’s celebration is a youth of Sierra Leonean descent.
Mr. Nfaba Gassama, will be making a short presentation on The Challenges and associated opportunities for the Sierra Leonean Youth/ Young people growing up in a Multicultural Society such as we have in Manitoba.
It is instructive to note or observe that many of our youth/ young people are unaware of the challenges and opportunities that are present in their daily lives.
The selected topic is meant to assist our youth/ young people to understand the challenges they encounter in their daily lives, and also to assist them realize that there are attendant opportunities available to them in the market place.
The objective of the subject matter is to create conditions and help our youth/ young people to seize the moment and become productive members of society.
The topic therefore, is timely as it helps our youth to evaluate their individual circumstances vis-a-vis the setting of goals and the achievement of those goals.
We are confident that the presentation of our keynote speaker will shed some lights on the issue, and I am hopeful that the information will be very useful to our youth and young people.
Finally, my fellow Sierra Leoneans as we celebrate tonight, we should not forget about our fellow Sierra Leoneans back home or across the globe who cannot join in the celebration either for economic or health reasons.
However, I can assure you all here that tonight, you will have a wonderful celebration as you will be entertained with delicious food and good music all night long.
Once again, I warmly welcome you all to this celebration held in commemoration of the political Independence which Sierra Leone achieved on April 27, 1961, and I thank you for your attention.
Photo: Abubakarr Biggie Kamara. SALNAM is the umbrella organization of Sierra Leoneans in the province of Manitoba in Canada.
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