23 prominent and not so prominent politicians in the country of Sierra Leone in West Africa are vying for the leadership position of the Sierra Leone People’s Party, the SLPP, in preparation for the 2012 elections.
What makes the list of contestants interesting is that only three women are in the race out of the 23. They are Dr. Kadie Sesay (see video below), a former university professor and cabinet minister, Mrs. Elizabeth Lavalie (photo), a banker and legislator whose late husband was the first leader of one of the country’s pro-government civil militias tduring the 11-year civil war, the Kamajors. The other lady is Mrs. Kadie Johnson-Cole, who was a UK resident for a long time.
The very low representation of women on the list is not a surprise to most Sierra Leoneans and Sierra Leone watchers. Women are under-represented in almost all spheres of life in the country. Politics, which is usually practised in an atmosphere of verbal and physical violence, turns off a lot of Sierra Leonean women.
On the list are former cabinet ministers, a traditional ruler, a diplomat, lawyers, academics, retired military officers, businessmen and a clergyman.
One of the retired military officers on the list, also a former head of state, is Brigadier Julius Maada Bio who was part of a military junta that overthrew the civilian administration of Joseph Saidu Momoh in 1992. He later travelled to the United States to study International Relations after handing over power to a civilian administration in 1996.
The other military officer is Major Ishmael Koroma, who was in the US army. Very little is known about him by the general population in Sierra Leone but he is fairly known in the east and south of the country.
Mrs. Kadi Johnson-Cole
Former cabinet ministers in the battle for this position, like Emmanuel Grant (Energy and Power), Momodu Koroma (Foreign Affairs), Dr. Alpha Wurie (Education) and Alpha Timbo (Education) are household names in Sierra Leone.
Others on the list are ambassador John Leigh, Mr. Umarr Dumbuya, lawyer Bu-Buakei Jabbi, engineer Osman Boie-Kamara, Mrs. Kadie Johnson-Cole, Eric Jumu, Obai Kabia, PC Bai Sebora Somanoh Kapen, Abu-Hassan Koroma, Mr. Abu Mansaray, Professor Richard M’bayo, Dr. Morie Manyeh, Dr. Anthony Soyei, Alpha Timbo and Reverend Joe Moiba.
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