By Our Correspondent
One of the most colorful highlights of April’s 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations was certainly the grand presence of the Miss Sierra Leone USA delegation from April 19th to April 30th under the exclusive sponsorship of Koidu Holdings, S.A.
Beginning on April 19th at Lungi Airport, the reigning Miss Sierra Leone USA 2011, Marie Mansary and legendary Sierra Leone musician, Freddy Cole Shabaka, were received by a group of supporters led by the MSLUSA Pageant Owner, Dr. Fuambai Sia Ahmadu, and amidst a great fanfare of traditional women dancers from Koidu, the sponsor’s headquarters.
Other members of the MSLUSA delegation arrived during the week: Natasha Beckley, Miss Sierra Leone USA 2009-2010; Isata Songowa, Miss Kono USA 2011; and, Mrs. Jenneh Bondu Borbor, MSLUSA Pageant Community Relations Advisor.
On the 21st of April, Marie appeared as a guest on the live SLBC morning show to discuss MSLUSA homecoming and especially the launch of her platform for the upcoming Miss Africa USA Pageant called Yeri Wi Cry, a campaign to improve the birth experience of expectant mothers during delivery in Bo District, the region Marie represented at the MSLUSA pageant. Marie also participated in an SLBC radio program to discuss her efforts to improve maternal well being in Sierra Leone.
Later that afternoon, Marie and her entourage paid an official visit to the office of the Vice President, Honorable Chief Sam Sumana, where they also met with and had the opportunity to thank the 50th Committee Chairman, Professor Magbilly Fyle and Deputy Ms. Milly Terry.
On April 26th, the eve of the nation’s Independence Day, Marie officially opened the elegant State House Banquet with an outstanding cello performance of the Sierra Leone national anthem before His Excellency, Ernest Bai Koroma; the First Lady, Madame Sia Nyama Koroma; the Honorable Vice President Sam Sumana; the Second Lady, Madame Kadia Sam Sumana and other distinguished guests, including the Head of State of Equatorial Guinea and the Vice President of The Gambia. Freddy Shabaka also delighted the President and his guests with an impromptu yet emotional tribute to the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary, performing Heal Our Nation, a song Shabaka first recorded and performed at the MSLUSA pageant last September.
At the Women of Excellence Awards, the Miss Sierra Leone USA delegation wooed the First Lady, the Honorable Vice-President and the Second Lady as well as other VIP guests once more with Marie’s cello performance of the national anthem, this time with a synchronized, melodic contribution from vocalists Gwynn Allen and the current in-country Miss Sierra Leone.
Besides official functions, the Miss Sierra Leone USA delegation made informal rounds and appearances at high fashion shows, exclusive parties and other pageants. In fact, Natasha Beckley, the former Miss Sierra Leone USA 2009-2010, effortlessly swooped up the crown at the Miss Sierra Leone (World) competition created by Mammy Yoko Productions. This win has positioned Natasha as the official representative of Sierra Leone at the Miss World competition, which will take place this November in Trinidad. So, without a doubt, in just under two weeks, the Miss Sierra Leone USA delegation came, saw and conquered Freetown!
But the MSLUSA delegation also gave back. After the glamour, glitz and pomp of the 50th Anniversary celebrations in Freetown, in a quiet journey to Kono District, Isata Bodei Songowa, the current Miss Kono USA, embarked on her personal and emotional homecoming to the District she represented in the U.S. but had never visited before this trip. Accompanied by MSLUSA Pageant Owner, Dr. Ahmadu, who is also an anthropologist, as well as with a videographer and a cameraman, Isata paid an informal visit to Koidu, the base of Koidu Holdings, in particular the resettlement area that has been the subject of much press controversy in recent months. Miss Kono visited Ms. Diana Konomanyi, the Chairwoman of the Kono District Council as well as Paramount Chiefs, Paul Sacquee and Sheku Amadu Fasuluku.
Both Isata and Dr. Ahmadu, also a Kono descendant, will work together on a short documentary film to promote better understanding of the impact of diamond mining and to enhance corporate social responsibility on the part of mining companies for the benefit of the Kono community and broader nation of Sierra Leone over the next 50 years. At a conference scheduled for the first week of June, MSLUSA and Koidu Holdings will host a joint press conference to discuss among several initiatives, the organization’s support of Miss Kono in her effort to raise awareness about teenage pregnancy in the Kono District and to implement culturally sensitive interventions to curb this disturbing trend that debilitates young women in this region.
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