The idea behind this blog is to give current fans and potential fans a unique insight into my music, my experiences, my thoughts and the stories behind them. This is something that you may have never experienced before from a singer/songwriter. I will take one of my songs and walk you through the lyrics and the stories behind the songs. I will also discuss my perspective on ideas relevant to the song in question. In the process you will get to know more about me and my music. I hope you will enjoy these postings and share them with family and friends.
As we go on this journey together we will go beyond Sierra Leone and explore other issues and themes but I think it fitting to start off with my home, Sierra Leone and branch out from here. My first blog was about The Black Loyalists, refugees from the American Revolutionary War who became the founders of Freetown. This blog post will be about a song I wrote called "Heal Our Nation" and my visit to Sierra Leone this year. This particular song is dedicated to Sierra Leoneans and friends of Sierra Leone. "Heal Our Nation" was recorded live in September 2010 at the Montgomery College Performing Arts Theatre in Silver Spring Maryland.
In the summer of 2010 I got a call from Dr. Fuambai Ahmadu, an anthropologist, and also the owner of the Miss Sierra Leone USA Pageant. She is a big fan of my music and asked me to perform at her Miss Sierra Leone USA pageant in September. She wanted to bring a different vibe to this years event, and had previously interviewed me for her magazine SIA. I agreed to perform.
SIA
As I was putting together my set list for the concert I dusted off one of my old songs and decided to rework it. This song became "Heal Our Nation" and is being officially released with this blog. The pageant was quite successful and a new Miss Sierra Leone USA was crowned, her name is Marie Mansaray. In April of this year I got another call from Fuambai, inviting me to join the Miss Sierra Leone USA delegation in a homecoming visit to introduce Marie Mansaray to Sierra Leone as part of Sierra Leone’s 50th Independence Annivesary celebrations and to launch some local community initiatives. Her organization MSLUSA (Miss Sierra Leone USA) was trying to promote a corporate/community/diaspora collaboration with the diamond company Koidu Holdings that underwrote the trip.
Sierra Leone is celebrating or commemorating, depending on your perspective, its 50th year of independence from Britain and throughout 2011 there are many events that have been scheduled. The theme of this homecoming visit was called "Heal Our Nation" which was quite appropriate considering what our country has been through over the years. This is definitely a time when all different factions and segments of our society need to come together to focus on our future, and the development of our nation.
April 19th 2011
I left the United States on April 17th and spent a day in Ghana. When I was in Ghana I spent the night at a friends house. His name is Kwame and he lived near the airport which was very convenient. Kwame was introduced to me by a mutual friend Irvine King, and while I was there I gave Kwame a copy of my Black Loyalist CD. There is a reason I mention this. Anyway, I left Ghana on the 19th and travelled on the same flight carrying Marie Mansaray, and when we arrived at Sierra Leone's Lungi airport we had a pleasant suprise. We were met by native bondo dancers who traveled all the way from Kono to welcome us. They gave us a lovely and enthusiastic welcome. We then squeezed into a local water taxi (which was a very adventurous trip) with a Chinese delegation and Mahen Bonetti, the director of the African Film Festival in New York. She was also in town to take part in the official 50th celebrations. The water taxi took us to Freetown.
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| Freddy Shabaka and Dr. Fuambai Ahmadu |
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| Freddy Shabaka and Isaiah Washngton |
We spent the day resting and at some point I decided to get some swimming lessons at the hotel's pool (yes I can't swim...I had a traumatic experience when I was 11 and stayed away from the water). A young man who was also staying at the hotel saw me struggling and offered to give me some free lessons. I readily agreed and for the next hour I became his student. After our lesson I asked him what he was doing in Freetown as he had a British accent. He told me he was a film maker and his name was Adrian Cline-Bailey. He was a Sierra Leonean who left as a young child and this was his first time back. He was in town to film a documentary about Sierra Leone and the 50th celebrations. I told him that I made music and gave him a copy of my CD's. Later in the day he sought me out and told me that he really enjoyed my music and wanted to interview me that evening as he was leaving for London in a couple of days. We did the interview and he decided to text his father who lives in Europe. He told his father that he had met this musician in Freetown and was doing an interview. The next day he literally ran up to me to tell me that his father knew me from the Freetown music scene in the 1980's. I then found out that his father was the drummer for our band in college. Some friends and I had formed a band called "Fusion" at Fourah Bay College in Freetown and we had a drummer called Melody. My swimming teacher was Melody's son....this blew our minds. What a strange coincidence.
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April 21st
We visited SLBC (Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation) where I gave them a copy of my "Heal Our Nation" video and Miss Sierra Leone discussed her homecoming and maternal health campaign called "Yeri we cry" which means "Hear our cry". We also paid an official visit to the Vice President of Sierra Leone and met with the 50th Anniversary Committee organizers. The day had been very busy and quite productive and we got back to the hotel late in the afternoon. When I arrived at the hotel I recieved a very interesting call from Ghana. It was from the King of Aburi, the Ghanian ambassador to Equatorial Guinea and the Vice President of Ghana. Apparently they were at the Kings palace jamming to my Black Loyalist CD (The CD I had given to Kwame) and they called me to tell me how much they loved my music. It was then that I found out that the King of Aburi and the Ghanian ambassador to Equatorial Guinea were Kwame's brothers and he had taken my Black Loyalist CD to the King after I left. This really made my day because thats the reason why I make music in the first place, so I can touch the souls of those who listen.
April 24th/25th
We went to a couple of fashion shows and pageants and we saw some very beautiful Sierra Leonean women. I have to say that the judges in one of the pageants really got it wrong. The young lady who represented Kono district was clearly the smartest and prettiest among them but she didn't win 1st, 2nd or even 3rd place. What a travesty!!! Nearly everyone ended up complaining and questioning the motives and judgement of the panel. This young lady was clearly the winner.
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| The Sa Lone beauty that should have won |
April 26th
We went to the official state banquet where Miss Sierra Leone was to play the Sierra Leone national anthem on her cello. I was not scheduled to perform but I did accompany Miss Sierra Leone USA, Miss Kono USA and Dr Ahmadu to the event. When we arrived at the banquet, the MC for the event, Agibu Jalloh, told me that he was going to put me on the spot. He is a Shabaka fan, and demanded that I perform that night. I ended up singing "Heal Our Nation" for the President of Sierra Leone, the First Lady, the Vice President of Sierra Leone and other distinguished guests including some heads of state and about 1,000 other guests. After the performance many people came up to me and expressed their appreciation for the song and its lyrics acknowledging that our people and our leaders needed to hear this message.
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| Marie Mansaray (Miss Sierra Leone USA) playing the cello at the state banquet |
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| Freddy Shabaka singing Heal Our Nation at the state banquet
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April 28th
We attended the Women of Excellence Awards at the Country lodge in Freetown. It was organized by a childhood friend of mine Isha Johanssen and it was quite a glitzy affair. Marie also played the cello at this event and was joined by another childhood friend of mine and an incredible jazz musician Gwyn Jay Allen as they sang the Sierra Leone national anthem. There were several distinguished guests at the event including the First lady of Sierra Leone, the Vice President of Sierra Leone and Hollywood Star Jeffrey Wright of Casino Royale and Source Code fame. He is now serving as Sierra Leone's "Peace by Piece" ambassador for the 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations.
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| Sierra Leone's First Lady entering the Women of Excellence Awards |
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| Marie and Gwyn Jay Allen performing at the Women of Excellence Awards in Freetown |
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| Freddy Shabaka singing at the Sierra Leone Embassy banquet for the 50th anniversary celebrations |
My little "Heal Our Nation" tour ended a few weeks ago and now I'm ready to really get the show on the road. In the song I call on Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora to go back home. Many of us came to the west to better ourselves with the intention of going back home and for one reason or the other we got stuck. For some of us it is understandably not a practical proposition, but there are those of us who can make some adjustments in our lives and make the transition. In talking to people I do sense a strong desire to go back home and I also believe that there is a reverse exodus from the west that will continue to grow. I'm sure it will continue over the next decade and beyond. Sierra Leone needs us, Africa needs us. Our country needs all the resources we can bring to bear so we can make it the place that we want it to be. But first we have to “get off this plantation”, “decontaminate our minds" and “we have to change the way we live and care for one another”. I believe that the main problem we face as Sierra Leoneans is the state of our collective minds. We really have issues. However we do need optimism and have to believe that things will be alright if we are going to change the state of our nation; children are suffering, people are dying, teachers can't teach if they can't get paid and it goes on and on and on. We have our share of problems but one thing that cannot be taken from us is our power to change our own reality. This is not blind optimism but an enduring faith in the human spirit and our ability to change our actions by changing our thoughts. This is where we must start. I have faith in Salone people.
In my next blog posting we'll look at a song called "The Truth" from my album "A Chapter of Roots". Until then have a wonderful time.
My name is bigchode, I am black and indian my people call the darkies untouchable, plz help me correct them, call me at, 845 8239085
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