Drawings of Child Soldiers from
the civil war in Sierra Leone
Tonight we attended a baby shower for our Sierra Leone nephew, Mathias’s, wife. I first met Mathias at the church I worked at over 10 years ago. He was a political refugee from the civil war in Sierra Leone. He had to flee to the United States to avoid execution and left his partner and new born baby behind. With the help of friends from the Church and people in the local Sierra Leone community he was able to go to Marquette University, some decent jobs and now he is back at Marquette University working in the Education Opportunity Program (EOP), a program some of us struggled for in the 60’s civil rights battle against ‘institutional racism’ at Marquette University. Last year he was finally able to bring his wife and son to the USA.
Actually Mathias did not know I was his uncle until one day we were talking outside of Church and I told him my African niece, Christiana, was in some of his classes at Marquette University. He said “You are uncle Bob and from that time on he calls me uncle Bob. This is the way, as Uncle Bob, he introduced me tonight to his friends in the Milwaukee Sierra Leone community, many I have already met in other Sierra Leone celebrations.
I am used to baby showers being for women only. However, Mathias, when he invited us, explained that in his culture men also attend baby showers. I have been go Sierra Leone graduation, baptism, birthday and wedding celebrations. They, as with a baby shower, have a number of things in common, a lot of laughter, plenty of good ethnic food, music, and dance and Guinness beer. Guinness is a bold dark Irish beer that one of the men there explained was even stronger and bolder when sold in Sierra Leone.
Mathias, since coming to the United States, has had a strong sense of giving back. One of the first things he did in the USA was to establish a foundation to collect items and money to send back to the war torn country especially for the youth that have survived the war. Now working at Marquette he feels he is giving back by helping other minority and low income students to attend Marquette University.
Sierra Leone suffered a disastrous war over ‘blood diamonds’ and he still healing. However, people who suffer greatly know how to celebrate greatly. This is a gift the people of the Sierra Leone community in Milwaukee has blessed us.
Mathias and his wife soon will be bringing a baby girl in the community in Milwaukee. She will know from nature, parents, family and friend both the great sufferings and joys of life.
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