Empowering a Generation and a Nation, One Woman at a Time

“Certainly, we cherish our cultural heritage and the centuries old traditions from which our society derives its identity and resilience. But we also acknowledge that practices that undermine human dignity, retard social progress and bring about unnecessary misery and suffering must not be countenance by a society that appreciates the worth of its people.”

Dr. Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings: Addressing the 23rd Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly (Beijing +5); attended by over 2000 women’s groups and NGOs worldwide. June 5th, 2000, New York, USA

Emanating from her seemingly effortless ability to be both a hard line politician and a passionate change agent for the poor, the voiceless and the under-served populations in Africa, her power is not something she wields. It’s something she is. Authentic. Smart. Unpretentious. Forthright. Engaging. There isn’t a prediction or forecast broad enough to encompass her energy, vibrancy and her ability to connect with people of all social levels. Such traits are the by-product of her confidence, wisdom and openness to the inclusion of all people. Her leadership style has served as a pioneering model for improving gender equity, equality and the empowerment of grassroots women in Africa. When purpose aligns itself with the character to serve the greater good, authentic power takes over. Such are the coordinates of where Nana Rawlings stands today.

Life before Politics

Activism for Nana Rawlings began in the tumultuous days of revolution when her husband, Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, took over as Ghana’s Head of State on December 31st, 1981. His popular rise to power followed more than a decade of economic devastation, political crisis and mass human suffering under a series of corrupt civilian (1969 -1972) and military regimes (1972 – 1979). With the aim of rebuilding Ghana from the grassroots, and returning power to the people, Jerry Rawlings spearheaded a revolution that was aimed at wiping out corruption among the power elites and restoring Ghana’s shattered economy.

On the streets of Accra, the country’s transportation system had broken down. There was no reliable power grid and only a handful of paved roads were undamaged by massive potholes. Inflation had soared and food was so scarce that a tin of milk or a loaf of bread required standing in long lines for as much as five hours or more. Mrs. Rawlings recalls, “Much like the rest of the country, I was relieved that someone was finally strong and brave enough to risk his life for truth, social justice and the larger good of the nation. But I also knew my life would never be the same.”

Prior to public life, Nana Konadu had been working professionally (1972 – 1979) in Ghana as an interior decorator with the Union Trading Company (UTC), a large Swiss trading firm, where she rose to the rank of Group Manager. Her responsibilities included UTC showrooms, window displays and corporate housing units throughout Ghana. In 1975, her work took her to Switzerland for 18 months on attachment to Jelmoli, then Switzerland’s largest department store, as an administrator and interior decorator. Upon returning to Ghana, Nana and Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings exchanged wedding vows in a church wedding in 1977. Even after marriage, Mrs. Rawlings continued advancing in her career as the senior administrator of UTC’s Display Department. She recalls, “Given that the country was in such steep decline, I considered myself lucky to even have a job. What’s more, I was one of only a handful of Ghanaian women working among the professional ranks at UTC. Still, much like the rest of the country, we were struggling.”

In 1978, at the height of the nation’s collapse, Nana Konadu was expecting the couple’s first child, Zanetor. During her pregnancy, however, it was not uncommon to find the halls of the Military Hospital plunged into darkness, due to power outages, with only partial lighting provided by the aid of a generator and the flickering light of lanterns carried around by hospital staffers.

While power outages were intermittent, deprivation was constant. The hospital had no bed sheets, no painkillers, no sanitary towels, no syringes, no cotton wool, not even a light bulb in the labour and delivery room to guide the medical staff as she struggled through labour. If she wanted any of these comforts, she would have to supply them on her own. And, fortunately, she could. Weeks before she went into labour, Nana Konadu and Jerry made the four hour journey by road into neighbouring Togo to buy the list of hospital supplies suggested by their doctor.

She recalls, “All the while, I could only think of the blinding fluorescence of public facilities in Switzerland. From Swiss banks to shopping centres to public universities, high-quality lighting and overflows of supplies filled every facility in abundance. I could only imagine the hospital delivery wards: the blankets, pink or blue, the menu of painkillers, doctors in white coats and sanitary gloves, tending to patients under the hard white hospital light. How much different was it in the hushed, dark tensions of Ghana.”

As the economy fell apart, senior military officers continued to increase their ill-gotten riches at the expense of the poor and starving masses. While men monopolized power at all levels of development, it was women (and their children) who suffered the most from poor judgment and weak governance. Yet women were the backbone of the rural economy. In Ghana, as throughout most of Africa, women account for more than fifty percent the population producing more than seventy percent of the nation’s food crops, which make them the largest part of the nation’s economic efforts. Adding to that, many of these women bear the sole responsibility for raising the children, feeding their families and providing care for the elderly in their communities. Despite their major contributions to family, community, and food security for the nation, their dire living conditions and basic needs for sustainable development had never been placed on the national agenda or even prioritised as a part of the nation’s development needs.

“At the Military Hospital, I witnessed the miraculous delivery of a newborn through the birth canal of a very beautiful, but very young, girl, who had been rushed into the hospital for urgent medical care, but with no medical supplies
and probably no history of prenatal care. Although the baby she delivered was healthy, I was traumatised the next day by news of her death ‘due to complications beyond the hospital’s capacity.’

“By the time I gave birth to my first child I was an exception: I was 29, married and college educated with a university degree in graphic design.” In rural Ghana, however, without access to education, it is not uncommon to find young girls who, by the ages of 12, 13 or 14, have been sold into marriage and given birth to multiple children within a few years. If you look at the generation before her, the story is likely the same – one of subjugation, marginalization and disempowerment, a formula for the vicious cycle of poverty.

Worse yet, Mrs. Rawlings notes, young girls are more likely to be the victims of outmoded customs, such as polygamy, trokosi (female sexual slavery), and painful genital cutting, a practice which could result in excessive bleeding and death of infant or adolescent victims. Once held sacred as a form of purification, this horrific practice is commonly known today as female genital mutilation (FGM). “These customs are not only inhumane; they’re tools of oppression and subjugation that render African women and girls subservient, docile and exploitable,” she asserts. As a result, young women become socialised to think their ideas, personal struggles, and needs for greater equality are of no interest or consequence to the world around them.

Viewed through this lens, Nana Rawlings is convinced that the leading difference between her situation and those of rural women starts with access to education—from girlhood throughout young adulthood. “Education imparts a desire for a better life, the knowledge that such a life exists, and a basic framework for how to attain that life,” she explains. “Without it, however, young girls are groomed to be nothing other than the perfect wives and mothers, and any thoughts or aspirations beyond that, is fiercely discouraged and in some cases, even shunned.”

As the former First Lady sees it, a woman who is enlightened about the world around her is empowered to engage confidently in her own self development before entering into marriage. This provides a strong foundation that will allow her to make better, more informed, choices for herself and, more importantly, for the generation she raises.

These socio-cultural problems are only a slice of the gender inequities that have fuelled Mrs. Rawlings’s passion for social reform and women’s empowerment. “I instinctively understood that in order to help women escape from the clutches of oppression, I had to reject and publicly denounce the outmoded customs of generations past (e.g. as trokosi, FGM and child marriage, etc.) that have served as traditional barriers for women’s progress.” When it came to tackling issues that affect women in particular, her model for revolution was deliberately different: “It starts with ONE woman who says ‘enough is enough’, ONE family at a time, and continues onward from ONE generation to the other. That is how we measure long-term success—by the multiplier effect of empowering ONE woman.”

A Lineage of Doers & Leaders

Nana Konadu Agyeman (maiden name) was born in Cape Coast in Ghana’s Central Region on November 17, 1948. She is a direct descendent of the Ashanti Royal family in Kumasi, the former centre of an empire that once controlled much of present-day Ghana. Both her mother and father hail from a long line of royal ancestry with a proud tradition of leadership. Her father’s uncle was the great king of Asante, Nana Agyeman Prempeh I, who was exiled by the British in 1897 to the Seychelles Island, where he was later joined by the famed and venerable Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa.

As the third-born of seven children
six girls and one boy
Nana Konadu grew up in a prosperous and well-educated family in the 1950’s Gold Coast (Ghana before independence). Her father, John Osei-Tutu Agyeman, was a prominent and widely respected businessman, who always stressed the importance of education and independent thinking to Nana and her five sisters. After obtaining a master’s degree from the London School of Economics, Mr. Agyeman became one of the first Africans in the Gold Coast to work at the senior levels of management within the United Africa Company (UAC), a colossal British trading firm that was a branch of Unilever. He was later recruited into government by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president, as a top commerce executive and business advisor to the nation’s first post-colonial administration.

Her mother, Felicia Agyeman, was an educator, whose career in the classroom ended abruptly when she married Nana’s father. In the days of colonialism, British law mandated that married women stay home and look after their husband and children. So Mrs. Agyeman was forced to abandon the classroom and the teaching career she loved the moment she married her husband. Still, Nana’s mother made good use of her professional skills inside the home, where she often home-schooled Nana Konadu, her six siblings and several cousins from Nana’s father’s large extended family.

Young Nana Konadu attended a series of elite public and private schools, including the British-established Achimota Secondary School, where she had her first encounter with Jerry Rawlings in 1961. The Agyemans’ good fortune prompted Nana’s parents to continuously take in and support the children of struggling relatives. Her mother was strict, yet full of compassion she says, always putting food, clothing, and other basic provisions away for relatives in need. She emphasises that her mother was probably the strongest influence on her. In Nana’s words, “It was she, by her concern for the poor and the disadvantaged, who helped me to discover my interest in social reform. Perhaps this explains why, amidst the tumult of revolution in the early 1980’s, I discovered a powerful pull and personal calling in the world of politics. My recognition of injustices against women and the poor in our society ignited my early desire for social change.”

Activist and First Lady

Unwilling to live life within the strict limits imposed by a male dominated society, First Lady Nana Rawlings stirred national debate over what role a Head of State’s wife should play. Normally, she would have been expected to confine herself to managing the household, raising the children, perhaps engaging in some charitable work, and supporting her husband’s political agenda. But she insisted on developing a more independent life. In spite of much criticism, Mrs. Rawlings forged a new identity for herself by engaging in meaningful political activity. So on May 15th, 1982, she and other like-minded women established the 31st December Women’s Movement as a means to ensure that women in Ghana did not get left behind in the revolutionary process.

“From that day forward, I took on the biggest challenge of my life. I emerged from the ‘relative’ comforts of city life to learn about the plight of poor rural women – not by reading or hearing about them, but by actually going out and meeting those who were struggling.”

She smiles as she thinks of how her youngest daughter, Amina, recalls these early days, “From a very young age, I travelled around Ghana with Mum so much that she could have easily confused me with her handbag.”

“It’s true,” Mrs. Rawlings admits. “I can’t deny this. I threw myself into my work. In my political life, passion took over. I wanted to understand the problems of rural women firsthand and with the country in crisis, there was plenty to absorb.”

Winding across dusty ochre-red roads through grassy, rich savannah, Nana Konadu travelled to areas such as Ghana’s remote northern region. She met with local chiefs and explained to them that the 31st December Women’s Movement was borne out of a desire to get women to be a recognisable part of national development. The Movement, she noted, “emanated as a result of the revolution that came to stop the rot and decay in our society. Women wanted to be part of that change and not just observers.”

She danced with townsfolk and addressed crowds of hundreds of women and children. At the podium she stressed to women that they must be completely politically and economically empowered by becoming micro-entrepreneurs in their homes and villages. And under the watchful gaze of traditional chiefs, she defied social norms by stressing the importance of family planning through the use of contraceptives.

“The more I listened to the stories of rural women, the more I understood their frustrations, knowing that they remain secondclass citizens despite their contributions to family and community. Throughout my travels, I encountered the complete absence of academic opportunity for the girl-child. Women had been made to feel they have little stake in the country’s success. In some rural areas it wasn’t uncommon for a woman to give birth in the morning and be back working in the fields in the afternoon.”

She admits, “I have never claimed to be an economist, but my travels throughout the country allowed me to discover the real-life economics of poor and rural grassroots women. Back in Accra, one of my primary missions as a women’s activist was to convince public officials and policy makers to recognize rural women and the underprivileged in our country as valid and important constituencies whose advancement could benefit the entire nation.”

A committed progressive, Nana Konadu successfully formulated and influenced legislative policies against human rights abuses such as trokosi, child marriage, and FGM that have historically and traditionally subjugated women in Ghana. But she didn’t stop there. Simultaneously, she strongly believed that without the effective mobilisation of women — Ghana’s largest labour force — the nation could not achieve its aim of economic reform. “We recognised that for women to be really empowered for development we needed to make them economically active. That was the only way their male counterparts were going to recognise them as equals. So we developed small-scale business models, such as cassava processing plants to process local staples such as gari and kenkey, as well as other self-sustaining businesses like vegetable cultivation, batik making, pottery design, beekeeping and soap production. By securing local and international donor funds, we were able to offer impoverished women tiny amounts of seed money to establish businesses and encouraged them to move into male dominated industries. The women guaranteed each another’s debts and began meeting regularly to make payments and discuss a social issue, like family planning or schooling for girls.”

Travelling tirelessly around the country, sometimes with her own infant child, Nana Konadu became controversial for her candour and fierce criticisms of a male-dominated status quo. While supporters cheered her on, critics attacked her for “overstepping boundaries” and meddling in her husband’s job. But her extraordinary resolve to fight discrimination against women and the rural poor made Nana Konadu a pioneering activist. No other First Lady in Ghanaian history has ever had such a direct role in policy making.

By the 1990’s, in a flourishing economy and restored democracy, Nana Konadu’s Movement was credited by many as being an instrumental part of the revolution in Ghana’s economy. Before December 31st, 1981, women had no access to micro-loans or adult literacy programs, nor did they have power or influence in law or politics—even those laws that pertained to them. A decade later, there was a national program to reduce poverty which offered women micro-credit facilities and entrepreneurship training. There was also legislation to protect women’s property rights and the presence of women in parliament and government greatly enriched Ghanaian politics. By opening doors previously closed to women, Mrs. Rawlings broke the mould for African women in politics and attained genuine political power in her own right.

Changing the Face of Womanhood

Perhaps the greatest lesson presented by the track record of Mrs. Rawlings and her colleagues is that Africa’s greatest unexploited resource isn’t oil fields or goldfields; it is the women and girls who are denied an education and shut off from playing a major role in the formal economy. Twenty-eight years later, through the drudgery of their work, a powerful recognition is coming to light: women and girls aren’t the problem; they’re the solution. They might possibly represent the best hope for reducing poverty in Africa.

Mrs. Rawlings asserts, “Gender equality is not only morally right; it is pivotal to human progress and sustainable development. If Ghana is to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in particular, Goal Number 3 – promoting gender equality and empowering women – women’s rights should be prioritised. Government’s commitment should go beyond simply putting policies in place to monitoring how women’s participation in all levels of national development is taking place on the ground.”

Political Ambitions

Although the former First Lady has not publicly declared any intentions to run in Ghana’s 2012 presidential elections, early endorsements for her candidacy have stirred massive debate and speculation about her political ambitions. There is no doubt that Mrs. Rawlings has the capacity to run and the experience to turn Ghana’s fortunes around. But the question remains: Will Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings enter the race in 2012 to become Ghana’s first female president? At this point, only time will tell. As one supporter states, “she is arguably the most politically exposed and politically experienced Ghanaian female around.”

Perhaps the answer to this question lies beneath the surface of her own words: “Through my work as both an activist and a politician, I strive to demonstrate that it is our continuing responsibility, as African women, to challenge inequality, resist oppression, and question our exclusion from every level of African society. I’ve come to realise that it takes a woman to break the endemic cycle of poverty. This is a task too large and too important to be left alone to the government. So it is up to us, the women of Africa, to bear the responsibility for actions needed to end poverty—first in our homes, then in our communities and, ultimately, throughout our nations, one woman at a time.” WAM

Tinie Tempah is ruling the Brish rap scene aer earning a whopping four nominaons for the upcoming Brit Awards. With his Nigerian roots, the rapper seems to be walking the path of the recent Brit R&B hit singer Lemar (Lemar Obika ) who’s of south eastern Nigeria background. Lemar has already achieved eight Brit Award nominaons winning two (Brish Urban Act of the Year award 2004 and 2006).

In the past there have been British superstar singers who can trace their roots to Africa. Being a British colony, Nigeria seems to be much more linked with some of the finest British singers. Sade Adu (Helen Folasade Adu), who was born in Nigeria (of Nigerian father and English mother), achieved success as the front woman and lead vocalist of the popular British and Grammy Award winning English group ‘Sade’. English soul and R&B singer-songwriter Seal (Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel ) who’s known for his numerous international hits is of Nigerian background. Tunde Baiyewu, the baritone black vocalist of Lighthouse Family, a British musical duo that rose to prominence in the mid-1990s, is of Nigerian descent. Baiyewu was born in London but moved to Nigeria at the age of five after the death of his father. Ten years later he moved back to England.

Tinie Tempah is just one out many young British singers (of African descent) who are stylishly divulging the musical gifts of mother Africa. One could as well link him to top British rappers Tinchy Stryder and Dizzee Rascal, both of Ghanaian descent. British rapper Tinie Tempah is of Nigerian descentBy Eric Orji Tinie Tempah is ruling the Brish rap scene aer earning a whopping four nominaons for the upcoming Brit Awards. With his Nigerian roots, the rapper seems to be walking the path of the recent Brit R&B hit singer Lemar (Lemar Obika ) who’s of south eastern Nigeria background. Lemar has already achieved eight Brit Award nominaons winning two (Brish Urban Act of the Year award 2004 and 2006). 68 WESTERN AFRICA MAGAZINE 2011 69 WESTERN AFRICA MAGAZINE 2011

Tinie Tempah, was born Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu Jr. (7 November 1988) in London to Nigerian parents. He attended St. Paul’s Catholic School in Abbey Wood, London SE2, (now known as St. Paul’s Academy). He went on to study A Levels at St Francis Xavier Sixth Form College SW12. In 2006, Tinie gained a great deal of airplay on British music TV channel, Channel U, for his song ‘Wifey Riddim’ and then in late 2007, Tinie Tempah collaborated on a track with grime artists Agent X and Ultra. The song was titled “Perfect Girl”. Tinie also released “Tears” in 2008 which was taken from his début mix CD “Hood Economics”. He toured with Chipmunk in February 2009. He announced his signing to Parlophone in October 2009 by running a competition on his blog, with the winner invited to High Tea at Claridges to celebrate the deal.

Tinie released his debut single “Pass Out” with Parlophone on 28th February 2010, with it entering the UK Singles Chart at number 1. Selling just over 92,000 copies, making this his first number 1 which it remained for two consecutive weeks. Tinie would later perform “Pass Out” on 25th June 2010 at Glastonbury on the Pyramid stage with Snoop Dogg. Tinie then announced his second single, “Frisky”, which was released on 6 June 2010 entering the UK Singles Chart at number 2. Tinie supported Rihanna for four dates (London on 11 May, Nottingham on 14 May, and Glasgow on 19 and 20 May.) on her 10-date UK tour with Tinchy Stryder and Pixie Lott. Tinie performed at many summer balls at various universities around the United Kingdom.

Tinie performed at Radio 1 Big Weekend in Bangor on 22 May 2010 on the ‘In New Music We Trust’ stage. He also toured with Mr Hudson in May 2010. Tinie Tempah played the Summertime Ball at Wembley Stadium on 6th June 2010, at Wakestock in Abersoch on 3rd July 2010, both T4 On The Beach and the Wireless Festival in London’s Hyde Park on 4th July, and both days of the V Festival on 21 and 22 August 2010. Tinie released his third single “Written in the Stars” on 19th September 2010. This again charted at number 1 in the UK Singles Chart selling over 115,000 copies in its first week, making it his biggest selling single to date. The song also went on to chart in a number of other countries. Tinie went on to team up with Swedish House Mafia for his fourth single “Miami 2 Ibiza” which was released on 1st October 2010.

This went on to reach a peak of number 4 in the UK Singles Chart and his first number 1 in the Netherlands Mega Single Top 100 chart. He released his long awaited debut album, ‘Disc- Overy’ on 4th October 2010 which featured all his previous charted singles. On 11 October 2010 he kicked off his first UK tour which was supported by Chiddy Bang. He went on to win his first 2 MOBO Awards in October. He went on to feature on the Tinchy Stryder single “Game Over”which was released on 15th November 2010. This reached number 22 on the UK Singles Chart.Tinie released his fifth single “Invincible”on 25th December 2010, taken from his album ‘Disc-Overy.’ It peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart making it his lowest charting single release from the ‘Disc-Overy’ to date.

In December Tinie confirmed he is writing a second album, saying there will be a more electronic and live feel to it. It is not yet known what the title will be. It has been confirmed that “Wonderman” will be his next single due to be released 7th March 2011 with the video to be released in late January. Tinie joined Usher on the European leg of his OMG Tour in January 2011. Been nominated for 4 Brit Awards makes Tinie the most nominated artist (in one year) for the award. WAM

As our tradition, Western Africa Magazine’s (WAM) search for a deserving personality for the Women’s Forum of this edition took us to Liberia and Washington USA, to the doorsteps of Dr Dawn Cooper Barnes, the wife of H. E. Nathaniel Barnes the out going Ambassador of Liberia to Washington and a presidential candidate leading the Liberia Destiny Party for the Liberian presidential election scheduled for October 2011. We take the pleasure of introducing to you Dr Dawn Cooper Barnes

Dawn Cooper Barnes, Ph.D., is an experienced advocate for arts and culture as well as women and children’s welfare. She was a professor of arts, humanities and mass media at various American institutions of higher education. She was a television and film producer as well as a professional dancer, choreographer and performing arts director.

Dawn Cooper Barnes is no stranger to personal hardship or the harsh realities of a war-torn homeland — though she has turned obstacles into opportunity and celebrates life with an energy and resilience that would surprise many people. It’s equally surprising how she even has the time for any of it. She is the wife of Liberian Ambassador M. Nathaniel Barnes and the mother of six children — including a 19- year-old autistic son and a 7-year-old daughter adopted from a Liberian orphanage.

She is also president of the newly reorganized Spouses of African Ambassadors Association and a major supporter of the Autism Community of Africa — and she hopes to start a similar organization to help autistic children and their families in Liberia. Meanwhile, as the ambassador’s wife, she relishes the opportunity to promote the unique bond her African nation shares with the United States.

Residing in Washington, D.C. since October 2008 when her husband presented his credentials to President George W. Bush, Dawn was President of a dynamic organization, Spouses of African Ambassadors Association (SAAA); Recording Secretary for International Neighbors Club 1 (a social and cultural organization comprised of diplomatic, congressional and military officer spouses); a member of the Advisory Board of T.H.I.S. for Diplomats (an organization dedicated to extending hospitality to Washington’s diplomatic families) and an active participant in the diplomatic groups associated with the National Prayer Breakfast and Christian Embassy. A member of an international organization, African Diaspora Foundation, Advisory Board member of The International College of New Media, Dawn is also a dedicated Spokesperson for a new organization, Autism Society of Africa, and she has recently joined the Board of the African Women Association of Cancer Awareness.

Dawn and her husband are also Honorary Board Members of the African Art Museum of Maryland located in Columbia, Maryland. Dawn has a B.A. degree in Theater from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; an M.A. degree in Theater from Hunter College, City University of New York; and a Ph.D. degree in film taught at Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland, where she was Associate Professor of Performing Arts. During her tenure at Howard Community College she founded and directed Aurora Dance Company and appeared regularly on Howard’s cable television station as host of the program “On Location.”

After living in the United States for many years during the Liberian crisis, Dawn joined her husband in their native Liberia in 2000 to help in the attempt to re-build a war-ravaged, impoverished nation. They established Aurora Foundation, an organization which actively supports orphanages, schools, hospitals and women’s empowerment projects in Liberia.

She has written, directed and produced several films including: CRY OF THE PEPPERBIRD: A STORY OF LIBERIA (2000); THE SPIRITUAL NATURE OF AFRICAN DANCE (2001) and CHILDREN OF GOLD (2002). She also produced a Liberian television comedy series entitled WE ON IT! (2001-2003).

With the election of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2005, Dawn and her husband returned to the U.S. in 2006 where Nathaniel was appointed Ambassador and Permanent Representative from Liberia to the United Nations (New York) from 2006 to 2008. Beginning in 2007 Dawn was President of the United Nations African Ambassadors’ Spouses Group and a member of the executive board of the United Nations African Mothers Association (UNAMA). She also chaired the international committee to re-vitalize Liberia’s National Archives, Museum and Library. Currently, Dawn is Managing Director of Liberia Renaissance Foundation, an American nonprofit corporation she co founded with her husband in 2007, to raise awareness and present opportunities for philanthropy and investment in Liberia.

“Most people don’t know that Liberia is part of American history,” she began. “America’s founding fathers are ours too. Thomas Jefferson, Francis Scott Key and George Washington’s nephew, Bushrod Washington, were all members of the American Colonization Society, whose purpose in the early 1820s was to find a place for free blacks, away from American soil,” she explained of the West African nation, where thousands of freed slaves from the United States resettled, culminating in the Republic of Liberia’s declaration of independence on July 26, 1847.

Despite the promise of a “land of the free,” the presence of these Americo-Liberian settlers, as they were often called, was not free of controversy. “It’s not surprising that our country had trouble from the beginning,” Dawn said. “There was a big cultural clash between the indigenous people from 16 different tribes who were the obvious majority and the settlers, who arrived with Western thoughts, Christian religion and higher literacy. Immediately, the settlers began to dominate, which led to mutual mistrust and misunderstanding between the two distinct groups.”

After decades of political tensions whereby the Americo- Liberian elite monopolized political power and restricted the voting rights of the indigenous population, full-scale violence finally broke out. There was a bloody coup d’état in 1980, followed by a devastating civil war in 1989 that lasted for seven years and took the lives of more than 200,000 people. Life didn’t improve much for Liberians under the subsequent regime of President Charles Taylor until international pressure removed him from power in 2003.

Dawn is candid about Liberia’s troubles but wants everyone to know that despite more than 20 years of bloodshed and civil unrest, her homeland has also had some very proud moments in history. The first independent republic in colonial Africa, Liberia is now governed by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a widely respected economist and Africa’s first democratically elected female head of state. Dawn noted that Liberia, an original member of the United Nations, also cast the deciding vote to bring the state of Israel into existence and was an early opponent of apartheid in South Africa.

Today, the country is making tangible strides in reducing poverty and rebuilding from decades of conflict.

Dawn’s life with her family has been intimately shaped by the twists and turns of Liberia’s tumultuous journey over the years.

“My husband and I grew up in Liberia but came to America to go to college and then returned home to be married and raise a family. Nat and I always knew each other. We grew up in the same small community in our capital city of Monrovia. His mother taught at my elementary school and my father was their family doctor,” Dawn recalled. “We first left Liberia as a family after the 1980 coup to live in Nashville, Tennessee, where my husband became a Nortel executive.”

Later, the family followed Nathaniel’s 14-year career with the communications company, moving to New Jersey and Maryland, where Dawn taught at Howard Community College and founded and directed Aurora Dance Company, often performing herself.

While in Maryland, she gave birth to their fifth child, Zwannah, who was later diagnosed with autism. “At first, I prayed that he would overcome this developmental disorder. Then I realized that there is nothing wrong with Zwannah, but with us. We are fortunate in having him in our family. We are all more sensitive because of him; my other children are much more caring with others because of his disabilities. When we go on family vacations, we assign duties and take turns caring for him on different days. Our family is much more closely bonded because of Zwannah,” Dawn explained.
WAM.