“We own this place”…Says Traditional Chief

By Mark Neywon Mengonfia mmenginfia@gmail.com

MONROVIA-Chief Zanzan Karwor, Liberia’s head of chiefs and elders has told Liberians and other nationals at the launch of the celebration of the country’s 200 years of existence that the land belongs to indigenous people.

He told the gathering that when the settlers came to the place now known as Liberia, they met traditional people in Liberia who welcomed them.

Speaking through an interpreter and giving a history of how this happened when the setters arrived, the traditional chief said, ” there were two cotton trees here and they were male and female trees.”

He said the two trees had names adding” that was the tradition they met here.”

During the launching of celebration of Liberia’s 200 years, the traditional leader acompanied by President George M. Weah and Mister of States for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel F. McGill to have the two traditional trees planted on the historical Providence Island.

Chief Karwor said, ” Mr. President, I agree to plant the trees,but only three persons will be there.”

He said apart from him, Chief Karwor, the President and the Minister of States for Presidential Affairs, no other person was allowed to participate in the planning of the two historical trees.

” Tradition is tradition and it has to be respected” he said through his interpreter when he made remarks.

The traditional leader upholding the culture of the land when he completed his statement, led the president and his Minister in a place enclosed and doctorated with traditional signs.

But before leaving for the planning of the two cotton trees, Liberian leader, George M. Weah said, ” As part of this national unification effort, I will today plant two cotton tree seedlings here.

“I am informed that  they will replace the male and female cotton trees that stood here majestically for probably centuries.”

He said perhaps the cotton trees were even standing here when the settlers arrived.

President Weah said by  planting the seedlings of the cotton trees on the official commencement of the 2022 Bicentennial, that process was reinforcing the common heritage that unites all of Liberian, “both the descendants of the indigenous people and the descendants of the settlers. We are One People,  with One Destiny.”

Since the traditional chief of Liberia said planning of cotton trees are traditionally not everyone witnesses it, the question that many were asking was if when the tree shall have grown, will it appear having male and female organs as it was with the first two cotton trees that were on the historical Providence Island or are they going to be just cotton trees?

But one that was easily answered and proven was that the land truly belongs to the traditional leader by the fact that they agreed to have two cotton trees planted to remember the long standing culture of those who welcomed the settlers on the historical Providence Island.