Gbarnga, Bong County – The head of the National Traditional Council of Chiefs and Elders Chief Zanzan Kawor over the weekend welcomed to Liberia a Guinean delegation here to celebrate the peace festival.
Report by Mae Azango [email protected]
“On behalf of our Liberian Culture Ambassador Jundi Endi, we welcome you to our Country, because we that are here in Gbarnga, Bong County, are the chiefs and women leaders representing the fifteen counties, so we have to be the first to welcome you,” said Chief Zanzan Kawor.
The Guinea delegation, which was welcomed at the Gbarnga Administration Building with kola nuts and rice as a sign of showing peaceful heart, brought along the Guinean Kissi and Lorma Paramount Chiefs and a female Guinean musical artist in celebration of the peace festival held by the Crusaders for Peace, on Monday.
“You are welcome to our country, because we all are one, many of us are married to your women and your men are also married to our women and they have children, so Liberians and Guineans are all are one people,” Kawor concluded.
Interestingly, the Paramount chief Gnale Konate, of the Kissi tribe in Guinea, is a female.
Through Madam Sitta Saar of the Traditional Chiefs Headquarters, who served as interpreter, Konate said the chiefs and women leaders she saw showed that the women have to work along with the men in peace and unity to ensure a peaceful society.
“I believe that the peace and unity you are yearning for, you will have it in abundance because behind every successful man is a strong and hardworking woman.
Nobody should underestimate a woman, because just as the men believe they can defend their country and lead the people; it is the same way a woman can do the same,” Konate said via her interpreter.
Varflay Kamara, Head Chief of Macenta, accepted the gifts and turned it over to his chiefs and thanked everybody, He said they were in Liberia to celebrate peace because Guineans and Liberians were one people.
“The Kissi, Lorma, Kpelle and Mano tribes in Liberia and Guinea are all one.”
“When you speak Lorma, Kissi, Kpelle and Mano, we from Guinea can understand you. So we are very happy to be here with you and to celebrate with you as one people,” said Guinean Chief Kamara.
The Guinean delegation shortly departed for Monrovia after their female artists performed a selection and danced with their Liberian counterparts.