Monrovia – Not many in Liberia may be familiar with the name Hilary Teage, yet they would be intrigued by his unpublicized story as the Father of Liberia’s independence and one of the country’s greatest statesmen.
Report by Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
Bringing his story to light, renowned Liberian historian, Dr. Patrick Burrowes, compares Teage to Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and George Washington of the United States.
“Teage was the father of Liberia’s independence. Just as Ghanaians uphold Kwame Nkrumah and Americans look up to George Washington, Liberians need to honor the man who laid our foundation,” he says.
Dr. Burrowes has retold the life-story of Teage in a play that would be screening for the first time on Liberia’s 171st Independence Day, July 26 in the theater of Monrovia City Hall.
Teage served as editor of Liberia’s first newspaper, pastor of three churches, owner of several ships and was one of Liberia’s greatest writers.
“He wrote our Declaration of Independence and our first national anthem,” Dr. Burrowes said.
Dr. Burrowes: “On top of all that, Teage is a great role model for today’s youth. He only went to school for three years but he used his basic education to keep reading, learning and improving himself. He didn’t feel sorry for himself or make excuses or remain satisfied with a little learning.
“I think the audience will be shocked to learn the true history of Liberia during Teage’s time. Some people may not like that because they preferring listening to ‘they say.’ But people who prefer the truth will enjoy being enlightened. Teage sings and tells jokes in the play, which I think the audience will also love.”
The play was made possible with the instrumentality of Major E. Owusu Dahnsaw, a Liberian actor.
“The play is difficult for actors because it features only one character. As a result, the actor doesn’t get to rest while others are delivering their lines. Most Hollywood actors couldn’t perform a one-person play like this, but Mr. Dahnsaw does it exceptionally well,” Burrowes explained.
According to him, he wishes that the play will help unify Liberians.
“I also hope this play will lead to a revival of serious theater in Liberia. But that will only occur, if people who like live drama attend one of our three performances. I encourage parents to bring their children so that they can learn our history in an entertaining way. I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate our Independence Day than coming to this play as a family,” he added.
The Citizen Teage Play promises to teach Liberians of what it means to be a citizen.
“In its true meaning, a “citizen” is not just someone who belongs to a particular country. The word refers specifically to people who live in a republic. A country ruled by a king does not citizens; people living in a kingdom are “subjects” of the king, with few rights,” the historian said.
Admission into theatre for the play is US$10. Students with student ID cards would pay US$5.00 all on a first come, first serve basis. However, the first 100 students who passed this year’s WASSCE would be admitted free, thanks to Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor.
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