The first poem, titled Days in the Villa, which is the cover title of the book, rings:
“We wake up in the morning not from sunlight in our faces,
But the cries of a mother who has lost her son Malaria! For it is the melodious sound of rejoicing that bids us good night.
Report by Samuel G. Dweh / freelance journalist (+231) 886-618-906/776-583-266; [email protected])
Our filthy environments are the perfect nest for forging their armies!
The sun is out and we are reacquainted with an old friend, hunger
Oh yes, we know him too well!
He ensures our days are like hell
We live in makeshift structures we call home
Out in this big world chasing dreams of our own
For most of us, we feel like misfits and alone
Outcasts to their fashion
“Junks” they motivationally call us
The society has failed to help or support us
But has defiled, misguided and corrupted us
They have placed us in quicksand, but tell us stand firm
After a day of hard work, we return to our home
Warmly welcomed by the rats and roaches with whom we share our rooms,
With the flies we share what is our only meal of the day
Once again the melodious sounds of rejoicing mosquitoes bid us good night
We need all the sleep we can get: for tomorrow we do it all over again”
“Days in the Villa tells the stories of people living in poverty. This collection will take you on a journey to see poverty through vividly painted pictures. Each picture tells its own story- unearthing its own truth,” said Malcolm Lincoln Lucinii Smith, born on April 20, 1999, during introduction of his 24-poem book to the audience at the Crown Hotel, located along the A.B. Tolbert Road, Paynesville City, Montserrado County, on Saturday, January 19, 2019.
The reading of the eighth poem—No Germ in Africa—went along with dramatization by the author and three other young ‘slum dwellers’: A bread for the group accidentally falls from a plastic bag in the hand of one of them. All four rushed to pick the bread off the ground, wiped off the ‘dirt’ on the ‘only food’, shared it among themselves, each person ate his share rapaciously. “No germ in Africa…was what we said to console ourselves…just children speaking out of ignorance…our condition created by bad governance…” the author continued with the recital.
The author is a product of the J.J. Roberts United Methodist High School, located on 12th Street, Sinkor, Monrovia; and currently a Junior Student at State-owned University of Liberia, and studying Chemistry.
He praised a female friend who motivated him to “produce a book of your poems, instead of throwing away the sheet, after you had read the poem to your parents, neighbors, and classmates,” the author quoted the female motivator.
On support from his biological parents, Dorbor Worwor and Konah Worwor, the author praised his mother highly than he did for the father.
“This woman,” he said about his mother standing by his right hand on the stage, “is the pillar of my success.” He dedicated the book to her, and to any person “living in the chains of poverty,” he wrote on the Dedication page of the book.
On his father, he remarked: “When I asked my dad for money to publish my book, he responded that I should ask him through a letter.”
Days in the Villa was launched by Mr. Henry Carter. Many young people did poetic recitations at the launch. They are Ronell Romana, Elvis-Dequiny Brown, Ingel Clay, Lyndon Kesseh, Beulah Nemene, and Dorcess Dossen.
Malcolm L.L. Smith’s book launch pulled two writers’ organizations—Liberia Poetry Society and Liberia Association of Writers (LAW); a youth empowerment group, Leaders Without Borders (LeWBo), and the Student Unification Party (SUP) of the University of Liberia. LAW was represented by its president, Samuel G. Dweh; SUP was represented by Moses K.N. Kollie, who writes “400 articles per year,” he said during Remarks segment of the program.
LAW’s president remarked: “Malcolm is the youngest Liberian author to my knowledge, and has contributed his quota to telling of the Liberian story economic disadvantage and extreme poverty in our Country, Liberia, through Literature.”
Malcolm Lincoln Lucinii Smith is one of young Liberians who have joined the old folks in writing books. Another young Liberian author is Abraham Soko Sheriff, who was 19 years old in 2018 when he wrote and launched his first book, The Heart of A Strangers in the Market Place,a prose. The main subject of Abraham’s book, set in fictional Liberian village, is division of an African Country by foreign colonists, who succeeded setting the indigenous against one another through lies and orchestrated murders, and reconciliatory methods by the divided people for reunification.
Abraham and Malcolm, two close-friends, are Associate members of the Liberia Association of Writers (LAW), to reach full membership status soon.
Like Abram, Malcolm dreams of seeing his book being introduced into the Liberia school system by the Ministry of Education to be used as part of the national teaching curriculum.
“This book will give students a new mindset of love for education, hard work and honesty, so that they won’t go into slum area to live, or be able to come out quick out of slum community,” author Malcolm Lincoln Lucinii Smith said to this writer, responding to a question about what his book can do to Liberian student if the Education Ministry picked it. A copy of Days in the Villa is sold at USD5, and can be obtained at the SDA School (Paynesville) and at the University of Liberia (Fendell Campus)