Monrovia – Recalling an incident of April 16, 2004, which led to the demise of his father due to the unavailability of an ambulance to whisk him to the hospital, the CEO of One Media House, owners of Hott FM/TV, Bernard Blue Benson, over the weekend donated an ambulance to the Kapao Kapao movement.
“And from that time, I’ve always promised myself that I will—before I die—contribute an ambulance for the good of humanity,” he said. “I’m happy today that dream has become a reality.”
The Kapao movement, led by Zeze Evans Ballah, is a community watch radio program which airs on Hott FM 107.9. The movement has teams spread across all communities in Montserrado County, bolstering the efforts of the Liberia National Police in its bid to weed crimes and other vices from communities during nocturnal hours.
The nomenclature Kapao was taken from a song performed by the Lofa United Stars during the Independence Day celebrations in Voinjama, Lofa County. Kapao, a Kpelle word, means “let’s come together.”
The ceremony was held at the Slipway Field on Johnson Street. Benson mentioned to the amusement of the audience that he had met Ballah while attending a program organized by Firestone when the idea was struck up to him.
“I didn’t know what he was talking about until I got some references,” he added. After much dillydallying and shillyshallying on his (DjBlue) part, Ballah was finally giving a chance. The rest is now history as the program has a huge following amongst the middle age and older population across Montserrado.
But the donation to the Kapao movement, Benson said, isn’t the first the institution has embarked upon.
“In 2014, during the heat of the Ebola outbreak here, we took a visit to somewhere in Brewerville called Baby Ma junction where people were dying from simple disease like cholera—there were no bathrooms available in that area. We took upon ourselves to build a standard flush toilet in the community to ease the plight of that community.”
He said the donation of the ambulance is a sign of more things to come as getting people to hospital at odd hours of the night is still a challenge. “I don’t want us to leave it here—I will not rest until another one is bought. Already I have heard the people from Somalia Drive saying, we only bought ambulance for the people in Monrovia.”
He said the donation is a summation of giving back when one reaches a certain pinnacle. “You see, I’ve always believed in the good words of one of the late American Presidents [John F. Kennedy] who said ‘Ask not what your country can do for but what you can do for your country.’”
He added that the Kapao movement is doing something great for Liberia. “When I listened to the program and hear Spirit and other guys going to the community, sometimes using the unorthodox way of taking pregnant women and placing them on motorbikes to get to the hospital, it’s only God who gives people courage to do this kind of work.”
Zeze Evans Ballah, founder of the Kapa movement, thanked the management of Hott FM for providing the platform and also for the provision of the ambulance. “Mr. Bernard [Benson] promised us he was going to do it and he has done it.”
Also speaking, the training commandant of the Liberia National Police and head of the Police Community Watch Forum, Madam Jartu Golafale, said she was impressed by the level of work done by the Kapao movement. “This is a clear indication that the members of the communities have realized that security is all of us business. And because security is all of us business, we all must get involved.”
“And I want to also commend Mr. Benson who is the provider of the ambulance service to the community. Sir, thank you so much.” She called on the movement to apply maintenance to the ambulance to inspire others to do more.
Mrs. Catherine Boyd Swen, a member of the Kapo movement said she was happy to be alive to see the manifestation of the promise of DjBlue. “Mr. Bernard DjBlue Benson, a humanitarian, a strong-minded person of courage, honest, let’s give him a hand.
Another supporter, who’s also known as “What’s This, What’s That” said she was happy to see DjBlue living up to his word. “One night, I was listening to the radio, a pregnant woman was in pain when she called and they went there on motorbike to get her. On their way to the hospital she gave birth. I said, God, let somebody buy us an ambulance and God touched DjBlue’s heart to buy us an ambulance.”
An official of the Emergency Medical Services, operators of the national ambulance service promised to train staff of the ambulance and will provide all the necessary equipment onboard.