Not many people know that the grandfather (deceased) of the standard bearer of the Coalition of Democratic Change (CDC), Senator George Manneh Weah, hailed from a town called Geeyah, located in Nimba County.
The name of the grandfather of Liberia’s football legend and global football idol, George Manneh Weah, is Saywon Quiah-Whea (now deceased since 1978). His grave (pictured above) is the center of houses in Geeyah Town, lower Nimba County.
With “Weah”, being a name of southeastern Liberia, most people had been thinking, throughout, that this global football star is only of the Klao (Kru) stock. But have you ever heard the football legend talking about “Nimba County” being the ancestral home of his biological granddad?
At the funeral of his mother, Anna Quiah-Whea, Mr. Weah mentioned only “Rivercess County”—being his mother’s root. These are reasons why this footballer-turned-politician has never mentioned—in public place—“Nimba County” as one of his ancestral origins.
One reason is, his perception of his Nimbaian relatives being witches and wizards. “His mother, Anna Quiah-Whea, had told him that his grandfather’s people are witches, and that he should not venture into their village lest they kill him,” Mr. Jefferson Tarwhea, who claimed to be George Weah’s cousin from mother’s side, told me in Dorgbor Town, Nimba County, on August 20, 2017. “I got this information from another family member of ours.”
The second reason George Weah doesn’t mention his “Nimba heritage” is, his annoyance with his grandfather’s relative for accusing him of not showing concern over the death of his younger brother called Bobby, a footballer. The critics say George and his mother, Anna Quia-Whea, left Liberia during the funeral rites for the late Bobby in Gardnesville, outside Monrovia. This happened in the 80’s.
“His Nimba family is saying that his leaving Liberia when his younger’s brother body was being prepared for internment shows his lack of respect for him,” a relative to George Weah’s who didn’t want her name mentioned in this article, told me in Nimba County recently.
It was also alleged that the late Anna Quiah-whea assisted her son George Weah in getting rid of her our belly born (Bobby), in order to have George Weah then, become successful in his football career. In order for their mission to be successful they were allegedly told not lay eyes on the lifeless body of the late Bobby, the brother of CDC standard bearer.
However, it is stated that his playing career coincide almost exactly with Liberia’s worst years of invasions and civil war, from 1989 to 2003. According to the article, about 250,000 of Liberia’s three million inhabitants were killed, including Weah’s brother Bobby.
Source: google
In his explanation posted on Facebook recently as why he wants to lead Liberia, Senator Weah mentioned in the post that his experienced growing up in a poverty-stricken environment created a deed sense of inquisitiveness as to the root cause of the problem of Liberia.
“I had always wonder while growing up as to why many of my counterparts and I were subjected to such an impoverished lifestyle while a selected few lived in abundance. But little did I know that these things were caused due to an age old problem consisting of corruption, agreed and the lack of vision, unpatriotic leaders, and the in-equitable distribution of our national wealth.”
Senator Weah said he realized the root cause of Liberia and Liberians problems and the more he began to develop interest in becoming a change agent; and this is one of the reasons why he chose to work with UNICEF as a Goodwill Ambassador; to help underprivileged kids by creating awareness about ills in society and inspiring hope into them.
“My experience with UNICEF even spiked my interest in wanting to do more in my capacity from a larger scale, but I soon realized that I could not solve all of the problems on my own as private citizen. It was then that I developed the desire to see a better Liberia where the ordinary citizens will be given opportunities to succeed, A Liberia where our national wealth will not just be distributed among a selected few.”
“A Liberia where our people will be liberated from the shackles of poverty, A Liberia where elitism will be abolished and corruption declared a common enemy.”
Senator Weah said in the post, he would like to lead a Liberia where citizens will not be left to die at a hospital simply because they can’t afford the money for the hospital bill. He also promised the people of Liberia jobs and opportunities to succeed.
But citizens of his mother land said reasons given by the CDC standard bearer to rule Liberia is difficult to believe. The Gbi-Doru citizens said they expected the football star to at least assist them during the time he was on the football field playing but unfortunately they were neglected by Senator Weah.
“How can the CDC big man shoulder the responsibility of this country, when he cannot help a tiny district like Gbi-Doru. We wish him well but still finding it hard to believe him” some of the citizens said.
Standing on the grave of Senator Weah’s grandfather (Saywon Quiah-whea) on the morning of Friend, August 18, 2017, Old lady Youzowerne Zammie noted “see this kind of thing we are going through in this place, every time we have to hook grass on this grave just not to lost sight of this place.
Do you think Anna’s son who we are hearing want to become present for this country can’t help prepare this grave of his grandfather to free us from hooking every time?”
Old lady Zammie and others in Geeyah said they feel neglected by Senator Weah and think the way forward is for him to rethink about his mother land and better the lives of the people by helping with construction of roads bridges and other social services.
According to old man Tommie Quegbee, Senator Weah’s sister who he only referred to Maitta and uncle from mother Samuel Brooks visited Doru and Geeyah in 2013. He said the grave of Weah’s grandfather was shown them (Miatta and Brooks) and promised the people that they were going to encouraged Mr. Weah to visit his mother’s land.
“But since the two left from here 2013, we have not heard from them or Senator Weah but the only thing we are hearing is that George Weah is the standard bearer for the Coalition for Democratic Change and is running to become president.”
He also is with the strong conviction that Senator Weah should have helped ever since and should not wait to become president before going to their aid. Oldman Quegbee who could not denied whether his kinsmen were people who practiced witches and wizards stressed that Ambassador Weah may have listen to the alleged advised of his mother concerning his grandfather’s people.
Oldman Quegbee at the same time said they (Citizens of Gbi-Doru) will not loss hope as they believe if not the senator, one of their children will push their interest to have their area develop in not a too distance future.
Gbi-Doru has for the past years cried for what they referred to as marginalization accusing national government neglect. Citizens of the district have petitioned the Unity Party led government to have them turn over to Rivercess area they believed to be their ancestors land. According to them, they are tired of the maltreatment from the people of Nimba County where they were positon in 1937 under the late Edwin Barclay administration.
Alfred L. M. Gezaye, Contributing Writer
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