Jobai

1.  
photo © by Chad Finer

Jobai was also a Mende men's spirit or masquerader and although its appearance was totally unlike Goboi (see earlier post) and its behavior was less animated and to some degree slow and I guess serene, its purpose was again probably group control at gatherings and important visits by dignitaries. By virtue of its collapse as demonstrated in this triptych, Jobai was amusing and made people laugh. As it passed along at events, it would begin to collapse eventually reaching a nearly flat stage. It was made of raffia and headed by a very fancy headdress of brightly colored yarn. It would show up from time to time in our area when important events were going on. Here I found it in Kenema during the Kenema Cacao Festival in December 1968. 

2. 

photo © by Chad Finer

3. 

photo © by Chad Finer

Goboi

photo © by Chad Finer

This men's spirit or masquerader [ sometimes characterized as a Devil ] was known in Mende country as Goboi. It seemed to come out and perform during celebrations such as during independence day or when dignitaries came to the area for visits. It was mainly a wild performer with somewhat frenzied dancing interspersed with a period of rest. Goboi had a number of attendants with it who both directed the dancing as well as danced with it.  Made of palm raffia and decorative headpiece of combined material including felt, the Goboi would perform for paramount chiefs and for politicians from Freetown, and also for anyone who might pass it by as it headed to celebrations. For a dance, you were expected to "dash" the Goboi with a shilling in order to both see it dance or after it had danced for you.  It seemed that this spirit's purpose was to amuse and entertain and in this way control large gatherings and keep them happy. I enjoyed how wild it seemed as it danced about and as its attendants guided it about. The attendants seemed to have fun and certainly those of us who watched it prance about were entertained. These photos were taken in Kenema Town in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone in December 1968.

photo © by Chad Finer

photo © by Chad Finer

Memories 42 Years Later

Taken in 1968 in Kenema at the HRSS Kenema school compound
photo by Susan Finer 

My Peace Corps memories are strange. The photographs that I took bring back so many thoughts about the at times intense years that we spent living and working in upcountry Sierra Leone. There were the weekday rituals involved with teaching at a new girl’s school in Kenema, this interspersed with the daily and usual interpersonal interactions that we had as we walked about our neighborhood and our town. Now, here it is some nearly 45 years from those days and many of the memories are still vivid. I can look at most of the pictures that I have posted and remember the very day that they were taken. I can almost remember the day of the week. I can definitely remember what the day was like when the picture was taken, what I was doing, how the picture came to be taken, and I can also remember specifics such as conversations, sayings, and many interactions that I had daily.  My neighborhood was what was known as the Dama Road section of Kenema. In those days this section of Kenema was “out of Town.”  I am told that it now has been enveloped in Kenema and that even the next village – Tokpombu – is now really part of Kenema. Kenema has expanded as pressures to urbanize have become great and as more and more people have moved in. Once a busy Town, Kenema’s population has easily doubled since we lived there. Certainly the War had something to do with this influx. But my memories are most vivid of the people I knew there – of our interactions. From travels with my friend Patrick, to wonderful advice and friendship from my friend Siaka (David) – the conversations are vivid and the memories everlasting. The Garlough family was perhaps our closest ties to local folks. Mama Sabina and her husband Pa Garlough took us on early in our days in Kenema, Mama Sabina providing us with ‘African chop’ and with friendship. Pa Garlough with advice. Then there was Elizabeth Garlough who came daily to get lessons in sewing and cooking from Susan, bringing her daughter Isetta with her. Occasionally Elizabeth’s sister Princess and her daughter Angela would also come along. Then there was Alfred – the teenager raised part-time in Freetown, and who , like young kids of his age anywhere was restless and a bit of a cowboy. Alfred was fun-loving, daring, and sometimes his behavior got him into hot water. He finished primary school while we were in Kenema and then went on to become a lorry boy for a while. I suspect that he went on to more important things after we left.  Patrick Garlough was about my age. Of all the Garlough family he was our closest friend. When I had questions about Mende society he would provide answers. When we walked in the bush, Patrick went along both to keep us from getting into trouble and to guide us. A portion of every day in Kenema was spent visiting. Patrick had finished primary school somewhere to our east (? Kailahun area) but when there was no money for secondary school, he moved to Kenema to live with his aunt and uncle (Mama Sabina and Pa Garlough). And when work was hard to come by I managed to get him work on our school compound as a laborer. He was a hard worker and a good friend.  As we traveled throughout the Kenema area he showed me objects of interest, introduced me to folks he knew on our road, showed me how local folks made items and taught me Mende. He had a secret quality to him – and this made for appropriate boundaries between us. He knew when to answer my questions, and he knew when to be evasive. Siaka David Kpaka came from the Pujehun area, had finished secondary school, and by the time I got to know him, he was a staff entomologist for The Forest Industries. I first met him in the mountains of the Northern Province where he was collecting insects and I was hiking. Our conversation led to the realization that we both lived in Kenema. On return to Kenema he got in touch with us and became a good friend. Friendly, Siaka possessed keen observations about his own life, about up-country life in general, about the Mende people, and to some degree about politics. Siaka introduced me to a number of Kenema folks including his wife Catherine Coker, and his friends Bankole Porter and teacher Andrew Zoker.  Traveling about on foot with Siaka was always a joy – he got along so well with people, he included me in his conversations, and made me feel at ease when we traveled about. Siaka somehow was able to come to the United States in the early 1970’s. Living in Brooklyn, and at first working as a night watchman while getting an education at CUNY, he eventually became an air condition engineer at a Manhattan hotel. In the 1980’s he became a U.S. citizen, this after seeing to it that his family was here in the States. His children all have been successful, all maintain their roots and connections. Siaka goes back periodically to Sierra Leone for holiday times. There was also Mama Hokey Kemoh who was a local Bundu leader and a very powerful woman in our area. Tall, to some degree regal in her being, she took us under her wing and when she was reassured that I was genuinely interested in Mende traditions she saw to it that when public Bundu activities were around us, that I was called to see them. Many a night was spent on her veranda listening to her and her Bundu women sing hauntingly beautiful traditional songs. A woman named Bonya lived in Mama Hokey’s home and some said she had the most beautiful singing voice in the area. Those nights – sitting on Mama Hokey’s veranda, listening to the beautiful Mende songs sung by women – the harmony was incredibly beautiful – the songs always led by Bonya with group responses by women who came by at night to sing – these nights stick with me as special and vivid. Here we were – far from our home – listening to song that was incredibly soothing. I will never forget these wonderful nights.

Public Transport

Lorry readying to go in Kenema  c. 1969
© by Chad Finer

Lorry Park in Kenema  c. 1969
© by Chad Finer

bridge repair on Kabala - Korobonla Road  March 1969
© by Chad Finer

view from the back of a lorry (public transport)  c. August 1968 taken as we headed from our last training at Njala to our post at HRSS in Kenema - © by Chad Finer

Lorry stop on the Makeni-Kabala road  -  March 1969 - good example of roof storage  and view of doorway to the back of the tranpsort - © by Chad Finer

these lorries were larger in size and used for transport of produce and also people - taken in March 1969 on the Makeni-Kabala road - in this picture is Peace Corps volunteer Skip Smith watching over a puzzling conversation between a soldier and people who were briefly taken off the transport.  Skip and I were headed to Kabala, a brief stop on our way to the Loma Mountains and a hike up Mt. Bintimani. - © by Chad Finer

Dusty, crowded, hot, noisy, packed, slow, inexpensive,tedious,challenging, at times dangerous - these are all descriptions of our travel in Sierra Leone by what was called public transport. Trips required a bit of planning. From arrival at the lorry park to find the transport headed to the town that you wanted to go to, to negotiating the fee with the lorry driver - these all took time. Negotiations via bartering with the driver was an enjoyable bit of negotiation - often amusing. As he drove about the park - his lorry boys - that is boys who helped load, and who were at the back and call of the driver - would shout out where they were headed. If you indicated an interest in where they were going then they stopped, would feign grabbing your pack while at the same time offering you an initial fee for the trip that was very high and very outlandish. Our job was then to either feign disinterest (in Krio: e tu deer) and offering a counter-fee of much less which might even be ridiculous in its own right. Negotiations would commence and eventually we would reach a price that was reasonable. Then our bags would be tied to the roof along with other baggage, an occasional goat or sheep, a cage of chickens, or produce. And we would be loaded in the back of the lorry along with some 15 or 20 other people all of whom would be headed along the road to the area that we were going. The back would be eventually quite crowded since the lorry would not head out until they were fully loaded with passengers. In the back there was a rail that sat above the rear frame and connected with the roof. Seating was on wooden benches that lined each side and also lined the front. In the central area of the rear might be loaded with additional belongings. We all were stuffed in like sardines and when the lorry driver felt that he had enough passengers off we would go. When the weather was dry the side canvas would be left up and this usually resulted in some very dusty travel. On a long trip the red latterite dust would coat your skin and leave you feeling somewhat sandy and dirty. On a hot day the breeze would feel good but stops and crowding made the heat nearly unbearable. On a rainy day the side canvas would be tied down but not prevent drips from the roof. Of course - an animal on the roof could make the back wet as well.