2 September 2008
(Page 2 of 2)
His unwavering work for social justice, democracy and arms control has landed him into trouble with some previous regimes in Liberia headed by individuals that professed to stand on the side of the rule of law and the democratization of Liberia.
He suffered many periods of detention, politically motivated physical attacks, violent threats to life and harassments.
He endured ten years of exile during the military-civil rule in the 1980's and three years beginning December 2000, when he was forced to flee Liberia after surviving three life threatening brutal physical attacks on his person and family by agents of the regime of the now war-crime indictee Charles Taylor.
Regarding his birth and upbringing, the nominee was born on March 25, 1953, in the rural town of Teajaylaykon, Potupoh District, Lower Grand Gedeh County, now River Gee County, Liberia.
His parents were Paramount Chief Ben Wesaye Wesseh and Gbarlee Wion, said to be a renowned cultural artiste. Wesseh is the fifth of his father's eight boys. The young Conmany started school in a thatch-roofed school building of the local Assemblies of God Church in 1960 in his town.
With the assistance of foster parents in Pleebo and then Harper in Maryland County, Wesseh Jr. graduated from the Cape Palmas High School and immediately earned a scholarship in 1970 to attend the Liberian-Swedish Vocational Training Centre.
He graduated in 1972 as an electrical technician in the iron ore mining town of Yekepa, in Nimba County, following a year's internship with LAMCO in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
Working as an electrician, first with the National Port Authority and then the Liberia Electricity Corporation, Mr. Wesseh supported himself to pursue higher education for a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Liberia in 1978.
During his exile years in Ghana, he earned a Master of Public Administration degree, with specialization in development administration, at the University of Ghana in 1987.
Moreover, Mr. Wesseh has undertaken a number of postgraduate work-related courses and attended scores of training workshops, seminars and conferences in leadership, international relations, management, environment, conflict management and resolution, reconciliation, peace-building, peace and security, governance, arms control and youth and child development, among others, that took him to about one hundred countries on nearly all continents of the world.
He is a known public speaker, social commentator and lecturer who has featured on important national and international radio and television programs and addressed diverse audiences in Liberia and other African countries, North America and the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East and other parts of Asia.
He has written articles published in newspapers and magazines and co-authored two books.
A lay leader and member of the Church Council at the S. Trowen Nagbe United Methodist Church, Mr. Wesseh is a known strong supporter of inter-religious activities for peace and tolerance for the beliefs and practices of other religions.
He is a member of the YMCA and other social organizations and serves on leading structures of many non-governmental organizations and community based development bodies.
He is co-founder of the Liberia First Group which seeks to mobilize support across political and social divisions for putting the country first above self-interest to lift Liberia from the depth to which she has fallen over the years to greater heights in peace, democracy and development.
The ambassador-designate is married to a communication specialist and social justice advocate, Medina Wesseh, who currently serves as Senior Executive Assistant to the President of Liberia and as Director General a. i. of the Cabinet of the Republic of Liberia.
Their union is blessed with five 5 children, Gbarlee, Nyepoty, Conmany,Jr., Comlan, and Chee-Behn, and four grandchildren. Foreign Ministry and Executive Mansion sources said Mr. Wesseh could not have been brought to the top UN job at a time riper time than this.
Foreign diplomats and representatives of international organizations operating in Liberia, whose views The Analyst sampled on the question of Wesseh's nomination, have nothing but praise for President Sirleaf UN choice - Conmany B. Wesseh.
Observers say if Wesseh is what folks say he is, then Liberia is well on the way to polishing its international image, attracting UN attention, and receiving the aid it needs to cater for its destitute population.
How much of that will be catalyzed remains a matter of hope, but there is no question, they say, that by Wesseh's nomination as it was for the nomination of Nathanial Barnes as Liberia's ambassador to the Washington D.C., President Sirleaf has provided a boost to Liberia's Foreign Service.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Analyst. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
