21-Yearold Daniel W. Garteh, Jr., in his third year of studying Chemistry at the State-owned University of Liberia (UL), has won the First-Prize of the an Essay Competition. He received two hundred United States dollars as the prize for the First- Place for his Essay titled The title of Essay was "Liberia: A Land of Struggle"
An excerpt of his Essay, read during his remarks, at the end of the program, talks about majority of today's Liberians' discontinuation with the Country's development blue print laid out by the Country's Founding Fathers and Mothers.
The Second-Place prize was one hundred United States dollars and won by Kenneth Paytoe for his Essay titled "The Significance of Liberia In Black History", while fifty United dollars went to Emmanuel G. G. Yamba, the Third-Place winner, for his Essay titled "My Most Admired Black Hero: Edward Wilmot Blyden--The Pan Africanist"
The prizes presentation event was held at We-Care Foundation's Library, few meters from the intersection of Carey and Buchanan Streets, on Friday, April 15, 2023.
The Essay contest was organized by We-Care Foundation, Inc., Liberia's current leading reading-and-writing promotion organization. The organization was founded in 1992, and incorporated in 1994.
On the 2023's writing contest, We-Care Foundation collaborated with the Liberia Association of Writers (LAW)--the Country's oldest and longest-surviving writers' body, founded on the 17th day of August, 1982, on the main campus of the University of Liberia. Majority of LAW founding members were students of the University during that time. Some of the names of the founding members are: Khona Kiazu; K-Moses Nagbe (now based in the USA, teaching and writing); Patricia Jabbeh Wesley (now based in the USA and teaching English and Creative Writing at the Pennsylvania State University); Keith Best (now teaching Creative Writing at the B.W. Harris High School, Roberts Street, Monrovia); C. William Allen (Author of "Tribute of Hawa Barchue", and three other Novels; former Director of Liberian Government's Civil Service Agency--CSA); and Althea Romeo Mark (female citizen of a Caribbean Country)
The Essay competition is part of Liberia's commemoration of her Bicentennial (200 years of existence following her being declared an Independent Country in 1847), said Mr. T. Michael Weah, co-founder and now Executive Director of We-Care Foundation, Inc.; and former president of the Liberia Association of Writers.
The Essay competition comprised of three titles: "Liberia's Bicentennial: What Does It Mean To Me?"; "Significance of Liberia In Black History"; and "My Most Admired Black Hero". Many of the contestants who wrote on the third Topic featured non-Liberian heroes. One featured Rosa Park (the Black American who resisted order to give her seat to a White American on a public commercial Bus). Another contestant wrote about Martin Luther King, Jr., America's all-time most popular Black Civil Rights Advocate. On Liberia's historically popular personality, one contestant wrote about Edward Wilmot Blyden, a Liberian-Pan Africanist.
"If we, Liberians, do not write our Country's stories, foreigners will do it for us. Some of them will distort the story against our country, while some will misinform other parts of the World about our history," announced We-Care Foundation's CEO, T. Michael Weah, when giving the Overview of the Essay Competition.
Being a proof of his assertion some foreigners' little or no knowledge of Liberia's historical past, Mr. Weah narrated a story about his encounter with a male Ghanaian at an African Books exhibition in Nairobi, Kenya, where We-Care Foundation unofficially represented Liberian Writers' community.
"After the self-introductions of participants, the Ghanaian came to me, and said he had been informed that Liberia was colonized by America. I told him the person who gave him such information had misinformed him, and I advised him to go and check Liberia's history on the Internet. He came back later and said his research revealed that Liberia was not colonized," the Liberian explained to those gathered in his Institution's Library.
The We-Care Foundation's chief coordinator said his Institution will organize such event every year.
Mr. Gii-Hne Russell, official of We-Care Foundation, and Secretary General of LAW, said the contest organizer received a total of thirty-five entries, and asked contestants in the hall to stand up for recognition by the other invited guests.
However, the Second-Place Winner (Kenneth Paytoe) and the Third-Place Winner (Emmanuel G. G. Yamba) were absent throughout the prizes presentation ceremony.
The prizes presentation was through the president of the Liberia Association of Writers, Madam Ade Wede Kekuleh, a Lawyer (Attorney-At-Law) The prizes were sealed up in different white envelopes.
The only available contestant received his First-Place prize with a smile that appeared it won't end. On instruction, he displayed his prize--two bills of US$100--to the audience with everybody's eyes fixed on the envelop when it was being opened by LAW president.
Making remarks, Top Prize Winner Daniel W. Garteh, Jr., said he's a student of the University of Liberia (UL), is in his third year of studying Chemistry, and was trained in various forms of writing at an organization named WriteLiberia.
"I hope We-Care Foundation continue such innovative writing-promotion project in the future," the Chemistry student said.
After the top-prize winner's remarks, some of the contestants came on the stage to speak.
"In any competition, all participants won't win. Only one person will become the winner, or three persons as first-place, second-place, and third-place winner. So, we who didn't win anything in this Essay contest should accept the result, and work harder next time to win in future Essay competition ," contestant Jessica J. Weah consoled herself and other contestants who weren't lucky for the 2023's We-Care Foundation's Essay Contest.
Last to speak were members of LAW and non-LAW members.
Mr. Woryorwon Roberts, LAW's Vice President for Operations said LAW has a writing-related mentorship program, named "Students Writers' Club" for students in High Schools.
LAW former president (2017-2022), Samuel G. Dweh, one of the Essay competition's Judges, inspired other participants, especially the younger ones, with his personal stories of successes in the Writing World.
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"I have not been to a University, and I have not attended any Writing School, but I am an Author of five Books, Novel and non-fiction works, and I have manuscripts of four manuscripts to be turned into Books when I get money for publication. Extensive or promiscuous reading, from youthful days, has equipped me to be a professional writer today. Majority of people often say, if you have not passed through a University, or if you have not attended a Writing-tutoring school, you can't write a Book. I am available to tutor anybody in this audience who wish to write a Book, but doesn't know how to begin," the former LAW president, Journalist, and member of the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) explained.
Dweh also told the audience his debut Book, a 432-page Novel, written and published in Nigeria when he was a refugee there (2001-2011)
"I was the first Nigeria's Liberian refugee that wrote Book with 432 pages. The title of the Book is "The Dyed Star--Liberia's Civil War Story", about senseless killings in Liberia and mutually protective love between two boys from the different tribes murdering each other, dehumanized living conditions of Liberians on refugee camps, and
The Book was launched on World Refugee Day, in 2008. The British Broadcasting Corporation, through the BBC's Lagos State Correspondent, Shehu Umar, interviewed me live on the Book. Two Nigerian Television stations--Silverbird Television and DBN--interviewed me live on the Book. The Management of The Guardian Newspaper of Nigeria promoted the Book in the Arts Column of the Paper in 2009," the Author narrated to his compatriots nodding their heads on their being inspired by the true-life story.
