Monrovia — It was a night of sheer accomplishment and celebration on Saturday when internationally celebrated Liberian journalist, Rodney D. Sieh launched his latest book, George Weah, The Story of Africa's Footballer President - An Unofficial Biography on home soil in Monrovia.
The Monrovia launch of the book, already a bestseller on Amazon, follows two highly successful launches in London and Washington D.C.
In his testimony, renowned Liberian lawyer Samuel Kofi Woods hail Mr. Sieh's courage and determination to pursue the truth, even to his own detriment.
'In his pursuit of the truth, he is a soldier of the pen and he must be celebrated by all of us both in this room and outside of this room. And let the world go forth to many young people that if you don't stand for anything you will fall for everything," Atty. Woods said.
The book tells the gripping story of the rise of George Weah, one of the world's greatest football icons, and how he came to the decision to run for the Liberian Presidency.
It also delves into the challenges he has had to deal with since his election in 2017 and the many missteps that have dogged his reign since transitioning from footballer to president.
According to the author, and as evidenced by its title, President Weah did not officially approve his work.
'A rare gem"
Atty. Woods said the fact that Sieh took on writing an unauthorized biography of a sitting African president speaks a lot about his courage to speak the truth to power.
He said: "In Rodney's writing, he is not just subjective about the reality but allows you to discover the truth for yourself and to understand the psyche of where this nation is now, and where it is bound to go.
So, I endorse Rodney and support his commitment to the truth. I support and urge all of you to support Rodney's work, and support and purchase this book because it is not only about whom he is writing about. It is about courage and his commitment to the truth. And this is what we must celebrate in Liberia. This is a rare gem to find in our country, and so we must celebrate him."
Revealing 'the good, the bad, and the ugly'
Another top female lawyer, Cllr. Pearl Brown Bull said Sieh's book is an 'unbiased and a bold venture' that many of his peers would dare not to go.
"Rodney, you brave the storm to write about Liberia's first Football President. The fact that people, who without reading this book, have drawn premature conclusions, means that Rodney has once again done something great that all Liberians should embrace. The day I read this book, I said ... it is unbiased, it's powerful and boldly ventures where many of your peers would dare not to go.
Continuing, she said: "In this book, which I read from beginning to end, I can clearly say that Rodney put his heart and soul into telling the story without fear or favor. In this book, Rodney has documented the story of Africa's first football president. He documented the good, the bad, and the ugly about our president."
Cllr. Bull, like Atty. Woods, has been a long-time associate of the Liberian journalist, serving as Sieh's lawyer during his trial a decade ago that ended with his infamous 5,000-year prison sentence.
In her recollection of the trial, the tough-talking lawyer praised Rodney for his courage to continue speaking truth to power despite his bitter experiences. She said contrary to critics' mixed feelings about is latest work, Sieh is not a sycophant, and like his late grand uncle Albert Porte before him, "he tells it as it is."
Earlier, the senior pastor of the Effort Baptist Church and Rodney's childhood friend, Rev. Trocon Langford, sharing much of their childhood experiences, said they all had a competing value for standards and excellence growing up on AB. Tolbert Road, a neighborhood in Paynesville outside of Monrovia.
At some point, Rev. Langford, driving the guest in nostalgia, explained about the turbulent experience - losing family members and close friends, and narrowly escaping death- he and Sieh had during Liberia's first brutal civil war [from 1989-1997) has helped shaped Rodney into who he is today.
"Today, seeing Rodney as the person he is, he sees Liberia needs redemption. His fight today is to reveal that Liberia can be better, but if we strive for a cause by living for something rather than falling for just anything," the Baptist clergyman said.
"I think with all of the difficulties, happy times, and sad times in our childhood, Rodney has grown to a high level of directing a nation - calling politicians and state actors to act accordingly. And I'm proud of the man he has become," he added.
'Why I Wrote the Book'
The book launch in Monrovia was a sold-out event attended by the author's family, professional colleagues, and friends including long-time associates and some members of the diplomatic corps.
Asked by veteran radio journalist, T-Max Jlateh of Sky Communications Inc. during a discussion with the author alongside fellow talk show host Julius Jeh of OK FM, Rodney said he wrote the book, not only about President Weah, but mainly to honor the victims- including relatives, schoolmates, and friends- of Liberia's devastating civil war by telling the story of what happened, why it happened and how it keeps repeating itself.
He said: "History tells us that everything we do and everything we say should be documented. I think that I wanted to tell a story that was not one-sided. I want to make sure I tell a story that Liberians will be proud of. I waited to do it to be unique in a way that speaks truth to power. And many of the things we see happening today in this government are not new. They happened decades ago. The same things are happening again."
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Notably no government official graced the event. Perhaps, a testament to Rodney's account that President Weah refused to approve the project and that the President's inner circle - most of whom are in government, declined to speak openly for fear of reprisal.
But for Rodney, who as a young man, and at least witnessed some of Liberia's golden days and major events including the April 14, 1979 rice riot, April 12, 1980 coup d'état in which a sitting president and 13 top government officials were killed, the 1985 elections and the failed coup that followed that same year- all catalysts of the civil war that claimed the lives over an estimated 250,000 people, he was not deterred.
"I have seen things. And I think for us to progress as a nation, we need to document the stories of our leaders and country. It took me four and a half years to write this book. I did lot of interviews, lots of research. I put my heart into it to represent the times we are in and the future."
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