You all
know me by now. I will do a review only after I have read the book. When the
author of this book invited me to review her book, I blithely wrote back my
usual style. I need to know what I am reviewing. Right? I got the book , then
saw the number of pages and I desperately wondered I didn’t just allow myself
to be guided by the first offer and stay close to what amazon.com had to say.
But I knew one review can be different from the other and I had no choice. When
I started reading however, I became very alarmed and uncomfortable. I was
worried, angry at different times and unfortunately I took the story into my
dreams as I became a captive of Memuna Barnes.
I was saddened at the waste of adolescent dreams,
the eagerness of young souls trampled underneath by our base emotions. The
innocence of Memuna and her fellow victims, hope killed by the bullet into the
brains of Fuck-care. Those names , how-are-you, Pustine, C.O Base and a host of
others. It was painful to read how Memuna overcame her first horror at
brutality to her resigned acceptance of it. She never came to terms with it and
she mirrored to us how the older generation had failed them.
Survived the Journey is the journey of an
innocent, fresh- faced, pert and saucy teenage girl, forced to grow up fast and
eventually traumatized by the sheer cussedness of humanity where dreams die
first.. She could easily have used that as the title of her book except for
this detail, Memuna Barnes is a first rate survivor, who had the grace to be
stubborn, a determination to hang on to her virginity, that determined her
dreams.
Memuna survived the darkened dawn so she could
take her place in the sun. Read her story and be inspired. I read and then I
had these questions.
Congratulations on your book but we will love you
to answer a few questions
1.
Please tell us a bit about yourself
A) I am Memuna Barnes in my 30s, one of
nine children. I was born in Liberia to a
Sierra Leonean father and a Liberian
mother. I came to New Zealand in 2000 as
part of the United Nations Refugee
Resettlement Program with my father and
younger sister Mamawa.
2.
You started your story straight away about the
capture and your family remained most times in the shadows. Tell us a bit more
about your parents.
A) Growing up both of my parents were in
the workforce. My mother was a
secretary at a printing company and
my father a manager at Telema Fishing
Company - Liberia's second largest fishing
company. At the time my sister
We're the two kids who lived with them
in Liberia. We were well provided for and if
there ever were hard times before the
war.....my mother made sure my sister and
I didn't know about it. Mama was a
mother who lived for her children. Very hands -
On. She never missed our school programs
although Mamawa and I didn't
attend the same school. Mama would pick
up the child who did not have a program
first and rush off to the school of the
other child and make sure that child knew she
was in the crowd watching. I was always
involved in plays or speeches at mine and
She would run to get Mamawa after work
and rush to my school. She was always
there in time to give me that last
minute cheer, kiss and hug to assure me she was
watching and enjoying every second.
Which for me, was all that mattered.
I was a well catered for child as far as
I know.
Our father worked most of the time and we
only really got to see him at weekends.
My parents paid for everything we
wanted.
3.
What led to the RUF over running your part of the
country?
A) The Revolutionary United Front (RUF)
walked into Sierra Leone from Liberia via
the border and started what they
dubbed "First Battalion" in Pujehun District by
capturing and recruiting young boys
and girls into their rebel force. Soon after they
took Kailahun District which was
dubbed "Second Battalion" giving them access to
diamond mines which were used as
currency for ammunition. So those two
southern districts became rebels
stronghold.
4.
At the end of your journey, did you meet up with
Hassan ?
A) I could have met up with Hassan as I
mentioned towards the end of the book
when I bumped into How-are-you in the
market. However, I was afraid he would
find me and take me again. So no I
didn't.
5.
Did you discover any further news about Base and
Pustine?
A) I know nothing more about Base. I
could find out about Pustine if I asked a few
people but I have not tried to.
6.
You had quite a violent eighteen months as a captive,
has it anyway affected your perception of war, politics and your old country.
A) My experience has indeed affected me a
great deal. First, before this I had no
reason to think about war and I would
forget really quickly soon after watching a
war movie as a child. I remember owning a
toy pistol myself once. However, after
experiencing two civil wars in a space of
a decade, I think it is a pointless waste of
lives, resources, infrastructure and a
heinous offence to humanity. Why not just sit
and talk about issue? Why not negotiate
and bargain ( this is what would have to
happen in the end anyway) and think about
the citizens and the generations to
come?
I think our leaders should picture
themselves as parents when they are voted into
power. They are voted out of trust and
respect should always consider the people
who give them power and use that power for
the people rather than against them.
Create opportunities in form of jobs,
utilize national resources and subsidize the
healthcare and education system of their
respective countries.
Liberia and Sierra Leone need to stand up
and value their people especially when
there are so many emotionally destroyed
individuals running around aimlessly. You
cannot love your country if you have no
respect for human rights.
The aftermath of war, I think is almost as
bad as the war itself. The country is left with traumatized individuals who are
so confused and still scared: for those who
participated in the massacre - they live
with the guilt (if capable of remorse) over the
lives they took, unable to fit in a
functional society ( for people like Hassan, Base,
CO. Gbembo) where instead of people
answering to them they now have to learn
how to have bosses and a job, some live in
fear of retribution.
For those of us who witnessed the horror
we live with recurring nightmares and
sorrow over our loss and we want answers
but no one can offer them. For me
carrying on is something that just happens
because I am alive but still sometimes
feel stuck. These memories can be triggered
by the simplest event. I think about the
day we left Monrovia almost everyday as I
go past the dock and see cruise ships.
Watching contemporary war movies or the
sound of a car backfire gives me
nightmares of the war.
Then all the dead bodies that are left in
the forests where bombs have been thrown at
people... get washed off into waterways and
pollute the environment and lead to the
spread of diseases.
