Tribute To Mackie Nyema (Mackierere) Bedell

July 15, 2018

Job 14 of The Holy Bible reads, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days…As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up, So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” The Koran also agrees!

Truly, Mackie Nyema Bedell affectionately referred to as “Mackierere” as a son of a woman, has lived his “few days” and is gone to sleep permanently.

His departure from this earth is an immeasurable loss sustained both by the family and the nation as well as The Alternative National Congress Political Party of the Republic of Liberia, ANC in short. A loss also sustained by Ourstory (not our history) in community development, in the death of this man. The gap that has been left by the departure of Mackierere’s mighty spirit will soon enough make itself felt in ANC and Maryland County, yea the Republic. No man is unimportant irrespective of his economic class on Planet Earth!

Mackie exhibited and demonstrated an immense sense of patriotism when he served his nation, Republic of Liberia, pro bono, at the General Services Agency (GSA) for eleven unbroken months as a volunteer. Even though some people rumored that his patriotic labor to country was a “monkey work, bamboo draw” situation and that some big shots at the GSA took away the monetary earnings that was produced by his hard labor and that it was awarded to the big shots’ families on “cold sweat,” Mackie never wavered in his service to country. He never broke a sweat or query anyone over the possible exploitation of him. He always said, “I did it for my country whether or not I’m appreciated by the Liberian government.” Unquestionably, that’s what we call immense sense of patriotism! All things considered, Mackie and J. F. Kennedy had the same thought for country. Mackie agreed with J. F. K. when he opined, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country!”

In ANC, while some were complaining for stipend and compensation, Mackie never mind. He diligently served his party with a strong sense of commitment and dedication in the security coordination sector. He never left the Party executives and others unattended and exposed to security threats. That includes and not limited to Messrs. Alex B. Cummings, Party leader, Horatio Lafayette Gould, National Chair and the vice national chair, Rev. Fr. Kennedy, during all their visits to Maryland County. Mackie was then the County Security Coordinator.

Faced with recurrent economic crises, characteristic of capitalist economy, Mackie struggled with the remnants of his motor bike accident for over one year. At that time, so-called petite bourgeois aspirants in Liberian politics divorced themselves from the relevance of immense sense of patriotism that Mackie preached, practiced and realized. He did so for us to understand why things are the way they are today Liberia. Paradoxically the petite bourgeois aspirants and the reactionary impressionists are more truthful in their practices and determination to hold down progress in the country while so-called good politicians blame others for their own failures in making fundamental national and personal change.

I encourage Liberian politicians and wanna be leaders as well as youths of Liberia to get acquainted with the works of Mackie which will open their eyes about the sharpening contradictions unfolding tragically in Liberia from political party to political party and other social movements. Otherwise, Liberia faces an impending doom!

Aluta continua!

Kwe Fe Kpe!

Barteoo Bartee!

TRIBUTE TO My Mother Esther Wah-Wede Bedell

Women power did not just begin. Unnoticeably it’s been around for centuries. It isn’t about celebrity or popularity; it’s about influence. My late Mom, Esther Wah-Wede Bedell, affectionately known as “Ma Wede” and “O Lord,” is perhaps the most listened-to woman in Harper City during her lifetime. She reared good number of kids who have become respected individuals in Liberia and the world. Many are successful in their own rights.

In some cases to figure out a woman’s contribution, analysis looked for those who run countries, big companies or influential nonprofits. Their rankings are a combination of two scores: visibility and the size of the organization or country they lead. My late Mom, Ma Wede, did not lead a country. But she groomed young men and women who have joined leadership in very important parts of the world including Liberia.

Ma Wede was born December 20, 1929 to Episcopalian parents. At age 20 she experienced a serious biological problem that affected her womanhood. Consequently, she could no longer bear kids. Intrigued by her surrounding evidential circumstances to her life and Church, she gave her life and heart to Jesus Christ and accepted her condition. In early youth she exhibited traces of exquisite sensibility, soundness of understanding, and decision of character. She received no literary instructions.

Before her nineteenth year she became acquainted with Mr. Ngee (my spelling) Wilson, a mechanical engineer, who would be her husband in later years. Mr. Wilson possessed good taste and good engineering knowledge. He seemed to have given her the first impulse to the formation of her character. At nineteenth, she left her parents and resided with her brother J. Wah-Doe Bedell who had just entered Cape Palmas High School in Harper City. She was there to help her brother with his domestic chores. At graduation, her brother moved to Monrovia to pursue further studies. She took on her own roof and gave attention to her mother who was growing older. Her mother’s health made her presence necessary in her home. On the death of her mother, Ma Wede took on more responsibilities for her young sibling (Julia Wah-Kuno Bedell) and sometimes the older ones.

Ma Wede became a teacher from motives of benevolence, or rather philanthropy, and during the time she continued, she gave proof of superior qualification for the performance of its arduous and important duties. The pecuniary concerns of her father early death made her practiced rigid economy in her expenditures, and with her savings was enabled to procure her sisters and brothers situations, to which without aid, they could not have had access; her mother was sustained at length from her fund. She even found means to take under her protection other people’s children in dire need of academic education and social skills to maximize their full human potential through training and guidance.

Ma Wede was a true philanthropist and humanist.

She invested her time and resources in grooming kids of other parents. Besides those we may not remember, she reared Mrs. Elizabeth Bedell Woart, Messrs. Toh-Himmie (brother of Liberia’s football legend, WanniboToe – the wizard dribbler of the national Lone Star of Liberia), Henry Wah-Toe Bedell (her eldest brother’s son named in the stead of one of her brothers), S. K. Bedell, II (named in the stead of her eldest brother Gen. S. K. Bedell), Sarah Wilson, Mary Dwedeh Bedell, Gbuo, Boryornor and little Kidau who is the youngest of them all. Among all of those she reared, Mr. Thomas G. Bedell is her only adopted son. At age 5, she adopted him from her late brother Gen. S. K. Bedell, Snr.

Ma Wede had not wanted confidence in her own powers of persuasion before. But the reception this work met from the public, gave her an opportunity of judging what those powers were, in the estimation of others. It was shortly after this, that she commenced the work to which these remarks are prefixed. What are its merits will be decided in the judgment of each person and/or reader of this document. Suffice it to say, she appeared to have stepped forth boldly, and singly, in defense of humanity, which by usages of all society, whether savage or civilized, have been kept from attaining their dignity.

She was blessed with six siblings. Besides J. Wah-Doe Bedell, all other siblings predeceased her including, Gen. S. Wah-Kwee Bedell, Snr., H. Wah-Toe Bedell, Snr., Helena Wahde Bedell Neufville, H. Wah-Gleh Bedell, and Julia Wah-Kuno Bedell.

1958 she was founder of the Harper Women Recreation Organization. She almost became involved directly into politics as she was being encouraged by her colleagues to seek political office. 1960 Cofounder, Kudemoweh Women Association in Harper. She chaired it up to 1963.

Honors: she was honored by the late Superintendent of Maryland County, Hon. James Daniel Anderson as the Most Outstanding woman of the Year.

Ma Wede departed this world on November 1, 2009. She was born on December 20, 1928 in Harper, Maryland County, Republic of Liberia

BY: T. Gbuo-Mle Bedell