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Going to War for America

by Nvasekie N. Konneh

188 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #03-0764; ISBN 1-4120-0395-4; US$19.00, C$21.99, EUR16.00, £11.00

A writer, civil/human right activist; an enlisted personnel in the U.S Navy. Two different persons in one body. These experiences are captured in a poetic expression that's deep and penetrating.

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about the book      about the author      Book Review      catalogue info

Book Review The cover page of this literary effort by a prolific Liberian writer, human rights activist and a sailor in the U.S. Navy has the national flags of both the United States and Liberia juxtaposed side by side. In any event, the book cover of the two nations flags captures and fittingly portrays "umbilical cord" that binds both nations and peoples historically. A review of the histories of both countries would explain. This sets the stage for a four part sub-sectional hard hitting, reflective but yet sober musings of a young Liberian who has the good fortune of escaping the madness of his motherland but yet fulfilling the dreams of an humble family that encouraged him to pursue western education for a prosperous future and service to his adopted country, the United States. In his acknowledgement piece, the author Mr. Konneh notes, 'success in life takes determination and consistence.........". He credits his humble literary success and influence, and rightly so, to the many great past and contemporary poets and writers from his native continent of Africa and the United States; Chinua Achebe, Nguigi wa Thiong'o, Bai T. Moore, Maya Angelou and others. This poet and writers further summates that his book of poems "is the result of the various political and social situations that have shaped some of the darkest moments....these poems represent what is boiling deep inside of me. They are the vessels through which my deep feelings about life's conflicting circumstances can be expressed without compromising the honesty and objectivity with which I attempt to analyze them." Author Konneh is adept in wordsmithing a mundane and utopic scenario. For example in his poem entitled "Songs of My Innocent Past", written in Philadelphia sometime in 2002, he writes "if you see me laughing, smiling or crying, Its just a moment of sweet joy I am having, Thinking of those days of my innocent past." This writer, however, doesn't shy away from the scourge of naked violence that he experienced during the brutal civil war that ravaged his native land of Liberia for nearly 14 years. In this poem entitled "Another Grenade Explosion" penned in 1993 in the capital Monrovia, the poet strikingly dabbles with a possible self obituary were he to have been a casualty from a hand grenade explosion. ".....had the explosion being at the pub, I, one of the victims of several hundreds, The next morning headlines would read: ANOTHER EXPLOSION AT HOLIDAY INN PUB, A poet and hundreds of others died in the blast." This poem epitomizes the poet's love for life but yet ever present danger of death. Another striking effort is the lead poem "Going to War for America." Written in 2002, this activist, and active duty sailor speaks of his arrival in the United States, "...with a suit case full of dreams..." Enlists in the military and writes, "...when all efforts turned sour, to make those dreams come true, I turned to the way many loser have found purpose and success in life, enlisted to go to war for America. On those calm and angry seas I have sailed, buried deep in the belly of an aging war vessel, to execute America's orders in the Operation Desert Fox and the operation to liberate Kosovo from its brutal butchers..." The irony of it all is that the author unfortunately couldn't, through active service in the U.S military, help liberate his homeland from the tyrant Charles Taylor but urges his countrymen to resist the vicious ruler. See the poem "Resistance" on page 59 of the book. In part three of his collection of poems, subtitled "Let Your Love Speak to My Heart," poet Konneh explores his own ideas of love, passion, and marriage. And so as with all of life, he fittingly ends this poetic effort with some powerful poems on various topics from the celebration of the Moslem holy season of Ramadan and the Christian season of Christmas to an account of his father's last prayer on his dying bed, the shooting death of an African immigrant, Amadu Diallo by the New York City cops and the final poem entitled "Never Again" written in August 2003 in which he challenges "never again shall we allow another king with absolute power over our fates to sit on the throne." As he notes at the end of his introduction in the book, "if it[book] helps to enrich one's understanding just a bit, I will be glad that a mission is accomplished. In a way, this book has. By Emmanuel Abalo Liberian journalist/Writer

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About the Author Nvasekie N. Konneh is one of the emerging new voices of African literature. He*s from Liberia, West Africa. Before coming to the United States in 1995, Nvasekie Konneh was a prolifi c writer whose poems and future articles appeared regularly in the Eye Newspaper and the Monrovia Daily News and occasionally in the Inquirer and the New Democrat. While in New York City, Nvasekie Konneh's articles were published in the African Voices literary magazine as well as the City Sun and the Black Star News. In April 2002, he participated and won the fi rst place award in the Liberian Civil War poetry competition held in Providence, Rhode Island under the sponsorship of the Liberian Community Association. The poem that won the fi rst place, "Scene Of Sorrow II" is among those in this collection. In August 1996, Nvasekie Konneh enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He's been on two deployments while on board the USS Detroit, a navy logistic ship based at the Navy Weapon Station, Earle, New Jersey. His last deployment was part of the Operation Desert Fox, an American-British military engagement against the regime of Saddam Hussein for the expulsion of the UN weapon inspectors and the operation for Kosovo liberation. From September 2000 to September 2003, Nvasekie Konneh was assigned with the SALTS Team at the Naval Inventory Control Point (NAVICP), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is currently on board the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) or simply called the "IKE" as the aircraft carrier is affectionately called. The IKE is home-ported in Norfolk, Virginia. While serving on active duty in the U. S. Navy, Nvasekie Konneh is also the founding chairman of the National Civil Right Movement (NCRM), a Liberian pro-democracy and human right organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Through his organization, Nvasekie Konneh has led two demonstrations in Washington DC. The fi rst one was held on September 16, 2002 at the Liberian Embassy in Washington DC for the unconditional release of the then imprisoned Liberian journalist, Hassan Bility and other illegally detained Liberians. The last demonstration was held at the U.S. Capital against the continued illegal detention of Aloysius Toe and others. Surviving the Liberian civil war, experience in the U.S military as well as active engagement in pro-democracy activities concerning human and civil rights in Africa in general and Liberia in particular are all refl ected in this collection, "Going To War For America."

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Sample Excerpts or Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I: SURVIVING WAR IN AFRICA
In The Beginning 10
Songs of My Innocent Past 11
In The Nation Of The Blind 12
Why They Want Us Dead? 14
In The Land Of My Father's Birth 16
My Gio Girlfriend 18
Scene Of Sorrow 20
Another Grenade Explosion 22
My Kind Of Weapons 24
They Old Friends Met 25
Poor You, Poor Me 26
Citizenship/ Citizenshit 27
Liberia: Contradiction Or Affliction? 29
Big Man Versus Little Men 30
By Standers In The Corridor Of Power 31
Man And War 32
A Dream Or Nightmare 34
You Call That Peace? 36
Taylor's Democracy 38
The Desire To Be a President 40
Dr. Stiff Naked Fool 41
Broke Ass Government 43
I Am a Rebel 45
From The Border Of Hell 47
Political Party Line 49
Age Of Democratic Enlightenment 51
I Wonder Why 53
Suppose To Be Love And Understanding 55
Africa Must Be Free 57
Resistance 59
September 16, 2002 61
Behind The Line 63
Crumbled Under The Feet Of Tyranny 65
Beyond The Rhetoric 66
I Have a Dream 67
PART II: AMERICA, BEFORE AND AFTER 9-11
Going To War For America 72
Rough Sea and Heavy Storm 74
Long Distance Love 75
At Sea On The Eve Of 97 76
Don't Ask Don't Tell 77
Feeling At Home In Philly 78
My American Dream 79
Coming To America 80
In Love With America? 82
I Could Have Been Dead Five Years Ago 85
Bethlehem/ Jerusalem 87
Malcolm and King 89
Keep The Strength, The Faith and The Hope 92
Prime Time TV 95
Whose News? 97
The Truth In OJ's Case 99
Brother Man 101
Islam 103
Nine One-One 104
Discrimination Beyond Black And White 106
How Dare You Call Me A Nigger? 108
Boot Camp 110
PART III: LET YOUR LOVE SPEAK TO MY HEART
Let It Be Love So Beautiful 1114
Sweet Little Darling 115
For The Lover I Desire 116
The Most I Miss Of You 117
Romantic Vision 119
Good Friends We Used To Be 121
Let Your Love Speak To My Heart 123
Some Body Special 125
Look In My Eyes 126
All The Men She Loved 127
Remember Those Days 128
Crucial Moment 129
Necessary Risk 130
PART IV: SOUL VIBRATION
Such Is Life 133
Marriage 138
Soul Searching 140
They Don't Understand Me 143
The Truth 145
Are We Cursed To Be To Be What We Are? 147
I Will Speak My Mind 149
The Crying Old Man 151
Blessed Ramadan 153
My Father's Last Prayer 155
Don't Know 156
Losene Bamba 157
Mourning One Life/ Celebrating Another 159
Massaran Konneh 161
Amadu Diallo 163
RIP, Gen. Pepper & Salt (Part I ) 165
RIP, Gen. Pepper & Salts (Part II ) 166
Lone Star (South Africa 96) 167
Will You Understand Me? 169
Righteous Feeling 170
Kill The Babies 172
A Martyr Day For All 174
Our Past 176
Make Up Factor 178
Never Again 179

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Catalogue Information

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