Osman Daramy
By Raph Sesay
Members of the traditional Poro society in the Northern town of Kabala Town, in the Republic of Sierra Leone have gone berserk over the acts of one Osman Daramy who escaped from their initiation ceremony.
In an exclusive interview with the leader of the Poro society in Kabala, Mr. Foday Yamba he disclosed that his members who are mainly youths are bitter about what they referred to as the very untraditional acts of the runaway Osman Daramy who had escaped from their society bush in Kabala by hitting one of their members with a stick that almost could have resulted to a fatality.
He described the actions of Daramy as unfortunate and very barbaric and noted vehemently that it is an attack to the entire membership of the Poro Council throughout Sierra Leone. Part of their resolutions in a meeting they held on Wednesday 5th March 2014 at the Kabala community center, they had resolved as a very large and almost the old traditional society in the country that they will not leave any stones unturned to deal with anyone that will attempt to stand on their way whilst they carry out their search in making sure that Daramy faced the full penalty of the laws of the Poro society.
He concluded by calling the Poro Society members to be vigilant in arresting Daramy.
According to an eyewitness account that wants to remain anonymous for fear of his , Osman Daramy is a peaceful man that has passion for humanity. He further disclosed that for far too long Osman Daramy has expressed disappointment over the acts of members of the Poro Society. He added that Daramy has been one of the true sons of Kabala that has denounced joining the society and condemning the initiation activities publickly. It is as a result of his utterances according to the source that landed him in the hands of the Poro society members. He further noted that Daramy was attacked and dragged by members of the Poro Society and in an event to defend himself against the Poro society members who were very desperate to land him into the initiation bush Daramy hit his friend who was very close to him with a stick.
The sources concluded by disclosing that he could not at the moment tell the whereabouts of Daramy who had since fled the area since he escaped from the hands of the Poro members.
Since the pre-colonial era secret societies have played a dominant role in the politics of African societies including Sierra Leone, but over the decades they have become so powerful that they have gone to the extreme point of becoming dangerous.
One of the reasons why they are dangerous is that they have so many taboos for non-initiates that are so uncertain, indescribable and unidentifiable that it is easy for a non-initiate to fall into the trap of a secret society. For instance, a non-initiate should not see the “devil” (masked spirit of a secret society) or say something in public pertaining to what happens in the secret society. The punishment in extreme cases is death, which should not even be subsequently discussed in public both by initiates and non-initiates.
A couple of years ago, a man whose wife was killed by secret society men in Kabala, north of the country, was heard over Radio Citizen at Kissy, in the east of the capital Freetown, explaining his ordeal and crying for justice to be done.
According to him, his late wife was returning home from another village when she unexpectedly met secret society men in a bush path surrounding the masked spirit of the Gbangbani secret society. She was instantly butchered with machetes. Her corpse was left lying on the road side. The man alleged that he reported the matter to the police but nothing came out of it. The bitter fact is that secret societies are a powerful force to reckon with in the politics of Sierra Leone. They represent the highest echelon of decision- making in rural societies and could therefore be an effective instrument for mobilizing support. They therefore play a crucial role in the election processes of Sierra Leone. Politicians have a great preference for them because each member is bound by a secret society oath which makes their support not to waver. Because politicians want what they call “steady votes” unlike that of non initiates which might swing from one party to the other they give great encouragement and protection to secret societies which makes them to be above the law. They do many things that are contrary to law and go scot-free. This has made many people to be apprehensive and feel unsafe especially in rural communities. Many youths have migrated as a result of this. Many have lost their lives when they step on the toes of secret societies.