By Mohamed Asmieu Bah

The most talked about news in Sierra Leone during the past few days is the graduation under the mango tree in Waterloo. It was not only shocking but scandalous to say the least. Common sense, it is said is not common, why didn’t the awardees think for one moment that even primary school graduation is done in a decent hall, or courtyard not under a mango tree as we saw in that video. And also for one to be awarded an honorary PhD one must have made some serious contributions to one’s society, and it is something one does not  pay for. It is given to one free.

The want for titles I am sure was one of the reasons that drove those Sierra Leoneans to use the wrong method to acquire honorary PhDs. They wanted a prefix in their name. I have come to realize that Sierra Leoneans have huge appetite for titles, positions and power, don’t get me wrong, it is not wrong to like or get titles, but to get them by hook or crook, at all cost even to circumvent the rules is what I am questioning. 

I remember few years ago I wrote a piece where I questioned the rational of calling ministers and their deputies Honorable minister, when we are not operating under a parliamentary system, nor were they members of parliament before their appointment. 

Under the parliamentary system as in Britain, ministers are also addressed as honorable just like we had in the 60s. 

When I wrote that piece one former minister was quick to debunk my agruement, claiming that it was a cabinet approval for ministers to be referred to as honorable. I could understand she was enjoying the title of honorable, and she thought I wanted to dispossess her of her prestige. 

Now even heads of parastatals are referred to as honorable. I know of a civil society folk who is a board member in one of the government commissions, he now refers to himself as commissioner and he should be addressed as such.

Even the religion is not spared. In Sierra Leone when a man goes to Mecca to perform Hajj, when he returns he will almost hate you or see you as disrespectful if you call him without adding  the name ‘’Alhaji.’’ Upon his return from the pilgrimage, he will now see himself as authority in Islam even when he might not even know how to recite the first chapter of the Quran properly. And people will use his action to judge Muslims as they will say ‘’ Na Pa Alhaji do am or na in say am.’’

With due respect to our lawyers also, the use of Esq is sometimes misused and is now monotonous. A lawyer will see another person as being disrespectful if you don’t add Esq to his name.  For those who might not know Esq is not only meant for lawyers, other professionals can use it too. Ignorantly some even refer to themselves as lawyer so and so esq. it is preferable to use Esq in your signature block not pronouncing it.

I remember interviewing one of Sierra Leone’s foremost diplomats and protocol experts, Soulay Daramy when he published his debut work on protocol. He did say it is wrong to refer to other person other than the President as His Excellency whether it is the First Lady or the Vice President, or the wife of the Vice President. And he even went further to say it is also wrong to address the wife of the Vice President as the second lady, instead just address her as the wife of the Vice President. Yet still we hear people addressing these personalities using all the wrong titles.

At the university I knew a lecturer who berated students when they failed to add doctor to his name.

Hope the mango tree graduation will teach us some lessons and reduce our want for titles by all means.