Born on the 27th of June 1932 in Kamabai village, Biriwa limba Chiefdom, Bombali district Northern Sierra Leone to the Late Ernest Numen Sesay and Mammy May Conteh, Alice Rosaline Sesay was seven (7) years old when she was enrolled at the Kamabai Clarke Memorial Girls School. At school, she made history when her name appeared for six times on the honours roll of brilliant students at the then Wesleyan Headquarters in Gbendembu town, in the Gbendembu N’gowahon Chiefdom.
In 1946, a year before she got into standard six (6) (which was the designation given to classes in that pre-independence era), the young black handsome looking Sylvanus Koroma walked the distance from
Gbendembu town to Kamabai to see and meet with the clever young girl whose name had appeared many times on their honours roll more than any other student in the Wesleyan supported schools in Bombali district. Upon his discovery of this young beautiful girl, Sylvanus could not resist her looks but immediately went on and proposed love to her.
Soon after she completed standard six in 1947, young Alice Rosaline Sesay got married to Mr. Sylvanus Koroma and they both moved to settle at Gbendembu town where the husband was a teacher. Four months after their wedding, Sylvanus’ quest for education led him to leave the already pregnant Alice with one of his uncle’s at Kafogo village in pursuit of a Teachers Certificate at the Fourah Bay College in
Freetown.
On the 26th June 1949, Alice Rosaline Koroma gave birth to her first child, a baby girl who was named Florence Koroma. In 1951, she moved with her husband to Mateboi village in the Sanda Tendaren Chiefdom where he served as head teacher. That same year, God blessed the couple with a second child, a girl again and they named her Admire Koroma. During her stay in Mateboi, Alice taught Needle Work at the Bombali District Education Center (BDEC) Primary School where her husband was serving as head teacher. In 1954, Alice gave birth to her third child but first son whom they named, Ernest Koroma. That same year, the Koroma family moved to Port-Loko town and later to Magbene
and subsequently to Makeni.
In 1957, Alice followed her husband to Mabguraka where her husband lectured at the Mabguraka Teachers College. During their stay in Mabguraka, Alice engaged herself in petty trading to support her
husband in educating the children. In 1960, the entire family moved to Makeni upon the request of the head of the Sierra Leone Church to provide leadership for the SLC Primary School at Rogbaneh.
Again in 1957, Sylvanus Koroma resolved to contest the 1957 General Elections and Alice was at the fore front of his campaigns; efforts that never went in vain as her husband won the elections but later
lost on petition. Again, in the Local Council’s Elections that followed in 1962, Alice encouraged and supported her husband until he was elected Chairman of the Makeni Town Council, a position he held
until 1966. During that period, series of developments took place for which Alice could not, in anyway, be removed from the contributions her husband made in Makeni.
One of the most important things for which Alice could always be remembered was her love for the Wesleyan Church; a church where she and Sylvanus had always attended and had their children baptized there. Alice gave birth to eight children namely, Florence, Admire, Ernest, Aryonne, Thomas, Phillip, Sylvanus Jr. and Elizabeth. She stood her grounds to support her husband in ensuring that all their children attained university education.
In 1979 when the young Ernest was tipped by young people in Makeni to contest the General Elections against veteran Politician, Alpha Conteh, Mama Alice was there to teach her son the concept of time in
politics and advised him to wait for his time. Having discouraged Ernest Bai Koroma from contesting by then, she was at the fore front to look out for a job that will keep her son from politics for a while
and she later secured work for him at the National Insurance Company (NIC) and subsequently at RITCORP.
Alice Rosaline Koroma lost her husband in October 2001 whilst on displacement in Freetown. Sylvanus was exactly 80 when he died. Even after the death of her husband, Alice could not stop loving him and
when she was asked to return to Makeni to look after their family house, she agreed on the condition that the remains of her husband, who was buried in Freetown by then, be exhumed and reburied in their compound in Makeni. Her request was honoured and the remains of Sylvanus were reburied in Makeni.
In Makeni, Alice insisted that a hut be built for her very close to her husband’s grave where she will spend the day relaxing. When her son, Ernest Bai Koroma, returned to full time politics in 2002 and contested the Presidency against President Kabba, Alice was there for her son and stood by him more than anyone else even when he lost the elections.
When the race for the 2007 presidential election started, Mama Alice was all over the place to win hearts for her son’s presidential bid. She held countless prayer meetings for her son’s dream to come true. Her loudest shout ever to be remembered by anyone was when the results of elections were announced. Hours later, she received a call from a strange number and the caller identified himself as the “PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE, Ernest Bai Koroma.” She screamed saying, “PRAISE THE LORD!” Alice had never cried for anybody since she last cried for the demise of her husband in 2001 except on the inauguration of her son as president when she shed tears on the grounds that she had wished her husband to be alive to witness the handing over of the presidential staff to their son. She had always wished for something to remind her of the day her son was declared winner of the 2007
presidential elections and so she installed, as a ring tone on her phone, the audio of Christiana Thorpe’s announcement of the results; a ring tone she maintained until 1: 00 a.m. on Friday 6th July, 2012
when she finally gave up. After the elections in 2007, Alice continued to stay in her house in Makeni refusing offers and requests from her children and others to relocate to the United States of America. She has always said she finds happiness in living and sharing with both the vulnerable and the needy. Her little purse she spends on giving alms, preparing food, paying fees for needy children. On the 27th June, 2012 Alice marked her 80th birthday on a low key in her Sylvanus Street’s residence. She spent the day sharing with the poor, friends, some family members and the APC party faithfuls. She also received calls of birthday wishes from her children in Freetown and her grandchildren from within the country and abroad.
On Thursday 5th July, 2012, Alice had just collected her voter ID in apparent readiness to vote for her son in November. Sitting in her hut in their house receiving visitors and urging those who have not collected their voter ID cards to do so sooner than later. She sang praise songs for God for the rest of that Thursday. As night fell, she retired to her living room with others to watch SLBC-TV. She later
bade good night and went to bed without complaining anything. At 1:00 a.m., she woke her house maids, complaining about her sides. As the pains got severe, her son, Phillip who stays in Makeni, was called and decided to take her to the Holy Spirit Hospital in Makeni. At the hospital, Dr. Patrick Turay and Dr. Taqi were summoned immediately and in no time, they were there fighting to stabilize her condition. At exactly 3:29 a.m. on Friday, family members and others stood outside
waiting to hear news of her stability. From her private admission room, Dr. Turay walked outside and told Phillip that she had lost the battle to death. This news was difficult to comprehend as the hospital
could be seen spinning, the ground sinking and the sky falling. A sister, mother, wife, friend of the needy and the poor is no more. Before the radios could break the news of her demise, the cry of mourners had awoken the sleeping city. MOTHER OF THE NATION IS DEAD.
Written by Makeni based Journalist, Stanley Bangura exclusively for Awoko Newspaper