Tribute by SLAJ
President, Ahmed Sahid Nasralla, at the Joint Opening of Book of Condolence for the Late Esther Kanny Kargbo, former Vice President of SLAJ and Station Manager SLBC Kailahun.
Date: Thursday, 5th January 2023 Venue: SLBC New England, Freetown Time: 10am
On the morning of Boxing Day 26th December 2022, we received one of the most shocking punches from the cold hands of death: we lost our dear colleague Esther Kanny Kargbo. But we actually have not lost the Esther we have come to know and interacted with, and worked with over the last 10 years or so in the media fraternity.
Esther in the Bible- What is in a name?
The book of Esther is named after the “star” of the story, a young Jewish girl named Hadassah who was taken from her guardian, Mordecai, and forced to compete for the affection of the King. This unlikely contestant for a beauty pageant was crowned queen of Persia and renamed Esther, meaning “star.”
The story of Esther in the book of Esther emphasises the power of God, instructing us we should use the blessings given by God to help others. The moral of the Story of Esther is to always do the right thing, using the influence you possess to help others as Esther does in the story.
This is the Esther we know and we have not lost her.
Esther in SLAJ:
Esther joined SLAJ in 2014 in Bo in the Southern Region. She became Regional Coordinator WIMSAL South and Deputy Station Manager SLBC Bo. In 2018 she was posted to head SLBC Kenema and so she transferred her SLAJ membership to SLAJ Eastern Region because she did not only want to work in Kenema but she wanted to feel like an indigene of the region.
In 2019 Esther defied all the odds to contest for the Vice Presidency of SLAJ. In SLAJ, to maintain the balance of power between the capital and the provinces so that power is not concentrated at the center or the capital, there is a ‘ladies and gentlemen agreement’ among members of SLAJ based in the provinces that the Vice President of SLAJ should always come from the provinces on a rotational basis. And so, it was the turn of the Eastern Region to claim the Vice President position and they already had a candidate. However, Esther was determined to challenge that agreement. Banking on the support of the female bloc in SLAJ, she started her campaign with great determination, and she soon won the admiration and support of male colleagues, especially in the Western Area. At the same time, I was also contesting for the Presidency of SLAJ, so I came to know Esther during the campaign. There were moves for us to form an alliance going into the elections, together with Mohamed Asmieu Bah- who was also contesting for the position of National Secretary General but it did not work because Asmieu and I were afraid not to attract the wrath of our provincial colleagues who were bent on teaching Esther a bitter lesson. Esther understood the dynamics at play and so each of us paddled our canoes separately, and we all eventually got elected in 2019.
Getting elected was only the beginning for the challenges Esther was going to face but like she was cut out for such situations. Immediately after the elections, Esther called to inform us that she had been posted further East to Kailahun. We were disappointed and we thought that she would not be able to participate in the activities of the Executive because of the long distance that separated us. But Esther proved us all wrong as she ensured she attended almost all Executive meetings and participated in all important functions and activities of SLAJ. Yes, distance was a challenge for her but distance was not a barrier to her to fulfil her responsibilities as Vice President and Principal Adviser to me.
And Esther did not only attend and participate, she would make her presence felt in a firm but respectful manner. She had an opinion on any discussion, and she would not keep silent. She was very assertive but a good team player as well. She was bold and confident. She was respectful. She carried herself well. Esther had ideas to make SLAJ a formidable Association and she would channel those ideas appropriately. We would discuss them at length and we would all agree what would work and what would not work, and she would understand.
As Vice President, Esther was the Chairperson of the Membership and Credentials Committee and during her tenure the Committee recruited the highest number of journalists into SLAJ- about 200, with an increase in the number of female journalists coming into the fold.
And so, the years passed by and it was another elective congress of SLAJ. We all expressed our intentions to go for a second term, Esther too. If it were left to us as an executive to decide, we wanted Esther to continue for a second term but the Regions were bent on reclaiming their Vice President position. Esther knew that and she was weighing her options by consulting and engaging. In the end it was relatively easy for us to succeed in convincing her to let go. That was how I went unopposed and that was how the Vice President position returned to the provinces.
As former Vice President of SLAJ, Esther was still very supportive to my presidency. She was abreast with all our activities and she was in constant touch with me and other colleagues in the Executive. When we appointed her to represent SLAJ at Statistics Council, Esther continued her diligent service and dedication to serve the interest of SLAJ.
According to the head of Stats SL, Prof. Mallam O aka the Bongo Man, Esther was probably the best SLAJ representative they have had in recent times.
Esther in SLBC:
Again, as former Vice President of SLAJ, Esther now had more time to transform SLBC Kailahun. In a very short period, she brought the station closer to the community, and she was organising social programs to strengthen the relations. She forged relationship with community stakeholders and made them take ownership of the station. SLBC Kailahun became the voice of the people of Kailahun and the entire Eastern Region. She used the radio and her position to unite the stakeholders and people of Kailahun and foster peace and development.
Last December, she organised several programs including sports meet, football matches and a fund-raising dinner to which she invited us to attend as distinguished guests. If we had honoured her invitation that would have been an opportunity for us to see and interact with her for the very last time as Esther would suddenly pass away to the Great Beyond after Christmas Day 2022.
The woman with the Golden Smile:
When news of her passing hit our official Whatsapp group members started sharing their experiences encountering Esther. The narratives were the same: Esther was an amazing personality; kind, hardworking, a servant leader, pleasant, respectful, helpful, lovable, etc. But the one attribute that everyone agrees with, and which sums up her amazing personality, was her SMILE. Esther wore a radiant smile wherever she went and in whatever situation she found herself. She was always smiling. That smile was her strength that concealed all the challenges she had been grappling with.
So, I decided to title this tribute: The Woman with the GOLDEN SMILE! I believe that is the smile that is now leading her through the gates of heaven. She would just smile to the angels and they would open the gates of Heaven and beckon her to walk through majestically to meet her Maker.
May the Lord forgive all her transgressions and grant her eternal rest in peace.
We will forever miss you, Esther and may your legacy inspire more Esthers in SLAJ and the media fraternity.
Rest well, our friend, sister and colleague.
-SLAJ Secretariat
