Alumnus speaks about violence in Sierra Leone

by Allison Cayse
For The Post

Respect for human rights and the necessity of societal involvement to protect those rights were the topic of a speech last night by Abdul Rahman S.Lamin, a doctoral researcher at Howard University and Ohio University alumnus.

Part of a series focusing on West Africa, the lecture covered the struggles for democracy by the people of Sierra Leone and the more than 10 years of rebel fighting in the country -as well in its neighboring countries of Liberia and Guinea. Lamin said he wanted to engage listeners in "a dialogue that would transcend the four walls of the room."

Lamin described how a country that once had been a cultural and intellectual Mecca in pre-colonial times has become a place plagued by violence and human rights violations. In Sierra Leone it is a fact of life, he said, that children carry guns when they go to school and infants have their hands cut off for political reasons.

Diamond mining is a large industry in Sierra Leone, and Lamin said in Africa diamonds and armed conflict go hand-in-hand. Rebel and paramilitary groups trade diamonds for weapons and fund their activities through the sales. He said it is necessary for the international community to regulate diamond sales and trading.

Two main goals of the lectures were to inform people about the issues in his homeland and to challenge students to become active in world issues, he said. People are the ones who have power, he said, and they can make a difference.

Tony Hall, a representative for Ohio's 3rd District, visited Sierra Leone, and as a result, he introduced the Conflict Diamonds Act of 2000 to Congress. This bill would have required diamond importers to know from where their diamonds come. Although the bill was rejected, Hall plans to re-introduce it. Lamin urged listeners to call their congressmen and support attempts to regulate diamond trading.

He also discussed the issue of children's rights. In Sierra Leone, more than 5,000 children are estimated to be used as soldiers. These children, he said, are forced to kill their own parents and bomb their towns.

"The use of child warfare is sick," said Andrew Weiland, a sophomore anthropology student. "The market for diamonds is a bloody thing." He said Lamin's lecture roused him to learn about the region's problems and get involved.

Dr. Stephen Howard, professor of African Studies, said the International Convention on the Rights of Child, an agreement between U.N. countries to help protect children, has yet to be signed by the United States. Howard is the director of the Institute for the African Child at OU. The group, which brings together faculty from different colleges within the university, conducts conferences, performs research, and strives to inform the public.

Howard said the goal behind the West Africa lecture series is to bring an intense focus to a part of the world about which many Americans are ignorant. It is important, he said, because a great percentage of the U.S. population comes from that part of the world. "There is a great connection-and a great ignorance," he said.