BY: CHERNOR A. BAH
On the 26th December 2024, I had the extraordinary privilege of going on a private boat ride with H.E President Julius Maada Bio across the tip of Bonthe Island. First, I was blown away by his incredible intimate knowledge of every strip on the island. He will name the small village and the families that come from there and share an interesting historical anecdote.
He knows the geography of these areas impressively well. Second, it’s remarkable to see his extraordinary love for nature. Every weekend, he’s on a farm, and when he comes home, he loves to take these deep rides into the ocean. He brought along his binoculars to look even deeper and see things that are not visible to the ordinary eyes. Third, he’s a consummate politician, at home with his people. When we got close to one of the farthest little islands in the southernmost part of the country, the President asked the military smaller boats riding near us to come closer so we could disembark. He wanted to visit this Barefoot Island. Ofocurse as he disembarked without any shoes you could see how much he was enjoying just taking nature in and remarking about the potential of our country.
The pristine beaches, the incredibly blue waters, the calm sea, and just across- the wild Atlantic Ocean. We have everything right here. And as you would imagine word got quickly around that the President had stopped on this remotest island. The people- young, old, women and men- gathered in jubilation with palpable joy- their hero – their forever king- one lady screamed, had touched down on their island. He indulged every one of them, stopped to crack jokes, held their babies, asked for his Christmas, and gave them theirs. We were supposed to go fishing -we returned with a big bowl of dried fish.
On the ride back, I was able to ask him about his childhood, his memory of these areas, and why and how he ended up in the military. Providence featured strongly, but those are stories for another day. Today, I am in awe of a man at peace with nature and his people. Grateful for the privilege of learning from and just witnessing the wisdom and charisma of President Bio. #SaloneBigPassWiAll
