By Andrew Keili
September 06, 2020, (232News)
The Easter period has descended upon us once more and once more Old Bo school Boys will descend upon Bo City in their numbers for the annual OBBA celebrations. They will undoubtedly paint the town red (or shall I say, this time green, as red seems to be going out of fashion!). Genuine OBBA members who have numbers, some who claim to be OBBA members but cannot recollect their admission numbers, OBBA members who got expelled, political hacks, OBBA sympathisers, OBBA wives, OBBA girlfriends will all be present in Bo. You can’t help but note the fervour with which OBBA members (genuine and false) look forward to this annual gathering in Bo.The Presidency of President Bio, the first OBBA member to become President makes the OBBA celebrations since 2018 extra special.President Koroma’s influence on a hitherto moribund Magburaka Old Boys Association (MOBA) was palpable. Their annual gathering in Magburaka often attracted a host of “old boys” who never darkened the walls of that institution.
In writing this piece about OBBA, let me make some disclosure for the avoidance of any doubt about my motivation. I am ambivalent about Bo school. I love them for certain things and loathe them for others.
First, what I like about them-Bo school boys are always together, working for the interest of their school. The school transcends tribe or region. Twoof my brothers are full-blooded Bo school boys and my late Dad was a perennial preacher at Bo school celebrations. Furthermore, Bo school is the second-best school in Bo (the best is by the cemetery!).
Now let me tell you why I loathe them (sometimes). Whilst attending CKC, I, together with my blue bicycle were savaged and thrown in the gutter by Bo school boys after a sports event at which we emerged victors. Additionally, Bo school boys were notorious for “territorial invasion”. Everybody knew Harfordians were for Bo school boys (they even kicked out AA boys) and girls from QRS for CKC boys (Kings and Queens should inevitably be together)- but alas most of the fence jumpers at QRS boarding home, much to the chagrin of Sister John Bosco were Bo school Boys, not the preferred CKC boys.
Having disclosed my position, let me also state that some of my best friends come from that “dreaded school”. I even had classmates from Bo school when we were in sixth form. The government, for some quaint reason decided that CKC should be a science-only sixth form school and Bo school a sixth form Arts school. That was how we ended up having several very bright Bo school Boys with us in sixth form. Their loyalty to their new school was suspect. They never seemed to clap for any side when we had an inert school football match with Bo school. Those were the good old days!
But how did Bo school come about? Bo school was founded in 1906 by British educationist Leslie Probyn. It is sited on 13.5 acres (55,000 m2) of land in the heart of Bo Town- Contrary to what detractors may say, this is not wasted space! On 13th September 1905, Paramount Chiefs from all over the then Protectorate, met a few hundred yards from the Bo school compound. The meeting took place under the auspices of the Governor of the then Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone, Sir Lesley Probyn.It was at that meeting that the foundation of this School was laid-it was done in accordance with the traditions and culture of the country which involved the pouring of libation, a flour ceremony and the sacrifice of live cows accompanied by the usual feasting and dancing. The school itself was formally established a year later. At the opening ceremony, there were many prominent people, including Paramount Chief Madam Yoko of Moyamba, Chief Baimba Hotagua of Bo and Chief Sandy of Tikonko representing the Mende land, and Chief Ibrahim Sanda representing Temne land.
Bo School or Bo Government School is a unique educational institution. Historically, it is known as the first and only school in the country founded specially for the sons and nominees of Paramount Chiefs. This creates the impression of an elitist and exclusive institution whose doors are closed to all but a privileged few. However, that was not the intention of the founders. According to President Kabbah in a speech at Bo school’s 100th anniversary celebrations, “We should acknowledge the fact that one of the underlying objectives of Sir Lesley Probynwas to create an institution that would symbolize the change in attitude towards education that was needed at that particular point in time. The idea was to enrich traditional authority and citizenship”. President Kabbah also cited the celebrated educationalist, the late Doyle Sumner (or D.L. Sumner) who observed that “ the purpose of a school for the sons of chiefs was not only to give the future rulers of the people a cultural education, but to give them training in the duties of citizenship and a sense of their obligations to the community.” As Sumner saw it “if the natural leaders of the people “do not rise to the intellectual level of the other members of the community, sooner or later the educated class will break down the traditional authority.”
The founders of Bo School also wanted to establish a model non-denominational educational institution under the proprietorship of the Government. This, incidentally, was also the idea behind the establishment of the Government Model School and the Prince of Wales School in Freetown. Religious institutions were the pioneers and leaders in the development of education at all levels. They were the proprietors of the so-called “mission schools”. The Church Missionary Society (CMS) Grammar School had been established in 1845, and the Annie Walsh Memorial in 1849; the Wesleyan Methodist established the Methodist Boys High School and Methodist Girls High School in 1874 and 1880 respectively; the Catholics had established the St. Joseph’s in 1886 and my own alma mater, the St. Edward’s in 1922, while the United Brethren in Christ (UBC) Mission established the Harford School for Girls in 1900, and the Albert Academy in 1904.
One advantage of government’s involvement in education was the enhancement of diversity and accessibility in the education system. President Kabbah in his speech recalled that many of the foundation pupils of the school were almost full-grown adolescents. They came from various tribal groups and from all parts of the then Protectorate. In effect, Bo School opened the door to individuals who were perhaps considered too old to enter a post-primary school. “It enhanced the ability of our traditional leaders, Paramount Chiefs, to serve their communities, including their effective representation in the pre-independence Protectorate Assembly, an advisory body in provincial matters to the British colonial administration. They were equally equipped to represent their communities in the Legislative Council. For instance, until the promulgation of the 1947 Constitution virtually all the Paramount Chiefs representing the Protectorate in the Legislative Council were Old Bo School Boys.”
If you have wondered why OBBA members become lifelong friends and comrades in arms (for good or ill), just think about people staying together for years in the Boarding Department in a school that has its own peculiarities. Let is look at a few peculiarities of Bo school.
I have always wondered about the origin of the names of their dormitories, named after major European cities. This is described in one writing: “The pupils’ quarters comprised four groups of huts, two groups for the Mendes and the other two for the Temnes. The four groups of huts were given names by the pupils themselves after large cities in Britain and Europe. The largest group of huts was called London, the second Liverpool, the third Paris and the fourth Berlin. Berlin was however renamed Manchester in 1914 after the outbreak of the First World War in token manifestation of school boy patriotism.
Some Old Bo Boys could be prime candidates for the International Criminal Court (ICC) because of the way they treated “greeners”. They were expected to be the main source of manual labour for the school; cleaning the campus and making sure that no weeds were allowed to grow, fetching food for seniors too lazy or busy to come to the dining room, and if some seniors found it difficult to sleep, going under their beds to “comfort” them to sleep, a euphemistic term for lying under a bed and pushing it up and down, while the occupant generally felt like a medieval king until he drifted to sleep. Added to this tradition of serfdom, greeners were also drilled-this included a series of painful exercises designed to punish them-frog jumping, rolling on the hot tarmac in front of the dining hall, lying on the hot tarmac and pretending to be dead, were just a few of the exercises according to one Bo school Boy. Foodstuff especially including “Kanya” and garri were confiscated by seniors.
Amidst all of this the Senior Prefect together with his assistants lived in splendour with the most important Minister being the Minister of food and nutrition, a right-hand man of the senior prefect who controlled the “Kondor”-the pride of many boarding departments and the sumptuous meal that was many a time “doubled”.
This rich tradition has made OBBA what it is today, with Old students of Bo school looking back with nostalgia about what they went through with their comrades. Of course,those who persevered and also became seniors enjoyed the perks.
I cannot close if I don’t mention my two best Bo school stories, Whilst I was at Rutile there was a Bo school Boy called Moore, His friends used to provoke him for having being expelled by “Uncle Sheik”, the Principal because of some mix up. Apparently, some Bo school Boys had “broken bounds” but were caught by the Principal in town. He made the announcement at assembly- “Yesterday I caught some boys in town who had broken bounds. I have expelled them. I know of some others and tomorrow, more will go.” On hearing this, Moore who mistakenly thought his name (more for Moore) had been mentioned started pleading, “It was not me alone Sir” and started calling other names. That was how Moore and his friends got expelled from the Bo school.
The same mistaken identity issue caused skirmishes between Bo school and UCC (St, Andrew’s). UCC had a javelin thrower called Worr- I believe he was a Gambian. Every time he threw the javelin at the inter-secondary school sports meet in Bo school compound(far outdistancing the Bo school competitor), they would shout Worr, Worr!. Bo school boys, mistaking “Worr” for “war”, thought UCC was declaring war in their compound- and that how the fighting started!
School days! As Bo school celebrates once more let us be reminded of the words in their school song:
Bo School Beloved our Alma Mater Dear
Devotedly, our thoughts to thee we turn,
In all our ways, from morn till setting sun,
We think of thee, to us who art so dear,
Indeed, the school has been in the forefront of the training of young people for responsibilities of citizenship. As President Kabbah reminded Bo school boys and OBBA members in his 100th anniversary speech, our prayer for them is that they should practise Resourcefulness, Excellence, Tolerance, Good Neighbourliness, Generosity, Honesty and Self-esteem, Loyalty and Patriotism. These must be the values practised by past and present Boys of the School because they are integral parts of what they have been used to and practised in ‘Manners Maketh Man’.
Congratulations, Bo school Boys and genuine OBBA members! Ponder my thoughts.
