Redemption

 

Faliku Stephen Dukuly
master brick maker

 Some readers of Revisiting Liberia will know about Faliku S. Dukuly. Duke is a Liberian from a village near Ricks Institute who came to Ricks on a service scholarship years ago--soon after Olu Menjay became the Principal. I have a special place in my heart for this young man; he is one of my Liberian sons. In 2007 while I was at Ricks for the first time I was surprised by the announcement from the Principal that a new service scholarship had been named for me! Faliku was the first recipient.
   Duke graduated from Ricks in 2010. He did well enough to get assistance to go to Cuttington University for a year. Then, in 2011 he competed for the Sam Oni Scholarship to attend Mercer. I was pleased to find out that Faliku was one of two students selected to come to Mercer.
   The next year was a challenge. Duke worked hard at his lessons and, too, invested himself as a servant leader in his community--including at First Baptist Church of Christ at Macon. Everybody who met him loved him. He was--and is--dependable, compassionate, and industrious.
   By the end of the first semester it was becoming clear that the academic challenges might be more than Duke could manage. The issue was not ability so much as it was the difficulty of making a cultural adjustment. Things simply did not work out. When I returned to Liberia in May 2012 with a Mercer on Mission team, Duke was on the plane with us.
   Duke's friends and Liberia and in the States were concerned. Some Liberians can be harsh in the face of changed plans, revised hopes, and opportunities cut short by circumstances. Duke's friends didn't know what would happen when Duke returned sooner than expected and without a Mercer diploma.

getting water from the well
in the refugee camp
near Ricks Institute

  Quickly, however, Duke landed on his feet and, in the process, learned who his real Liberian friends were. They were the ones who offered support and encouragement. Within weeks Duke was back to doing the things at Ricks that defined him as a servant leader.
   These last few weeks I have seen a different Duke. He has matured in many ways and is taking steps toward a brighter future. He is in school in Monrovia at the United Methodist University and doing fine. He also is active on the Ricks campus and is a splendid role model for the students. Read on for more information about that important point.

Mrs. Hawa Sirleaf

   In the refugee camp near Ricks Institute, Faliku and one of his Ricks classmates, Grace Mensah, have launched an ambitious project to build a house for a widow, Mrs. Hawa Sirleaf, and her sister. Building the house includes making mud bricks. Duke, Grace, and volunteers from Ricks are making the bricks one-at-a-time by hand. Already there are nearly 1000 bricks, each about 15 pounds, stacked neatly. By the time the "pole and brick" house is started there will be about 6000 bricks.
   Tomorrow, 16 February 2013, Ricks Institute students will have work day to make mud bricks. I plan to be there, too. I may even get dirty with them. At very least I will try to document the day.
   Today Duke took me to meet Mrs. Hawa Sirleaf in the camp.She and her sister will move into the house when it's done. It was a memorable experience. I saw how she now lives. I watched as she boiled palm oil nuts in the "bush" way. She will sell some of the oil and use the rest; palm oil and rice are staples in the Liberian diet, especially in the bush.
   Mrs. Sirleaf also makes brooms. I saw the parts drying in the sun and asked Faliku about
 the process. He took me to a palm tree and snatched off a parts of a frond and stripped them down to the center spike, all the while describing how to do it. Then he told me that 

my new broom

the spikes (my term) have to cure before they are bundled to make the broom.
   I asked if Mrs. Sirleaf would sell me a broom. "Yes," Duke responded, smiling. "It will cost $10 Liberian (that's about fourteen cents, US). I told Mrs. Sirleaf I was interested in a broom. She stopped what she was doing and went into her living shelter and produced a small bench. Then, back inside, this time emerging with three brooms. She arranged on the bench and began describing the quality. I produced a LD $20 bill and selected one broom. I got a bargin and she had a good day.
   I'm proud of my Liberian broom. I'm even more proud of my Liberian son.