Last week Monday, 29th July was a proud day for Mariama Koroma and her family in particular, but also for her broader Sierra Leone family in general. In the 57 KG Women’s Elimination Round of 16 at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Sierra Leone’s 17-year-old judo player, Mariama Koroma, competed against 36-year-old Taiwanese judo player Lien Chen-ling. It was Mariama’s first exposure on such a big stage. She was paired against a three times Olympian. Mariama lost the bout, but won the respect and admiration of well-meaning Sierra Leoneans who cheered for her from all corners across the globe.
During the relatively short bout, Mariama gave a good account of herself than most people would do in their lifetime. Her courage and strength invoked the spirits of the likes of Madam Yoko. Her bravery and fearless posture featured prominently like mount Bintumany. With that innocent smile of a daring 17 year old, Mariama tried to cleanly throw, to pin, or to master her opponent. She did so by applying pressure to her arm joints, to the neck to cause her opponent to yield. She did not succeed that time, but she used her defeat to announce her arrival and that of Sierra Leone on the judo stage.
The characteristics of the Olympic Games are unique. Among their special features are their wide family and generational appeal, their universal values and their unity in time, place and action. The Games are far more than a sporting event, generating legacy in culture, education and sports participation. Mariama used her space and time to showcase the strength, character, determination and courage of the Sierra Leonean girl child.
The Olympic Games Celebrations should be a time for hope, unity and celebration. Introducing divisive rhetoric and unfounded mockery during such an event undermines its purpose. It was shameful and demeaning to see how quick some of our countrymen took to social media to disparage a brave lady who represented us with such distinction. The problem is not with Mariama, or her performance, but with us, that we have allowed hate and envy to consume the best in us. In the days after the event, she has become a lightning rod for ridicule.
In life, no matter how bonded people are together or connected by blood, friendships, intimacies, religions, fraternities, or relationships, everyone cannot be on the same side. This is true in every aspect of life, including sports. Mariama represented a country in which about 80% of the population do not know that a person who practice judo is called a JUDOKA. She may not have had access to the best coaches of the sport. In the best of times Sierra Leone cannot boast of the best training equipment or facilities. At 17, she had to balance school work with her training, and in most cases she probably did not have the proper nutritional requirements for the sport. It was against this backdrop that Mariama boldly rose to the challenge. She refused to be intimidated. Amidst the cacophony of doubts and mockery, she was determined like Bai Bureh, to proclaim to the world that Sierra Leone has arrived on the judo stage.
The message was strong. She did so with grace and passion. It was painful to watch as non-Sierra Leoneans at the event applauded her efforts with a standing ovation, while some of her countrymen raced to social media to cry her down. If we cannot find commonality in the strength of a 17 year old lady flying our national flag on the international stage, the question begs an answer, what else can us form consensus around?
What does it say about our collective patriotism when we glee over the defeat of a 17 years old prodigy who was brave enough to represent us? What happened to our decency and sense of appreciation? Why have our vision become so blurry that we are incapable of seeing the good in others. We are not trying to sound esoteric, but the solution to this new national charade of shaming each other lies in all of us to see the good in each other.
Mariama deserves our praises; all the athletes who represented us deserve our praises. They have done us proud. Let us raise our voices around their efforts and give a resounding shout: Congratulations Mariama!
