By Sakui Malakpa
The Perspective Atlanta, Georgia November 6, 2021
Ma Edith Nahwelee Dahwomeh Curran Indeed, it is difficult to find enough adjectives to describe Ma Edith Nahwelee Dahwomeh Curran. We do not know the exact year, let alone the date of Nahwelee’s birth but from all analyses, it is suspected she was born in 1919. Her father, Yanagi Mator was among others who migrated from Guinea to Kpaiyea in Liberia. After they settled, they planted corn which grew enormously. They, therefore, named the place Kpaiyea, meaning, a hill of corn. Mr. Mator established the section of town (commonly called quarter) the family occupies to this date. Mr. Yangai Mator and his wife, Yangai Luopu, commonly known as Apu, had two boys, Kawkawfleh and Flomoku, and two girls, Kortoe and Nahwelee. While in the marketplace one day in the late 1920s, a cottonwood tree fell across the marketplace and killed many people. Nahwelee was among the injured to the extent that, when taken to the Curran Lutheran Hospital established in Zorzor, Liberia in 1924, the doctor had little choice but to amputate Nahwelee’s leg below the knee. Unfortunately, Nahwelee’s people did not think she would ever amount to anything or anyone of significance with an amputated leg. Conversely, missionaries such as Dr. J. D. Curran, Miss Esther Bacon, and Miss M. Bongor fitted the young lady with a prosthetic leg, took her under their wings, and showed her enormous love. Ms. Bacon encouraged her to be courageous while Dr. Curran supported Nahwelee in school. Nahwelee, therefore, took on a new name, Edith Curran, in appreciation of the love Dr. Curran and his wife showed her. The Currans not only supported Edith through eighth grade but led her to the nursing field. By the late 1930s and early 1940s, Edith Curran became a licensed nurse, a true trailblazer in that field. Upon becoming a nurse, one of the first things Edith did was to pay twenty dollars to free her older sister, Kortoe from a bondage marriage to a powerful chief, Chief Gbegbay. She took her sister back to Zorzor along with Sartor and Palaa, the two children Kortoe had with the chief. She also took in her brothers’ children and the children of Mr. Cole, a tall relative. Likewise, she took her mother, Ma Apu to Zorzor where great grandma stayed until the civil war when she passed away at about the age of 105. After moving to Zorzor, Kortoe, Edith’s sister, met and married Mr. Moses Jensen, a man from the Belleh country who traveled to the hospital for surgery. They had two boys and two girls (Kulubo, deceased, duma, Yama, and Stephen). Edith took in those children. Additionally, the children Edith took into her home later began to get children; they were Edith’s grandchildren. Beyond them, Edith took in children of relatives and non-relatives; yes she adopted many children, including this grateful writer. Thus, she became Ma Edith until she went to be with the Lord. In addition to taking in children and grandchildren, Ma Edith, whom the community did not think would amount to anyone of significance, return to Kpaiyea and established a village. She made the biggest rice and sugar cane farm in the entire town, but the farm had more than rice and sugar cane. There were goats, pigs, cows, chickens, and more. She also grew cocoa and coffee. She employed people from the area to work on the farm. The farm also became a source for vacation jobs for students who dearly needed to earn little money to enable them to return to school. The farm exists to this day. Taking in children and making a big farm were not easy tasks for Ma Edith. Despite her being amputated, she had to work hard, very hard. She traveled as a nurse to various villages in the area and into Guinea to care for patients, some of whom were taken back to the hospital. Moreover, she was an ardent believer in education; she ensured all who lived in her house went to school. Later, with the help of Wilson Tokpa, one of her children, she started a kindergarten school in her house for the neighbors’ children who could not afford to attend the government or Lutheran school. Ma Edith’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have fond memories of and deep profound appreciation for their matriarch. Lady Demoe Johnson said Ma Edith loved without boundaries. Ma Edith’s faith in God was a shining example for her. For instance, Ma Edith gave a thousand dollars for Fali, one of her grandchildren, to start a ministry. This became Mission Of Faith which is thriving and expanding today with a church in Liberia and a 501C3 status in the United States. Stephen Jensen remembers ma Edith as a hard worker despite her disability. She held down the family as a single female. Similarly, Rennie Curran remembers Ma Edith as one who loved deeply; she did not choose and pick among people. Rennie also did not realize his mother’s impact on others until he took a vacation job with the late Pastor Dugulu who assigned him to Buluyeama, one of three clans in Zorzor District. Wherever Rennie went, when people knew Ma Edith was his mother, he was received enthusiastically as one person after another narrated the kindness Ma Edith showed them when they attended the hospital. Similar compliments could be heard in other clans in the Zorzor District, parts of Liberia, and across borders into Sierra Leone and Guinea. Like her siblings, Esther Curran remembers ma Edith as her mother and father, a courageous and hard-working lady who was strong, caring, and determined. She did not allow her disability to deter her. She always told her children that if others could succeed, they could too. Additionally, she gave, gave, and gave. She fed strangers whom she suspected of being hungry. Moreover, she loved and feared God, and taught her children to do the same. These lifetime examples have stuck with Esther and other children. Josie Curran, who is a nurse, remembers her mother-in-law as one who was a generous giver; she always gave people her best. Josie, who stood over the old mom when she gave up her last, remembers ma Edith as one who was very brilliant, clean, adamant about proper nutrition, passionate about nursing, strong in faith, curious to learn new things, and always grateful. When people thank Josie for taking care of Ma Edith—and deservedly so—Josie always says she could not possibly match the love Ma Edith showed her; ma Edith loved her first, sincerely, and deeply. She is thankful to god that Ma Edith did not suffer in giving up her last; she passed quietly and peacefully. Duma Jensen, the oldest of the children now, shares the views of his siblings. He remembers Ma Edith’s ambition to educate anyone who went through her house. Duma stresses that whatever he is, and whomever he has become, the catalyst was ma Edith sending him, the late William Curran, and Rennie Curran to the Lutheran Training Institute, LTI. “She sent us on our way,” duma concluded with palpable gratitude. Ma Edith Nahwelee Dahwomeh Curran Similarly, Yama Jensen remains exceedingly grateful to ma Edith. She remembers ma Edith returning home after a midnight shift but not resting. Rather, ma Edith would go around town to find something for the children to eat. Yama added, “She sacrificed for everyone. With all she had, she still gave and gave.” Moreover, ma Edith’s emphasis on faith and prayer remains with Yama to this day. Wilson Tokpa also expressed gratitude to Ma Edith. He is grateful for Ma Edith’s strong faith and unselfish attitude which she passed on to him and other children. He is grateful for ma Edith’s insistence on sound education and Ma Edith’s boundless love and generosity. I will be remiss if I fail to mention how Ma Edith loved me sincerely as her son. On my account, she took in my first girlfriend. Besides, she was always there with motherly advice and, of course, her touching Bible verses. Doubtless, she was a nonpareil in terms of loving and caring for people. No doubt, each person is grateful to Ma Edith for the example she set, for the manner in which she gave and gave despite a disability. Unfortunately, we could not talk to all the children; we did not talk to any of the grandchildren or great-grandchildren although we benefited from a tribute Amelia Tokpa-Addy wrote a couple of years ago to her grandmother. Indeed, enough cannot be said about Ma Edith Curran for her impact was huge and far-reaching. Hence, Amelia, who is a nurse, reminds us: “Grandma is featured in a book Titled "Outlaw for God; The Esther Bacon Story". In 2011, the ‘Dame Grand Commander in the Humane Order of African Redemption’ distinction was Conferred on Grandma by the then President of the Republic of Liberia, H.E. Madame Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.” In sum, the truth remains that, despite her height and disability, Ma Edith was a towering figure who touched many lives, including Peace Corps teachers who lived in her house. Therefore, Zorzor District, Lofa County, Liberia, and indeed the world have irreplaceably lost a great one. However, while we remain ever grateful to this great lady, and as she continues her homeward journey in the arms of smiling angels, we take solace in the legacy she left behind, namely, the example she set for us to emulate. Thank you, thank you, and thank you Ma Edith Curran!
Indeed, it is difficult to find enough adjectives to describe Ma Edith Nahwelee Dahwomeh Curran. We do not know the exact year, let alone the date of Nahwelee’s birth but from all analyses, it is suspected she was born in 1919. Her father, Yanagi Mator was among others who migrated from Guinea to Kpaiyea in Liberia. After they settled, they planted corn which grew enormously. They, therefore, named the place Kpaiyea, meaning, a hill of corn. Mr. Mator established the section of town (commonly called quarter) the family occupies to this date. Mr. Yangai Mator and his wife, Yangai Luopu, commonly known as Apu, had two boys, Kawkawfleh and Flomoku, and two girls, Kortoe and Nahwelee. While in the marketplace one day in the late 1920s, a cottonwood tree fell across the marketplace and killed many people. Nahwelee was among the injured to the extent that, when taken to the Curran Lutheran Hospital established in Zorzor, Liberia in 1924, the doctor had little choice but to amputate Nahwelee’s leg below the knee. Unfortunately, Nahwelee’s people did not think she would ever amount to anything or anyone of significance with an amputated leg. Conversely, missionaries such as Dr. J. D. Curran, Miss Esther Bacon, and Miss M. Bongor fitted the young lady with a prosthetic leg, took her under their wings, and showed her enormous love. Ms. Bacon encouraged her to be courageous while Dr. Curran supported Nahwelee in school. Nahwelee, therefore, took on a new name, Edith Curran, in appreciation of the love Dr. Curran and his wife showed her. The Currans not only supported Edith through eighth grade but led her to the nursing field. By the late 1930s and early 1940s, Edith Curran became a licensed nurse, a true trailblazer in that field. Upon becoming a nurse, one of the first things Edith did was to pay twenty dollars to free her older sister, Kortoe from a bondage marriage to a powerful chief, Chief Gbegbay. She took her sister back to Zorzor along with Sartor and Palaa, the two children Kortoe had with the chief. She also took in her brothers’ children and the children of Mr. Cole, a tall relative. Likewise, she took her mother, Ma Apu to Zorzor where great grandma stayed until the civil war when she passed away at about the age of 105. After moving to Zorzor, Kortoe, Edith’s sister, met and married Mr. Moses Jensen, a man from the Belleh country who traveled to the hospital for surgery. They had two boys and two girls (Kulubo, deceased, duma, Yama, and Stephen). Edith took in those children. Additionally, the children Edith took into her home later began to get children; they were Edith’s grandchildren. Beyond them, Edith took in children of relatives and non-relatives; yes she adopted many children, including this grateful writer. Thus, she became Ma Edith until she went to be with the Lord. In addition to taking in children and grandchildren, Ma Edith, whom the community did not think would amount to anyone of significance, return to Kpaiyea and established a village. She made the biggest rice and sugar cane farm in the entire town, but the farm had more than rice and sugar cane. There were goats, pigs, cows, chickens, and more. She also grew cocoa and coffee. She employed people from the area to work on the farm. The farm also became a source for vacation jobs for students who dearly needed to earn little money to enable them to return to school. The farm exists to this day. Taking in children and making a big farm were not easy tasks for Ma Edith. Despite her being amputated, she had to work hard, very hard. She traveled as a nurse to various villages in the area and into Guinea to care for patients, some of whom were taken back to the hospital. Moreover, she was an ardent believer in education; she ensured all who lived in her house went to school. Later, with the help of Wilson Tokpa, one of her children, she started a kindergarten school in her house for the neighbors’ children who could not afford to attend the government or Lutheran school. Ma Edith’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have fond memories of and deep profound appreciation for their matriarch. Lady Demoe Johnson said Ma Edith loved without boundaries. Ma Edith’s faith in God was a shining example for her. For instance, Ma Edith gave a thousand dollars for Fali, one of her grandchildren, to start a ministry. This became Mission Of Faith which is thriving and expanding today with a church in Liberia and a 501C3 status in the United States. Stephen Jensen remembers ma Edith as a hard worker despite her disability. She held down the family as a single female. Similarly, Rennie Curran remembers Ma Edith as one who loved deeply; she did not choose and pick among people. Rennie also did not realize his mother’s impact on others until he took a vacation job with the late Pastor Dugulu who assigned him to Buluyeama, one of three clans in Zorzor District. Wherever Rennie went, when people knew Ma Edith was his mother, he was received enthusiastically as one person after another narrated the kindness Ma Edith showed them when they attended the hospital. Similar compliments could be heard in other clans in the Zorzor District, parts of Liberia, and across borders into Sierra Leone and Guinea. Like her siblings, Esther Curran remembers ma Edith as her mother and father, a courageous and hard-working lady who was strong, caring, and determined. She did not allow her disability to deter her. She always told her children that if others could succeed, they could too. Additionally, she gave, gave, and gave. She fed strangers whom she suspected of being hungry. Moreover, she loved and feared God, and taught her children to do the same. These lifetime examples have stuck with Esther and other children. Josie Curran, who is a nurse, remembers her mother-in-law as one who was a generous giver; she always gave people her best. Josie, who stood over the old mom when she gave up her last, remembers ma Edith as one who was very brilliant, clean, adamant about proper nutrition, passionate about nursing, strong in faith, curious to learn new things, and always grateful. When people thank Josie for taking care of Ma Edith—and deservedly so—Josie always says she could not possibly match the love Ma Edith showed her; ma Edith loved her first, sincerely, and deeply. She is thankful to god that Ma Edith did not suffer in giving up her last; she passed quietly and peacefully. Duma Jensen, the oldest of the children now, shares the views of his siblings. He remembers Ma Edith’s ambition to educate anyone who went through her house. Duma stresses that whatever he is, and whomever he has become, the catalyst was ma Edith sending him, the late William Curran, and Rennie Curran to the Lutheran Training Institute, LTI. “She sent us on our way,” duma concluded with palpable gratitude.
Similarly, Yama Jensen remains exceedingly grateful to ma Edith. She remembers ma Edith returning home after a midnight shift but not resting. Rather, ma Edith would go around town to find something for the children to eat. Yama added, “She sacrificed for everyone. With all she had, she still gave and gave.” Moreover, ma Edith’s emphasis on faith and prayer remains with Yama to this day. Wilson Tokpa also expressed gratitude to Ma Edith. He is grateful for Ma Edith’s strong faith and unselfish attitude which she passed on to him and other children. He is grateful for ma Edith’s insistence on sound education and Ma Edith’s boundless love and generosity. I will be remiss if I fail to mention how Ma Edith loved me sincerely as her son. On my account, she took in my first girlfriend. Besides, she was always there with motherly advice and, of course, her touching Bible verses. Doubtless, she was a nonpareil in terms of loving and caring for people. No doubt, each person is grateful to Ma Edith for the example she set, for the manner in which she gave and gave despite a disability. Unfortunately, we could not talk to all the children; we did not talk to any of the grandchildren or great-grandchildren although we benefited from a tribute Amelia Tokpa-Addy wrote a couple of years ago to her grandmother. Indeed, enough cannot be said about Ma Edith Curran for her impact was huge and far-reaching. Hence, Amelia, who is a nurse, reminds us: “Grandma is featured in a book Titled "Outlaw for God; The Esther Bacon Story". In 2011, the ‘Dame Grand Commander in the Humane Order of African Redemption’ distinction was Conferred on Grandma by the then President of the Republic of Liberia, H.E. Madame Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.” In sum, the truth remains that, despite her height and disability, Ma Edith was a towering figure who touched many lives, including Peace Corps teachers who lived in her house. Therefore, Zorzor District, Lofa County, Liberia, and indeed the world have irreplaceably lost a great one. However, while we remain ever grateful to this great lady, and as she continues her homeward journey in the arms of smiling angels, we take solace in the legacy she left behind, namely, the example she set for us to emulate. Thank you, thank you, and thank you Ma Edith Curran!