Freetong Players at 40: The Bold Beginnings of a Cultural Revolution

Chapter 3: The First Generation (1985–1992 – Lashite’s People)
By Charlie Haffner

Follow the journey of 40 years of Freetong players and tell me of anyone, any group, that you may know, in and out of Sierra Leone, that has dared to take that road. It started on precisely 20^th May 1985 when FREETOWN PLAYERS THEATRE GROUP was formed by Charlie and Fatie Haffner, then teachers of Geography, Science Mathematics at Sierra Leone Grammar and Freetown Secondary School for Girls respectively. 20^th May 1985 was the day that I resigned from Tabule Theatre Group and, within a time frame of five hours, formed the Freetown Players.

Actually, the egg had been laid awaiting to be hatched. After fifteen years of sojourning, it was time, I thought, that Tubule changed its trajectory, from being a social drama club of friends, loved ones and spouses, to becoming full-time and going professional.  So impatient I had become, that I grabbed the opportunity the moment it came. From a letter of warning to me, coming from Tabule’ executive, to that of resignation as a reply.

Barely five hours in between.  I had been ‘’smelling the rat’’ approaching, so I grabbed it by the head as soon as it peeked it out.  By the way, Freetown Youth Players was the name of the group that I joined in 1970, that was renamed Tabule Experimental Theatre in 1974 and becoming Tabule Theatre in 1980. This is another story to tell.

The aims of FREETOWN PLAYERS THEATRE GROUP carrying the motto ‘’Drama for all’’, were to:

1. Raise the standard of theatre in Sierra Leone from amateur to professional.
2. Bring theatre to the forefront of all national development endeavours
3. Change the role of Sierra Leone theatre from simply ritual and comedy to becoming a tool for information, communication, sensitization, education, awareness raising and mobilization of a massively illiterate rural nation for socio political change.
4. Put Salone on the world map through international exchanges.
5. Make use of traditional songs and dramas in developing Motivation, Perseverance, Character and Patriotism in Sierra Leone.

The emergence of the group was timely, at a time when:

• Over 90% of the country’s drama groups became paralyzed following government’s ban on theatre performances at Freetown City Hall, the perfect available venue then.
• The then national radio and TV of Sierra Leone were completely non-functional and newspapers could not reach the minority 15% literate population across the country.

UNICEF, focusing on Child Survival & Development, as an international emergency, was about immunizing 75% of pregnant women and children under one year old, against killer but preventable diseases such as tetanus, whooping cough, tuberculosis, polio and measles.

Newly established Marie Stopes Society had messages for pregnant women, lactating mothers and those of childbearing age, on matters of ante and neo-natal, HIV/AIDS, STDs, teenage pregnancy, early marriage and family planning.  So, with a lame, deaf and dumb, handicapped, disabled mass media to convey, inform, communicate, sensitize, educate and entertain a rather ‘’starving’’ public, Freetong Players became the radio, TV, newspaper, town crier, gossiper (‘’Kongosah box’’), and energizer that for the past 40 years has continuously been spinning the wheels of Performance Arts activities in Sierra Leone.

Charlie Haffner, Fatie Haffner, Ernest Coker, Emeric Bickersteth, Foday Mansaray, Karifa Marrah, Tamba Yonda, Tommy Bassie, Abigail Macauley, Saio Mansaray, Abibu Conteh, Panel, Sulaiman Kutay Turay, Lama Rana Barrie, Tutie Haffner, Abraham Anderson (Aba), George Forna, Simeon Nat-John, David Dravie-John. These were:

• The roots that produced the tree that formed the branches that bore the fruits’
• The founder members, the foundation stones that carried the burden and the cross; the trials and the errors in building the goals, philosophy, ideology that would eventually stand the test of time.
• The ones who sacrificed families and friends, with their sweat, tears and trust in joining Charlie & Fatie Haffner in pursuing their daring ambition.
• The ‘’workaholics’’ that knew no rest and had no respite.
• The ‘Alphas’ and the beginners; the ‘sacrificial lambs that stood still despite prevailing odds.
• The first to dare to become full-time paid, professionals, opening a new sector for job opportunities and income generation.
• The ones that took theatre to the streets, villages, local and urban communities and homes of ordinary people nationwide.
• The ones who championed the transition of the role of theatre from that of entertainment and rituals to becoming a tool for disseminating information, enhancing communication, sensitization, creating awareness, promoting Cultural Nationalism and social change
• The ones who elevated the group from local to national, and on to the window of international acclaim.
• The ones that made the maiden trip to the outside world – to nowhere but the United States of America

As we celebrate 40, please join me in remembrance of 25 years of hard work by a late dear wife of exemplary love, conduct and bravery, a wife for better, for worse. Without Fatima Haffner, there would not have been a Freetong Players to celebrate today.

• I also remember that, were it not for the sacrifice and support of my mother, Remie Haffner commonly called ‘’Mama Remie’’, my five siblings, and Fatima’s mother, Ekundayo Mansaray, commonly called ‘’Sayor’’) and Fatima’s five siblings as well, there would not have been a Freetong players to celebrate today.
• If I was not a teacher at the Sierra Leone Grammar School, with Mr Akinwande J. Lashite as Principal, and without support of his wife, Mrs. Lashite, over whose premises the group was born, there would not have been a ‘’Freetong players’’ to celebrate today. It still remains very hard to believe that a no-nonsense principal of the caliber of AJ Lashite, would have allowed a senior teacher, just returning from an international expatriate assignment, to resort to beating bata, shaking shegureh, playing Balanji, blowing mouth organ, dancing bubu, singing joblo-jabla, causing all sorts of noise on the top floor of his residence, every day and night, in the name of drama rehearsals and “foot-go-foot-cam-rubbish”.
• Had Mr. Lashite listened to the many reactionary voices exerting pressure on him to take drastic action against us, but instead displaying compassion and understanding, there would not be a Freetong players to celebrate today.
• If Mr. Lashite had not taken the risk to grant study leave with salary to his senior Geography teacher to study drama and cultural studies, and taking days off school to attend artistic seminars and training workshops, in and out of the country, there would not have been this group of Freetong players to celebrate with today.
• Jah Bless Mr Lashite, Jah bless Mrs. Lashite, Jah bless the Grammar school, for giving rise to the foremost cultural arts institution that ever surfaced in the country.

To be continued.