Miracles and wonders never end, this is what our reporter based in Kenema city Saffa Moriba went out to prove about a traditional healer Dr. Alpha Koroma commonly known as “Labwai” which in the Mende language means great and wonderful.
Labwai was on Sunday 18th July 2010 awarded a certificate by the national President of the Sierra Leone Indigenous Traditional Healers Union (SLITHU) Dr. Alhaji Sulaiman Kabba at the Holy Trinity hall along Blama Road in Kenema City for his outstanding performance in the dispensation of traditional medicines in the sub region.
Dr. Alpha Koroma was born at Doujou village in the Small Bo Chiefdom Kenema District to Pa Alhaji Alpha Koroma and Iye Koroma.
Dr. Koroma when in his teens started schooling at the Islamic primary school Doujou village and at the same time learning the Quran.
He was regarded by many in the village as a boy who did not take his studies seriously because he was always fond of beating a musical instrument known as “kilie” in Mende and at the same time singing and dancing. Even when he is asked to go to the farm to scare birds away, he is always with his ‘kilie,’ beating and singing. With the ‘kilie’ he always abandoned home and schooling to attend to all dancing festivals within and around his village all to the amusement of the public. A situation which some family members condemned that gave cause to his father to send him out of the village to his brother- in law Solomon Gandi and his wife Musu at Jaiama Bongor in the Southern region for him to learn the Quran. He was subsequently handed over to the uncle of Solomon Gandi, Kamoh Sengbei as his Quranic teacher at Juhun village at Jaiama Bongor. For some time he refused to learn the Quran.
One day his karmoh called him and shaved his head with a razor blade and then rubbed his hands on his head, he then put the Quran board on his lap and wrote on his left hand. From that moment Koroma developed interest in Quranic education. He cannot really tell what miracle his teacher performed to change his interest to learning. His karmoh always travelled with him and if he did not go with him he always left his room in his care alone. At one time while in charge of the room he took and ate some of the food that was always boiling in his Karmoh’s room. Few days after eating the food he was taken away into the bush by some spirits to an unknown place into the forest at the start of the fasting month for about three weeks. The entire village became worried and a search team was dispatched into the bush to locate him but no avail. Koroma said while in the bush the spirits fed him and at the same time taught him the Quran and showed him several leaves that he will use to help mankind. He was later brought to town after spending some weeks with them in the bush, but later continued to pay similar visits to the bush.
He said when the war finally reached them at Jaiama Bongor in 1992, he was captured by rebels and was beaten up because he failed to show where the entire village had fled to. He said he managed to escape from the rebels and fled to Godie in Jaiama Borgor. Three days after his stay in Godie village they were also attacked but he managed to escape and fled to Bo city.
In Bo town he was asked by his dad to start the Western education as he had mastered the Quran studies. He entered the Milton Comprehensive Secondary School then the Commercial Secondary School in Bo city and later entered the Bo Teachers College after persistent pressure from his Aunt Mrs. Margaret Foday a staff at the college and later graduated with a Teacher’s Certificate in 1997.
He started his wonderful acts at the college and after graduation he joined a cultural group known as NACBO in Bo town aimed at promoting culture in the Southern region and was employed as the Training Officer for the South. Dr. Koroma said one night he was approached by his spirits who asked him to prepare himself that he would soon leave his present position for more wonderful performance that will enable him to help mankind in the world.
He says since 1989 he has been helping mankind and he disclosed that he has travelled to many West African countries among them Guinea, Senegal, The Gambia and Liberia. He has also won all competitions that he has attended to in and out of the country, and is very proud of Sierra Leone because he has put his country on the map by winning competitions on behalf of Sierra Leone.
Dr. Koroma is married to Madam Mary Koroma and both are blessed with two children a boy and a girl Mua and Kadie Koroma. Doctor named his spirits that he works with as Alhaji Alia, Alhaji Arajiru and Haja Mary. When asked what he wants to do personally for Sierra Leone as a nation he said he wants the government and the President of SLITHU to give him the permission and support to clean the country of people he described as evil herbalists who are being used by fellow country men to kill innocent citizens for their own selfish ends, by using witch gun “fangay” and other means.
To see and get in touch with Dr. Alpha Koroma someone needs to go through his Chairman J. J. Banya, Secretary Denis Sorsorwa and PRO Sahr Momorie at 5 Konneh drive Ndiema section along Wahman Abu Road in Kenema city. Email: doctoralphakoroma@gmail.com
By Saffa Moriba