One of Africa’s oldest civil society organizations, the Movement for Justice in Africa, will this Saturday go down deep into the memory lane and invoke nostalgia of firebrand advocacy and popular political mobilization of the masses of Liberians. Reportedly, the auditorium of the Garrison William Gibson High School will go ablaze with hypnotizing speeches characteristic of the veterans and ideologues of the Liberian progressive struggle which though was more potent and respected in the 1970s and 1980s but waned lately to internal squabbles and changing national dynamics. It is not known whether the celebration of their 46th Anniversary will reenergize the progressives to make a collective comeback on the political scene or whether it will be a moment of mere reflection and rhetorical display. What is clear is that the lineup of speakers is electrifying. They include motivational speakers such as Dr. Thomas Jaye, Head of Research Institute, University of Liberia; Political Science Professor Comrade Alaric K. Tokpa, Senator Comrade Conmany Wesseh, Comrades Lucia Massalie-Yallah and Aletha Manning among others. The Analyst reports.
The Movement for Justice in Africa (MOJA) will celebrate its 46th Anniversary this Saturday, 23 March, 2019, and it will bring Mojans far and near, youth and students, workers, farmers, marketers, yanna boys, wheel-borrowers, shoe shiners among others together.
It is one day affairs and will be held in the Auditorium of Garrison William Gibson High School located on Haile Selassie Avenue or capitol By-Pass in Monrovia.
MOJA was founded 23 March, 1973, when President William Richard Tolbert administration changed course by adopting liberal tendencies thereby allowing the flourishing of mass based political movement and student groups thus culminating in the formation of the Movement for Justice in Africa (MOJA).
Firstly, the Movement concentrated its liberation support activities to countries in Southern Africa (South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia).
However, it was later realized that the struggle in Southern Africa was not different from what was obtaining in Liberia at the time. Given this similarity, the Movement started working with youth and students, workers and farmers-building mass consciousness to democratize politics in Liberia.
Given changing political dynamics in the country, it became necessary to form a political party that will actively participate in the political process while the Movement continues to work with youth and students, workers and farmers.
At its second Congress 23 March 1980, it was resolved to form a political party thus given birth to the Liberian People’s Party (LPP) in July 1984. After the 1980 military coup de tat, which brought to power the military (People Redemption Council), MOJA activities.
Now, giving that there is now stable political environment in Liberia, in March 2018, the Movement founding Comrades Togba Nah Tipoteh, Amos Claudius Sawyer, Dew Tuan-Wreh Mayson and Henry Boima Fahnbulleh, Jr. and others after series of consultative meetings, set-up an Interim Re-organizing Committee headed by Comrade Tiawan Saye Gongloe was commissioned.
Comrade Gongloe, a professional lawyer who have had several years of experience in political activitism and human rights. Saturday, 23 March, 2019, programme marks the beginning of MOJA activities once again since 1980 in Liberia and Africa in general as a Pan-African Movement.
The ceremony will be executed with several key speakers and they will speak on the Movement’s Anniversary Topic: “The Political Economy, Corruption and Justice System in Liberia.”
Those expected speakers are Comrade Dr. Thomas Jaye, Head of Research Institute, University of Liberia; Political Science Professor Comrade Alaric K. Tokpa, Senator Comrade Conmany Wesseh, Comrades Lucia Massalie-Yallah and Aletha Manning among others.
Background of MOJA
Movement for Justice in Africa (MOJA) is a leftist HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-African” \t “_blank” \o “Pan-African” pan-African political organization that is mostly active in HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberia” \t “_blank” \o “Liberia” Liberia, with chapters in HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana” \t “_blank” \o “Ghana” Ghana and HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gambia” \t “_blank” \o “The Gambia” The Gambia. It was founded in 1973 by HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Togba_Nah_Tipoteh” \t “_blank” \o “Togba Nah Tipoteh” Togba Nah Tipoteh, who is to this day its president. Early members included HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Boimah_Fahnbulleh” \t “_blank” \o “Henry Boimah Fahnbulleh” Henry Boimah Fahnbulleh, HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dew_Tuan-Wreh_Mason&action=edit&redlink=1” \t “_blank” \o “Dew Tuan-Wreh Mason (page does not exist)” Dew Tuan-Wreh Mason, HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Amb._Conmany_B._Wesseh_Sr&action=edit&redlink=1” \t “_blank” \o “Amb. Conmany B. Wesseh Sr (page does not exist)” Amb. Conmany B. Wesseh Sr currently a senator representing River Gee County. HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movement_for_Justice_in_Africa” \l “cite_note-1” \t “_blank” [1] HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_Sawyer” \t “_blank” \o “Amos Sawyer” Amos Sawyer, who served as President of the HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Interim_Government_of_National_Unity&action=edit&redlink=1” \t “_blank” \o “Interim Government of National Unity (page does not exist)” Interim Government of National Unity (IGNU) in 1990-94, and HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kukoi_Samba_Sanyang” \t “_blank” \o “Kukoi Samba Sanyang” Kukoi Samba Sanyang, a Gambian revolutionary who had been one of the leaders of a coup attempt in Banjul in 1981.
MOJA played a pivotal role in the struggle for social justice and democracy in Liberia. Through its sensitization work in the 1970s, it raised national political consciousness to an unprecedentedly high level, radicalizing the mass of urban and rural poor and sections of the military. The heightened political consciousness and the agitation it precipitated led to the collapse of the settler oligarchy which had ruled Liberia in a manner not unlike colonialism for over a century.
MOJA has waned in significance in recent years. But in early 2007, efforts aimed at reviving the movement were initiated.
MOJA participates in elections under the name HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberian_People’s_Party” \t “_blank” \o “Liberian People’s Party” Liberian People’s Party.
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