The “‘man in the arena” is Dr. Amadou Samateh, and his gallant health workers.
Certainly it is in moments of adversity, of great calamity, of seemingly insurmountable crisis, of unprecedented disasters and emergencies, of void created by the absence of others who should have been at the vanguard, that we know who the real leader is. Certainly out of such great leaders also emerged, the “Great Crisis Theory”.
The one who is able to fill the void, galvanise support, channel energies to one direction, whip national fervour, provide a vision, keep national spirit high, heighten optimism and instil hope in a hopeless situation, is certainly a great leader.
Leadership is exhibited when hope is at rock bottom, at its nadir. And Dr. Samateh and staff are providing the much needed succour, comfort for people who are scared of what the morrow will hold for them, hope for people who are afraid of what damage Covid-19 is capable of doing.
The leader is the one who is in the trenches with his or her foot soldiers, motivating them, taking the blows also, falling down and getting up regardless, visioning the future and communicating consistently to boost morale.
That is the leader, one who is exemplary, fashioning the way, taking the bullets, running through fire first, enduring sleepless nights, being selfless and up and running because the services of the nation are greater and more urgent.
Guess Theodore Roosevelt was also referring to men and women like Dr. Samateh when he said:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
This storm too, like others before it will also come pass albeit at serious, colossal cost to humanity. But we will weather it, through effective leadership. I know though that they say “success has many fathers” but this our own when we win over it, we would know who to honour.
Meanwhile all over the world, except in our own, we are seeing entire Cabinet coming out to provide updates on Covid-19 and what their Ministries are doing, to give hope, to salute efforts, to encourage…. In our case, only one Man is in the arena.
Kudos to Dr. Samateh and his team. I am proud of you all. For our health and protection, you are sacrificing your. There is no greater honour.
And he is from Kiang
My Kiang
Kiang of the my ancestors, the proud warriors
Kiang of the beautiful belles whose beauty mesmerizes
Kiang where my heart lies
