Milton Margai
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=== Women's health reform === |
=== Women's health reform === |
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Margai trained health care workers to instruct female community leaders in the Mende women's religion, the Sande.{{Cite journal|journal = Medical Anthropology Quarterly|volume = 10|issue = 2|pages = 270–286|jstor = 649331|last1 = Jambai|first1 = Amara|title = Maternal Health, War, and Religious Tradition: Authoritative Knowledge in Pujehun District, Sierra Leone|last2 = MacCormack|first2 = Carol|year = 1996|doi=10.1525/maq.1996.10.2.02a00090|pmid = 8744087}} The Sande religion served as a facilitation system of practical knowledge about midwifery passed down by generations of women in the region. In 1948, Margai wrote an article for ''African Affairs'' entitled "Welfare Work in a Secret Society |
Margai trained health care workers to instruct female community leaders in the Mende women's religion, the Sande.{{Cite journal|journal = Medical Anthropology Quarterly|volume = 10|issue = 2|pages = 270–286|jstor = 649331|last1 = Jambai|first1 = Amara|title = Maternal Health, War, and Religious Tradition: Authoritative Knowledge in Pujehun District, Sierra Leone|last2 = MacCormack|first2 = Carol|year = 1996|doi=10.1525/maq.1996.10.2.02a00090|pmid = 8744087}} The Sande religion served as a facilitation system of practical knowledge about midwifery passed down by generations of women in the region. In 1948, Margai wrote an article for ''African Affairs'' entitled "Welfare Work in a Secret Society", in which he discusses his successes in establishing a series of training camps which taught hygiene and domestic skills to young female Sande initiates. In the article, Margai states "It is simply natural that such a society, when correctly approached, will not be very much averse to the idea of infusing in its teachings a correct and more up-to-date information on the subjects it has been trying to teach, provided it does not interfere or expose the secrets of the society."{{Cite journal|last=MARGAI|first=M. A. S.|date=October 1948|title=Welfare Work in a Secret Society|journal=African Affairs|volume=47|issue=189|pages=227–230|doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.afraf.a093668|issn=1468-2621}} |
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Working in concert with local women's groups, Margai helped introduce health and hygiene training into puberty initiation ceremonies. He also trained midwives and was the author of an instruction manual on midwifery in the Mende language. The women whom Margai trained became known as "Mamma Nurses", and were respected for their prowess in midwifery due to Margai's training. |
Working in concert with local women's groups, Margai helped introduce health and hygiene training into puberty initiation ceremonies. He also trained midwives and was the author of an instruction manual on midwifery in the Mende language. The women whom Margai trained became known as "Mamma Nurses", and were respected for their prowess in midwifery due to Margai's training. |
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=== Premiership === |
=== Premiership === |
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While Margai was only Prime Minister for three years, he served as a crucial first figurehead for Sierra Leone at the time of democratisation. In large part, Margai sought to unite the country and build a sense of national identity while becoming a member of the British Commonwealth. Margai was critical of colonialism as such, but also sought to give "credit where it was due |
While Margai was only Prime Minister for three years, he served as a crucial first figurehead for Sierra Leone at the time of democratisation. In large part, Margai sought to unite the country and build a sense of national identity while becoming a member of the British Commonwealth. Margai was critical of colonialism as such, but also sought to give "credit where it was due", saying that if more colonial administrators "had been like Beresford-Stooke, [[Arnold Hodson|Hodson]], [[Richard James Wilkinson|Wilkinson]] and [[Ransford Slater]], colonialism would have had a better reputation. However, most simply were not." He also singled out the referendums held by [[Leslie Probyn]] as a point of praise. Margai sought good relations with the British government after independence. He said he felt "genuine respect" from Prime Minister [[Harold Macmillan]] and that "the respect was mutual." Margai gained the respect of the country's large illiterate population for his reputation as a skilled explainer. He also garnered support from local chiefs, who wielded significant social power at the time, because they respected the work he had done to achieve independence for the country. However, Margai faced criticism for suppressing the political activities of the All People's Congress (APC), Sierra Leone's opposition political party.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sierraleonetrc.org/index.php/view-report-text-vol-3a/item/volume-three-a-chapter-two|title=Sierra Leone TRC – Volume Three A, Chapter Two|last=Carrie|website=www.sierraleonetrc.org|access-date=22 November 2018}} Margai focused heavily on modernisation, particularly in the areas of education, health, and agriculture. Margai allowed local councils and governments to spearhead many improvement projects, but they were ultimately accountable to the central government, and Margai sometimes withheld funding from councils controlled by the opposition party. |
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When Margai became Prime Minister, he left control of the Sierra Leonean national army in the hands of the British.{{Cite journal|title=SAGE Journals: Your gateway to world-class journal research|journal=Journal of Conflict Resolution|volume=60|issue=4|pages=587–616|doi=10.1177/0022002714545332|year = 2016|last1 = Harkness|first1 = Kristen A.|hdl=10023/9391|s2cid=54538341|hdl-access=free}} Slowly, Margai gave more control of the army over to Sierra Leoneans, and by 1964, the army was fairly ethnically heterogenous, with 26% of officers being Mende, 12% Temne, and 64% other groups. Once Margai died, however, his brother Sir Albert Margai took power and sought to make the army homogeneously Mende. |
When Margai became Prime Minister, he left control of the Sierra Leonean national army in the hands of the British.{{Cite journal|title=SAGE Journals: Your gateway to world-class journal research|journal=Journal of Conflict Resolution|volume=60|issue=4|pages=587–616|doi=10.1177/0022002714545332|year = 2016|last1 = Harkness|first1 = Kristen A.|hdl=10023/9391|s2cid=54538341|hdl-access=free}} Slowly, Margai gave more control of the army over to Sierra Leoneans, and by 1964, the army was fairly ethnically heterogenous, with 26% of officers being Mende, 12% Temne, and 64% other groups. Once Margai died, however, his brother Sir Albert Margai took power and sought to make the army homogeneously Mende. |
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