A Man from Another Land: How Finding My Roots Changed My Life by Washington Isaiah

Author:Washington, Isaiah [Washington, Isaiah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: BIO002000
ISBN: 9781599954264
Publisher: Center Street
Published: 2011-04-27T00:00:00+00:00

The morning was bright and calm. I wore my “good luck scrubs,” because it was hot and everything else I had was dirty. They were the same scrubs I wore for good luck on the days I had to shoot scenes performing surgery. They were given to me while doing research for my TV role. I observed my first open heart surgery in these scrubs, performed by Dr. John Robertson, a cardiothoracic surgeon, at the Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. He was amazing to watch.

I was excited for the ceremony and what the day might bring. There were children lined up along the road as we drove to Gerihun for the ceremony. It was beautiful to see. Then I suddenly had a strong feeling of recognition, another huge déjà vu moment. Suddenly, I realized, this was it! This is what my dream, “the Rerun,” had been about for so many years. I wasn’t crazy, well, not totally… my DNA and my dreams had delivered me to this day.

I asked Raymond to stop the SUV. I got out and walked a few yards away and stopped. I had the distinct feeling that I had been on that very spot before. Nearby, there was a tiny bridge. I walked across it and just stood there, quiet, still. A woman and child were bathing in the stream below me. They looked just like the people in my dream. I know it sounds crazy, but I knew this was “the Rerun” playing itself out right there before me; this was my dream actually materializing! It would be impossible for me to try to explain to anyone what I was feeling at that exact moment. To be there, in that moment, after so many years of dreaming about it, the verisimilitude rendered me speechless. I continued to stand there, stock-still, taking in the scene for several minutes. I feared any perceptible movement might disrupt what was taking place, might, like waking up, make it disappear. I was afraid to move.

I turned around and slowly walked back to the SUV and climbed in. I was anxious to continue on to meet with Paramount Chief Demby, Josephine Demby, and Chief Lamin and see what more would unfold. When I got out of the car, I could hear the sound of a horn blowing. It was a magnificent and ancient sound, familiar yet foreign. I soon realized that was meant to signify to everyone that I had arrived.

I was shocked to learn that the plans for the day were to make me a bona fide chief and not just an “honorary” one. I also had no concept of the huge responsibility the title of chief would eventually bring. Nyande Manga, Raymond’s mother, was convinced that I would be fulfilling an ancient prophecy for the nation of Sierra Leone and the Manga legacy. I later learned that even Raymond Scott-Manga himself had not been made a chief. Raymond reminded me that Uncle Julius T. Manga and

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.