By G. Watson Richards
“Today, we gather not merely to celebrate a tribe, but to reflect on a people, a culture, a language, a responsibility, and a future. A united Kpelle people must become a stronger force for a united Liberia,” Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo at the National Kpelle Unification Day celebration.
Dr. Yarkpawolo called on the Kpelle people to remain united and use that unity to promote peace, development, and national progress in Liberia.
Speaking Saturday during the National Kpelle Unification Day celebration in Kakata, Dr. Yarkpawolo said Kpelle unity should not be based on division or tribal superiority, but on service, cultural pride, and national responsibility.
“We gather as Kpelle people and as Liberians,” he told the gathering of traditional leaders, elders, government officials, women, youth groups, and members of the National Association of Kpelle and Kpelle-speaking People. Kpelle unity must never be unity against any group. It must be unity for cultural dignity, peace, development, education, women and youth empowerment, and the progress of Liberia,” he stated.
The program was held under the theme, “Kpelle Unity for Cultural Renewal, Peace, Development, and National Progress.”
During his keynote address, Dr. Yarkpawolo reminded the audience that the Kpelle people, as Liberia’s largest ethnic group, have an important role to play in promoting peace and stability in the country.
“We are the largest ethnic group in Liberia, representing over 20 percent of the population,” he said. “This is not merely a statistic; it is a summons to leadership.”
He said the Kpelle people must set an example through peace, discipline, hard work, and commitment to the common good.
“If the Kpelle people are divided, Liberia feels it. If we are united, Liberia benefits,” he added.
Dr. Yarkpawolo also called for unity among Kpelle communities across Liberia and Guinea, stressing those county or regional differences should not separate the people.
“We may speak of Bong Kpelle, Margibi Kpelle, Gbarpolu Kpelle, Lofa Kpelle, Bomi Kpelle, or Guinea Kpelle, but these are descriptions of place, not divisions of destiny,” he said.
A major part of his message focused on preserving the Kpelle language and culture. He warned that many young people are gradually losing touch with their language and traditions.
“When a people lose their language, they lose a library of memory,” Dr. Yarkpawolo said. “Language carries wisdom, prayer, history, place names, family names, and the soul of a people.”
He encouraged parents to speak Kpelle at home and urged schools, churches, mosques, and radio stations to help preserve the language.
“Too many children identify as Kpelle but cannot speak Kpelle,” he said. “This is not progress; it is cultural erosion.”
The EPA Executive Director also praised the role of traditional leaders and elders in maintaining peace and order in communities long before modern government systems.
“Kpelle tradition teaches us that indigenous governance was not in disorder,” he noted. “It had authority, legitimacy, diplomacy, and territorial responsibility.”
On women’s empowerment, Dr. Yarkpawolo said women remain the backbone of families and communities and must be included in leadership and development efforts.
“If we unify the men and leave women behind, we have only organized half of the house,” he said.
He further encouraged young people to stay focused on education, discipline, and positive living.
“Do not only say, ‘I am Kpelle,’” he cautioned. “Ask yourself: Am I honest, hardworking, respectful, learning, serving, building, and avoiding drugs, violence, crime, and destructive behavior?”
Dr. Yarkpawolo proposed the creation of a Kpelle Education and Scholarship Initiative to support students, vocational training, girls’ education, agriculture, environmental science, and entrepreneurship.
“No unification is complete if children remain uneducated and parents remain economically poor,” he said.
Drawing from his experience in environmental governance and his upbringing in Bong County, he also spoke against illegal mining, deforestation, and river pollution.
“A people cannot claim love for their ancestors while destroying the land those ancestors protected for them,” he warned.
He called for responsible development that protects communities and preserves natural resources for future generations.
“Land is not only property,” he said. “Land is memory, livelihood, identity, and a covenant between generations.”
As part of his closing remarks, Dr. Yarkpawolo proposed what he described as a “Kpelle Unification Compact” built around unity, language preservation, responsible leadership, youth and women empowerment, environmental protection, and national service.
“But we can decide that Kpelle unity will mean more than cultural display; it will mean service,” he concluded.
“May Liberia become stronger because the Kpelle people have chosen unity, peace, development, service, and leadership,” he added.
