By: Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe
“The Role of the Minister of Information:
Dr. Edward Beyan Kesselly Remembered
The role of a Minister of Information is not to attack critics or defend mistakes. The true responsibility is to inform, educate, and inspire the people of Liberia about what their government is doing—its policies, its programs, its development projects, and even the Constitution itself. This must be done in simple English so that every Liberian—whether farmer, student, market woman, or town chief—can understand.
Few ministers embodied this role better than Dr. Edward Beyan Kesselly, who served as Minister of Information in the mid-1970s. He was not content to remain in Monrovia. He traveled across Liberia to explain President William R. Tolbert’s vision of self-reliance and integrated rural development. Dr. Kesselly reminded Liberians that government was not only those in offices, but all Liberians working together to build the nation through self-help. President Tolbert called this a “wholesome functioning society.”
Under Dr. Kesselly’s leadership, the Ministry of Information became a tool of public education and national mobilization. His team crafted powerful slogans that became part of national life: “The soil is a bank,” “Grow more food,” and “From mat to mattress.” These were not empty words. They were messages of empowerment. Even the coins Liberians carried in their pockets bore these ideas: the one-dollar coin carried “Self-Reliance,” and the twenty-five-cent coin carried “Grow More Food.”
The Ministry used every medium available—radio, drama, cultural performances—to bring government policies to life. Through the work of dramatists like the late Peter Ballah and the Liberian National Cultural Troupe, ordinary citizens heard and understood the meaning of policies in their own language and cultural setting.
Equally important, Dr. Kesselly listened. He paid attention to the views of the people and ensured government responded where correction was needed. For example, some national holidays that were seen as divisive were removed from the calendar under his watch. In this way, he made government responsive, not reactive—a partner of the people, not a defender of itself.
The impact was clear. Informed and motivated, Liberians began to build for themselves. Schools, clinics, town halls, and roads were built by communities, often with only small help from government. In my own Glehyee Zorpeay, the people built their school and even constructed the road from Gbanquoi to Zekepa. In that same spirit, my family and I built an auditorium and library on the Glehyee Zorpeay school campus in memory of my late father, Teacher Wilfred Kehleboe Gongloe who was burried by the people on the school campus. This was the power of information leadership—it did not divide; it united and inspired.
Today, the contrast is troubling. Unlike the days of Minister Kesselly, companies such as Bea Mountain, ArcelorMittal, Orange, and Lonestar are more visible to the Liberian people than their own government. These companies use radio programs, advertisements, and dramas to explain their plans and demonstrate their importance to the lives of ordinary Liberians. Meanwhile, the government’s ARREST Agenda remains largely unknown to the very people it is meant to serve.
Where are the slogans to inspire? Where are the dramas and cultural performances to inform? Where is the plan for a National Cultural Center? Can there be effective tourism without a cultural center? These were the very priorities that Dr. Edward Beyan Kesselly placed at the heart of his work at the Ministry of Information.
The lesson is clear: the Ministry of Information must not be reduced to propaganda. Its mission is to build trust between the government and the people by providing clear, truthful, and accessible information. It must motivate citizens to become active partners in national development, not make them indifferent, scornful, or passive recipients of government messages via the Ministry of Information.
“A wise man changes. Therefore, if Liberia is to move forward, today’s leaders must return to the example of Dr. Edward Beyan Kesselly. He showed that with clarity, discipline, respect for the people, and a willingness to listen, the Ministry of Information can be one of the most powerful tools for national progress.”
