—As Sen. Prince Y. Johnson Vows to Be Absent for Burial
IPNEWS: Since his death on August 30, the authoritative Independent Probe Newspaper has established that not a single member of the Liberian government has visited the family of the late historian and professor Dr. Joseph Saye Guannu.
According to our Nimba County correspondent, the conspicuous absence of government officials, especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is creating uneasiness among citizens of Nimba county.
The abandonment of the prolific historian is said to be blowing tension in the county following late week’s meeting of Chiefs, and Elders meeting with U.S. sanction designee Prince Y. Johnson.
According to sources from the meeting, Senator Prince Johnson vowed nothing to do with the internment of Professor Dr. Joseph Saye Guannu, because of ties with the late interim Liberian President Amos C. Sawyer.
IPNEWS is yet to get a response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the latest report of the late Dr. Joseph Saye Guannu’s
The Late Dr. Joseph Saye Guannu, was Liberia Ambassador to the United States of America, from April 14, 1981, to October 1983, under the reign of United States President Ronald Reagan.
Professor Dr. Joseph Saye Guannu served as Minister of State for Presidential Affairs in the Samuel Doe government as well as the Interim Government of National Unity headed by the now deceased Dr. Amos C. Sawyer.
Senator Prince Y. Johnson has for decade being at heads with members of the Progressives, following the setting of the Interim Government of National Unity headed by the late Dr. Amos C. Sawyer.
Dr. Joseph Saye Guannu died, One of Liberia’s renowned historians at the age of 81, just a few weeks after his 82nd birthday.
His writings made him a national treasure and brought history to life for millions of readers. He dedicated most of his life to trying to share his passion for history with the general public. He saw himself as an everyman blessed with lifelong curiosity and the chance to take on the subjects he cared most about.
Dr. Joseph Saye Guannu died on August 29, at about 8:43 p.m. in Ganta City, Nimba after a protracted period of illness. He had been out of public sight and livingly quietly in his home city of Sanniquellie with his grandson as a caregiver.
Born on September 17, 1940, Guannu was a Liberian academic, diplomat, and historian, who founded the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution at Cuttington University. He was one of the country’s greatest and most politically respected historians whose work was widely read by many and continues to be. He was sought after for his insights on Liberian history.
And during his lifetime, he authored several books, most notable of which are Liberia History before 1857, Liberian History up to 1847, and the inaugural addresses of the Presidents of Liberia from Joseph Jenkins Roberts to William Richard Tolbert Jr. (1848 -1976).
Others include An Introduction to Liberian government: The first Republic and the People’s Redemption Council from 1983-1985, Liberian Civics 2004-2010; and The Perennial Problems of Liberian History 1989, and Nation-states and challenges of regional integration in West Africa, among other captivating and educative writings.
His writings made him a national treasure and brought history to life for millions of readers. He dedicated most of his life to trying to share his passion for history with the general public. He saw himself as an everyman blessed with lifelong curiosity and the chance to take on the subjects he cared most about.
A former Liberian ambassador to the United States of America, Guannu was one of Liberia’s most prominent historians ever and a strong voice for understanding the importance of both Liberia’s settler and indigenous histories in efforts toward reconciliation. He also served as Minister of State for Presidential Affairs in the Samuel Doe government as well as the Interim Government of National Unity headed by the now deceased Dr. Amos C. Sawyer.
But before his passing, the revered historical figure was bedridden and confined to a wheelchair at his home in Sanniquellie.
Yesterday after relapsing, he was taken to Ganta but, according to a family source, he did not make it. The illness, which he had been battling for a very long period, forced him to halt all of his writing projects, one of which was History of the Origin of Nimba, according to his grandson Prince Guannu.
Beyond academia, Guannu was known for writing several deeply researched and popular works about history, diplomacy, and statesmanship. And by writing several books that are still used as textbooks today and correcting numerous historical inaccuracies, he distinguished himself among Liberian history writers.
