By Nancy Grace Sewah
Without a doubt, the impact of brass bands especially on thanksgiving, prize giving etc ceremonies as the case may be has not gone unnoticed. It therefore makes sense to look into such activities and to shine a light on significance etc.
The National Secondary School Brass Band Association (NSSBBA) is the parent body for brass bands in Sierra Leone that are registered under its administration, and it was founded in 1992 by those who are now called elderly and SENIOR BAND’s MEN from different school bands in the brass band community in Sierra Leone. The main purpose of forming the NSSBBA then was to forester unity, love and togetherness amongst members of the school brass bands in the country, and there came the slogan, “BAND SUPPORT BAND” which has been a well-known household name in the brass band circle in Sierra Leone. As time goes on, its purpose shifted from merely the aforementioned purposes to a PARENT BODY, with the responsibilities of regulating the activities of its member bands and serving as mediator between its member bands and the public.
The founding members that were Mr. Reginald King, a senior veteran musically inclined and an elder in the band circle, whose home band is the Methodist Boys’ High School, and Mr. Frederick Bowen-John who is another veteran in the band community, whose home band is the Sierra Leone Grammar School Band and other founding members decided to take the association from the act of selecting people in offices to an electioneering process. Since then, officials have been holding their offices in the NSSBBA through elections conducted during the association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) which is being conducted after every two consecutive years which is the stated term for office.
All the past leaders and their leaderships did their bests in moving the association forward, but the now lead Mr. Kenneth Williams’ leadership has been doing extremely well for the association and its member bands since he and his executive took up office in September, 2023.
The association has been in existence for over three decades without being a registered body; with the endless effort of Mr. Kenneth Williams, the incumbent chairman of the association and his executive, the association, NSSBBA is now a registered and recognized body not only in the brass band community, but the state as a whole.
Mr. Williams has these to say in an interview with EXPO TIMES, ‘’the NSSBBA is a big entity and a very important organization in Sierra Leone as a whole for it to continue breeding in MEDIOCRITY, and that has been an outmost concern to me even when I was acting as the National Organizing Secretary and became the full National Organizing Secretary. When I became the chairman of the association in September, 2023, I made a promise to the association that before the first six months of tenure in the office of the NSSBBA, I will have the association fully registered, and to God be the Glory, with the full support of my executive, the NSSBBA was yesterday, Thursday, 1st of February, 2024 awarded a certificate of registration as a certified registered body under the Companies Act No 5 of 2009.”
He made this report in a just concluded ‘Rep Your Band Carnival which took place on the 2nd February, 2024 in the midst of members from different member bands who were presented and all those that attended the carnival at the St. Edwards Primary School, Fort Street, Freetown.
“I have been in the brass band circle in this country for over a decade; I have served as the Acting National Secretary General, and later elected as the National Secretary General under the leaderships of different leaders who made their own efforts in seeing the association succeeded, but I can categorically say with no fear that Mr. Williams’ leadership is exceptional. He is a selfless young energetic leader who wants to see everything good for the association and its members, so he will always go the extra mile to see that happens. Through his residence leadership and hardworking executive, the association has made a historic name which has gone down the history of brass band in the country.” Nancy Grace Sewah, the current Vice Chairlady reported.
Members from member bands were very happy for this great achievement, and they believe that with the kind of people in the present executive and their enthusiastic efforts, the NSSBBA is heading to the highest pick of success with the help of God.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Friday, February 9th, 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
