"Monkey Works Baboon Draws"

By: Rev. Torli H. Krua

There is an old saying, "You Reap what You Sow." But in Liberia, there was a saying in the 1980's that describes corruption in government that ran contrary to You Reap what You Sow." It's " Monkey Works, Baboon draws-" Meaning not everyone who sows may reap because until the bottomless pit of the big baboon's stomach if filled, there will be no rewards for those who sow.

I read with interest the posting on AjabuAfrica.com recently (recap here), on why Africans in Massachusetts should excercise their voting rights, and wonder how late in the game it is to sound the alarm. There is an old saying, "better late than never' which maybe appropriate in this case. The fact is simple: "there is time for everything". A time to sow and a time to reap. Those who wait until harvest to reap soon find out in life that it's sometimes, it too late to do certain things.

Many Africans, especially those without proper immigration have a belief they can do nothing. They believe their fate is in the hands of people they don't know, sitting in Washington, who will feel sorry for them and pass an amnesty bill to allow them to travel freely, benefit from public housing, section 8 certificate, voting rights, financial aid and student loans.

They feel they are so powerless; there is nothing they can do but complain about the 'evil' Republicans and 'wicked' immigration system. Many of these powerless go to church every Sunday. Some are even pastors of congregations, shackled with immigration problems. Some have been separated from their spouses and loved ones for years, thanks to the yoke of illegal immigration. When death strikes their family members, they cannot return home. They are in bondage but if you hear them sing at church, you may think they have no problems. Follow them at home and you will find families sinking deep in misery and despair!

Yes, I am also an African, a Christian, a pastor but I totally disagree with the panic methodology. When it comes to immigration, I think it's wrong for pastors and Christians to give people false hope and keep them in bondage endlessly. How long have people have this false hope?

Rev. Torli H. Krua, a Liberian native who is a pastor in Boston and a human rights activist in the USA

Many panic today because they feel they are powerless. However, they believe if only the Democrats win Ted Kennedy's seat, we will have immigration reform.

The reality maybe a bit more than what people are telling us. They say. "If only the Democrats can get a majority in the House and Senate, we will have immigration reform.”We ourselves need to do nothing because we are illegal, afraid and we are foreigners." That is all I hear.

Guess what, in 1993, the Democrats were majority in both houses of Congress and Bill Clinton was also in the White House. We've been there and we've done that.



Please read II Kings 7: 3-
3 Now there were four men with leprosy[c] sitting at the entrance of the city gates. “Why should we sit here waiting to die?” they asked each other.
4 “We will starve if we stay here, but with the famine in the city, we will starve if we go back there. So we might as well go out and surrender to the Aramean army. If they let us live, so much the better. But if they kill us, we would have died anyway.”

5 So at twilight they set out for the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there! 6 For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching. “The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians[d] to attack us!” they cried to one another. 7 So they panicked and ran into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, as they fled for their lives.

8 When the lepers arrived at the edge of the camp, they went into one tent after another, eating and drinking wine; and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and hid it. 9 Finally, they said to each other, “This is not right. This is a day of good news, and we aren’t sharing it with anyone! If we wait until morning, some calamity will certainly fall upon us. Come on, let’s go back and tell the people at the palace.”


Rev. Torli Krua is a human rights activist promoting immigrants rights in the USA. Krua is the founder of Universal Human Rights International and co-founder of YOUNG-Africa (www.young-africa.org). Visit Krua’s blog at : www.youngliberia.org .
Torli Krua is pastor of a Christian church in Boston, MA. A native of Liberia, Krua believes God brought him to America to serve Americans and the diverse ethnic, national and religious communities in the USA. Please, all comments, questions and criticisms are welcome. Contact Krua: Tel: 617-9339391 or email: harlankrua@gmail.com . Thanks.

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