John Karefa-Smart

John Albert Musselman Karefa-Smart (17 June 1915 – 26 August 2010) was a

A medical doctor by profession, Karefa-Smart was one of the founding fathers of the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) in 1951. He was one of Sir Milton Margai's closest political advisors and a close personal friend. From 1957 to 1964, Karefa-Smart was a Member of Parliament of Sierra Leone from Tonkolili District.

After the death of Prime Minister Milton Margai in 1964, Karefa-Smart challenged Albert Margai for the SLPP leadership position, but he was unsuccessful, as Albert won the SLPP leadership and succeeded his brother as Sierra Leone's Prime Minister. Karefa-Smart ultimately left the SLPP and politics overall and moved abroad to continue his professional career.

From 1965 to 1970, Karefa-Smart served as Assistant Director-General to the World Health Organization (WHO). In 1970, he made an unsuccessful bid for the Presidency in Sierra Leone. From there, he returned to Geneva, then migrated to the USA to pursue his career in university teaching, research and public speaking.

In 1996, Karefa-Smart returned to Sierra Leone's politics as the founder of the newly formed United National People's Party (UNPP). He stood as the UNPP candidate in the 1996 presidential election, but he was defeated in the second round election runoff by the SLPP candidate Ahmad Tejan Kabbah.

Education

An ethnic

Karefa-Smart was also a fellow or professor at many colleges and universities across the world, including Bunumbu Union Teachers Training College in Sierra Leone (1936–38), University of Ibadan in Nigeria (1949–52), and several American universities such as Xavier University of Louisiana (1953), Columbia University (1964–65), Harvard University (1971–81), Boston University (1972–77), Wellesley College (1974), and Howard University (1980–83).

Political career

Karefa-Smart's political career began with his election to

It was initially reported on 12 June 2006 that Karefa-Smart had been replaced as leader of the UNPP at a party convention; however, Karefa-Smart subsequently refuted this claim and called the convention null and void.[1]

Death

Karefa-Smart was living in the US state of Connecticut when he was given a month to live and admitted to a hospice. In late July 2010, the Sierra Leonean government flew him back to Freetown, where he died on 26 August 2010.^[2]

References

External links

• SierraLeone.org biography
• Sierra Leone Mourns the Passing Away of the Country's Grand Old Man of Politics.
• "Sierra Leonean Heroes Fifty Great Men and Women Who Helped to Build Our Nation"
• AllAfrica.com article on Karefa-Smart alleged retirement
• "Personal Memories of WHO 1955-1983"