Shirley Gbujama

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Madam Shirley Yema Gbujama (born 1936, as Shirley Macaulay) is a

ethnic group
.

Early life and career

Gbujama was born in 1936 as Shirley Macaulay, in

British Sierra Leone.[2] Her father was Fredrick Sherman Macaulay (ca. 1904–1986), a teacher, local politician, and later a justice of the peace.[1] Her mother was Violet Keitel, a Methodist Mission School teacher from the Bonthe District.[1] Her parents named her, their eldest daughter, after American actress Shirley Temple, a child star of the day.[1]

Gbujama started her career as a school teacher in mathematics, in 1959.[3][self-published source] She then moved to New York City, in the United States, to pursue a Master of Arts degree in mathematics, graduating in 1964.[3] She also worked as a Christian preacher.[4]

Diplomatic and political career

Gbujama was appointed as Sierra Leone's ambassador to Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia, presenting her credentials to Haile Selassie in Addis Ababa,[5] and serving in that position from 1972 to 1976.[3] She then moved back to New York City, where she served as the country's ambassador to the United Nations until 1978.[3]

In 1996, Gbujama had a short stint as

Minister of Tourism, before moving to the prestigious post of Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Ahmad Tejan Kabbah's government, succeeding Maigore Kallon.[4]

References