Window on the World

A miracle couple

Muckson Sesay (left) and Mabinty Kamara, when Muckson arrived at Winnipeg airport Feb. 16. [Photo by Inga Catellier]

Introduction by Randal Dick

I visited the Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, congregation, Oct. 2.

A young African couple are in the congregation, and it was obvious that the congregation loves them dearly. Their story, as told here by Inga Catellier, a  member of the Winnipeg congregation, is a testimony to the impact that servants of God can make in hundreds of meaningful ways every day.

In February 2004, I met a girl from Sierra Leone.

Along with several other church members, we welcomed her at the Winnipeg airport, where she had just arrived from Moscow. She was barely in her 20s, on her own, arriving on a bitterly cold Wednesday evening.

What brought her here without family or friends, with no one but total strangers to meet her in a new country? 

As she and I spent time together and got to know each other, she told me her story. Now, with her permission, I’d like to tell it to you.

Mabinty Kamara, (pronounced Mabinzee) was born on the west coast of Africa in Sierra Leone, a country of close to six million people. She lived with her family: mother, father, two sisters and two brothers in their home in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.

Mabinty had a young man in her life, Muckson Sesay, and the two were engaged to be married.

Freetown is a coastal city just minutes from beautiful beaches that stretch for more than 50 kilometers along the coast.

Despite its natural beauty and wonderful climate, Sierra Leone is a country that for the last 11 years has suffered through a terrible civil war, enduring intense fighting between the government army and the RUF (Revolutionary United Front). Everyday life became extremely dangerous for civilians.

Fighting had concentrated mainly in the villages and towns of Sierra Leone, with Freetown remaining relatively unscathed until January 1999, when Freetown was attacked by the rebel forces under the code name of “Operation No Living Thing.”

The rebels took control of Freetown, and for three weeks a reign of terror ensued. Civilians were viciously attacked and murdered.  During these 22 days, 4,000 people were killed and thousands of people in the city were maimed.   Mabinty’s home was bombed, and she and Muckson both lost close family members in the war.

One day Mabinty and Muckson were trapped with some villagers in a cross fire between the rebels and the army soldiers. She and Muckson became separated in the confusion of the attack, and when it was over many of the villagers had been killed, and she couldn’t find Muckson anywhere.

After searching for weeks with no sign of him, Mabinty was certain that he had been killed. Heart-broken, she moved with her family into a refugee camp—since the family home had been destroyed.

They lived in the camp for about two years. In all that time she never heard from Muckson or what had become of him.

In December 2001, the refugee camp where Mabinty and her family were living came under attack by the RUF. Horrific memories of Operation No Living Thing fueled their fear as everyone fled for their lives before the onslaught of the rebels.

It was a terrifying attack. Ma-binty was separated from her mother and siblings, and everyone was running in every direction trying to get away from the soldiers. 

Mabinty ran toward the sea with no other thought than to save her life. She had no time to take any belongings. The foremost thought was to escape! Surrounded by other people also trying to escape, she ran to the beach. 

A Korean fishing boat had come close to the shore. The crew heard the gunfire and called to the terrified people to come on board where they would be safe. Mabinty jumped onto the boat and hid herself, not knowing the ship’s destination. It was a safe place from the soldiers. In her panic, she had no idea what had happened to her sisters or her mother and brothers. However, she feared the worst.

The fishing boat on which Mabinty took refuge was heading for Moscow, Russia. After two weeks on the boat, she arrived in Moscow in December 2001. Along with the other refugees, they were directed to the United Nations Refugee Center. She was alone, no friends or family, no ID papers, no possessions. She was able to stay in a small basement suite with several other refugees.

For two years, Mabinty lived in Russia—she went to the nearby Moscow Protestant Chapel that was attended by mostly refugees. There she met Henry Mayer, also from Sierra Leone. Henry later immigrated to Canada, and attends the Winnipeg church.

Mabinty volunteered in the Moscow church’s soup kitchen. She also registered with the Red Cross in Moscow to begin the search for her family. She wanted to know what had happened to them. Were they safe? Were they even still alive? 

Life in Moscow was not easy.  Many Russians treated the black people badly. Racism is common, even among the police and authority figures.

Foreigners are disliked, and being black was like an invitation to be insulted, laughed at and even beaten. For their own safety, refugees walked together in small groups, never by themselves. The church where Mabinty volunteered had a long list of safety precautions for refugees. The peace that Mabinty was looking for was not in Moscow. 

Because of the extreme racism she suffered, Mabinty was given priority to come to Canada as a refugee, sponsored in part by the Winnipeg congregation.

While she waited for her immigration papers to be processed, she continued to volunteer at the soup kitchen, and checked regularly with the Red Cross for any information about her family. After almost two years, there was still no news.

One day her neighbor, a Russian girl named Deniz, invited Mabinty and a few other girls over for a birthday celebration. Deniz had been going to school in Turkey and was home for a vacation break.  She had brought along some pictures from the school she was attending, and the girls sat in the living room looking through them. 

As they were browsing the pictures, Mabinty suddenly became still—there in front of her was a picture of a young man’s smiling face—a face she hadn’t seen in more than four years! 

She turned to Deniz and asked, “Do you know this man?”

Deniz replied: “Of course I know him. I go to school with him in Turkey. He’s in some of my classes!” 

With increasing excitement, Mabinty told her: “This is Muckson, he is my fiance! I thought he had been killed!” 

 The questions excitedly poured out of her: Where is he? Can I see him? Do you have his phone number? Can I talk to him?”

Deniz helped Mabinty get the phone number, and finally, after years of believing she would never see him again, Mabinty was speaking to her fiance! Immediately, Muckson arranged to come and visit Mabinty in Moscow, and they had a joyful reunion just days before she left for Canada.

They had a lot of catching up to do. Five years of catching up! Muckson brought her up-to-date on what had happened to him. After the rebel attack in January 1999, when they had become separated, Muckson came back and looked for Mabinty, but with all the casualties that had occurred, he feared she had been killed. For months he searched, but couldn’t find her. 

Before Freetown was attacked in 1999, Muckson had applied for a scholarship to study computer engineering in Turkey. Once the fighting calmed down somewhat, the students who applied were given governmental permission to travel to Turkey to study, which is what Muckson did. He left Sierra Leone in the summer of 1999 and began his courses that September.

After finding Muckson alive, Mabinty found it extremely difficult to leave him behind, but her immigration papers were in order, and all the travel arrangements had been made, so she had to go.  If she gave up this chance, she might not get another opportunity to immigrate.

Muckson put her on the plane and returned to school in Turkey.  Mabinty arrived in Winnipeg in February 2004.

At the end of March, through the continued efforts of the Red Cross, Mabinty finally found that her family—her brothers and sisters and mother—had all survived and were fine. A few weeks later, for the first time in four years, she talked to her mom by telephone.

At that point, my husband, Rick, and I began the process to bring Muckson to Canada. After talking to Immigration, we were advised that the quickest way to bring Muckson to Winnipeg was if he and Mabinty were married. A lot of paperwork had to be collected: pictures, emails and letters. Canadian Immigration wanted proof that they had known each other for a long time—that this was not just a marriage of convenience. 

A marriage by proxy was arranged. On April 24, 2004, with Muckson in Turkey, and Mabinty in Winnipeg, Muckson Sesay and Mabinty Kamara were married by proxy in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Mabinty’s sister, Fatmata, and Muckson’s brother, Ahmed, stood in for the couple during the traditional wedding ceremony performed by Pastor Issa Sesay, Muckson’s uncle.

With the well-detailed immigration application form submitted in August, Muckson was quickly granted an immigration interview in November, and was accepted to come to Canada. His travel date was confirmed several months later. Muckson arrived in Winnipeg from Turkey Feb. 16, 2005.

Copyright © Grace Communion International, 2006