August 8, 2018
By Hassan Gbessay Koroma
President Kelvin Lewis was one of those who signed the book of condolence
The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) yesterday opened a book of condolence for the late Reverend Mathew Ibrahim Kpakpa Quartey, former Crime Reporter for Radio Democracy FM 98.1.
Paying tribute to the fallen journalist at the Harry Yansaneh Hall, SLAJ headquarters in Freetown, President Kelvin Lewis said that the late journalist influenced all his colleague journalists during the last Annual General Meeting in Kenema.
He said that the ace crime reporter was the happiest man ever in history to be a member of SLAJ.
Lewis recalled that Rev. Quartey was the one that offered opening prayers during the AGM, and that he was very much excited to have been given the opportunity to perform that task.
“I have been in SLAJ for too long now and I have never seen a SLAJ member as happy as the late man. One of the lessons I learnt from the late man was that no matter what you are or have, you should always be humble,” he said.
The SLAJ President continued that the late man was extremely humble and that he loved to ask questions, all with the aim of getting his fact right for stories.
Also paying tribute as a friend, former SLAJ President and Minister of Information and Communications, now Member of Parliament, Hon. Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, said Rev. Quartey had great dignity in the journalism profession and that he always reported his court stories correctly.
Hon. Kargbo noted that what he learnt from the late man was that he just wanted to be himself, adding that he indeed made name for himself at Radio Democracy through his court reporting.
“Humility pays dividend. He has passed on but he had legacy which is good for everybody,” he said.
In addition, Vivian Stack-Davies, a presenter at Star Television and Radio and a close relative of the late man, narrated that he was the one who brought the late man to Freetown from Ghana and introduced him into the field of journalism.
According to Stack-Davies, his deceased wife was the elder sister to the late man and that he had gone to attend a conference in Accra, Ghana, when his wife pleaded with him to locate her mother and journalist Quartey.
He said that after their meeting the late man traveled to Freetown and stayed with him and because of his passion for journalism, he introduced to the then head of Daily Mail Newspaper.
He described the late journalist as very humble and respectful to everybody irrespective of status or age.
Rev. Quartey, 66, died peacefully on Saturday 4th August. He will be buried on Sunday, 12th July.