FEATURE
Fambul Tok by Joseph S. Sheppard
Amadu Kunateh ’15 stood up in morning assembly early in his freshman year to announce the formation of a new club, which he called the League of Exceptional Gentlemen. His speech was met with some puzzlement, but boys came to the meetings, perhaps out of curiosity, and Amadu began to introduce them to a concept learned in his small village in Sierra Leone, that of a gentleman—literally, a man who is gentle: compassionate, well-mannered, and ready to serve when needed. Many of the League’s members didn’t “get it” at first. “It was a hard thing to do,” Amadu recalls. “Being a gentleman isn’t something you do part-time; they had to do it all the time.” One who did get it early on was Amadu’s friend and classmate Oren Karp, and before long the two were co-presidents, planning the club’s functions together. For the first couple of years, the group focused on etiquette; they wrote thank-you notes and they held a formal dinner for which the attendees learned about table manners, courteous behavior toward one’s date, and how to serve and be served.
about an embarrassing moment.” Everyone had also been asked to bring an item or a story of importance with them, and they came together as a group to listen to each other “show and tell.” The idea came from Amadu’s village. As he explained, “What we try to accomplish we do through story-telling. In our culture there is a thing called fambul tok, Krio dialect for ‘family talk.’ Everyone knows each other’s business; you don’t keep it in. I wanted to bring everybody together and foster a community like we had in our village…after sharing, two people might realize that they both have the same teddy bear, and now they have something in common. It’s a way to make LA a home away from home.” At the end, to the “applause” of dozens of clicking fingers, Amadu addressed the group: “We have all shared this stuff; we are now part of each other.”
C.L.A.S.S. has probably had its greatest impact on the Lawrence community through the Show and Tells, which are now a regular event on campus. Faculty have stepped outside their usual roles to talk about their struggles and their A unique event was the “Tweed triumphs; alumni have come Alumni support C.L.A.S.S. leaders in their efforts to involve Run,” to which people were asked together to talk about their community. Front, L-R, Clara Gorbeña Suarez ‘15, Tatiana to wear tweed coats, vests, pants, or Suriel ’16, and Aoife Hughes ’15; (back, L-R) David Oakes ’74, Lawrence days; and students have other dress clothing, and then bike, Oren Karp ’15, Harry Reisman ’75, Amadu Kunateh ’15, shared memories and mementos and Rich Johnson ‘74 scooter, or rollerblade around a meaningful to them. Amadu predetermined campus loop. himself has described how he Student participants were learned to be proud of wearing his grandfather’s hat and a shirt sponsored by adults; the money raised and the clothing made by his grandmother. Ultimately they have made each donated were given to a Boston charity that provides dress other think about cultural differences through sometimes clothes to job-seekers who cannot afford a suit. entertaining and often very personal examples. Before long, the all-male League morphed into coeducational An important theme this year is leadership, a natural C.L.A.S.S., which stands for “Courtesy, Learning, And Selfless progression for an organization whose purpose, after all, is to Service.” Oren Karp explained: “We realized that girls were foster a “courteous community where being a good person not included and we didn’t like that. It didn’t match the club’s and setting an example are the norm.” Amadu and Oren values. Our meetings had always been open to women, but understand the challenges, but, true to Amadu’s original goal, very few showed up. We decided that in the spirit of our club, they want to serve the Lawrence community in a significant we would invite girls in our grade to help us reform it.” way, leaving behind something good when they graduate. Accordingly, C.L.A.S.S. started the 2013–14 school year with, “We know we’re not going to get everyone’s support,” Oren as Oren put it, “a new name, a new mission, everything.” The philosophizes. “But if we can change a few…” fall term began with something similar to an old-fashioned George Bernard Shaw once wrote, “A gentleman is one who show and tell in MacNeil Lounge. As an opening ice-breaker, puts more into the world than he takes out.” As the few each person present was instructed to find someone in the become many, Mr. Shaw will be smiling down approvingly on room whom they didn’t know well, and to spend a few the members of C.L.A.S.S. and its devoted leaders. minutes in conversation, sharing a pre-assigned question such as, “Tell me about a place that you consider home,” or “Talk 14 I FALL 2014
