*Photo of Liberians discussing Jackson’s death

By: Nat Nyuan-Bayjay, interlink2004@frontpageafrica.com

Photos by: Nat Nyuan-Bayjay

There have been diverse opinions among Liberians over the death of the King of Pop music since the pronouncement was made late Thursday evening. The news which was received, like thousands of people worldwide, by Liberians with real shock has led to a lot of arguments among Liberians who refer to themselves as fans of the man whose “Liberian Girl” song further cemented the already Michael Jackson’s euphoria among Liberians in the 1980’s.

Immediately I witnessed the sad event on Sky News as relayed by a local TV station with similar name (Sky TV) ranging from Jackson’s reported comma to his death, I began the conduction of a survey or selection of opinions from a group of people who expressed different views about Jackson’s death.

One person who has been highly critical of Jackson’s death is Momo Johnson of the Settlement of Caldwell who thinks the issue of foul-play in Jackson’s death is highly evidenced by the fact that would have gone in comma for a protracted period of hours before being taken to the hospital.

“I’ve been monitoring both the internet and international news network like the TMZ website, CNN and the BBC. They’ve all reported about the mysterious and sudden disappearance of a particular doctor next door to Michael Jackson since his death. Besides, we’d hardly heard of him (Jackson) being a cardiac patient. For skin cancer, yes we wouldn’t have been suspicious but for heart failure, it calls for a more detailed investigation beyond an ordinary autopsy”, said Momo who claims to be a die-high fan of the pop king.

With latest news emerging over the mystery surrounding his death by the TMZ website and a close member of Michael Jackson’s family stating that Jackson received a daily injection of a synthetic narcotic similar to morphine – Demerol—and had yesterday received a shot at 11:30 AM Californian time, some of the interviewees told me that Jackson caused his own death.

Michael Saydou of Bushrod Island based his opinion of Jackson being the cause of his own death on a family source.

“ I just read (on the internet) that family members are saying there was a dosage of medication that he always used to take which was too much and that’s what caused his death”, said Michael.

“Only His Music, Not Himself”

But while some have felt that the cause of Jackson’s death needs to be investigated, others feel that there’s no need for the headache. “The man killed himself”, said Mamatu Kaba, a student of a junior (secondary) high school in one of Monrovia’s numerous slum communities.

There may be an overwhelming sympathy about the death of Michael Jackson, but my survey also revealed that there are some Liberians who only love Jackson’s music but never loved him as a person.

Dozens of them based their reason on what some of them say is “complete disregard to appreciating God” as they referred to Jackson’s skin that was transformed from a black person to that of a Caucasian.

“As for his music, I love them. As for himself, I don’t and his death cannot even make me to do so now. That’s complete disregard to appreciate God Almighty who chooses that you become black or white. He God knows why you and I were born black. But the guy thought he would have become white which he never became anyway. In fact, he became pure and not white”, Jerry Wensae who took off his work schedule to give his opinion told me in a rather angry mood completely opposed to that of a large group of people who were in sympathy with Jackson’s death.

It can be recounted that back in the early and mid-1980’s there was a self-composed song in Liberia that was sang mainly by the youthful Liberian population in which they showed their resentment of Jackson’s choice of a more ‘chocolate’ skin than a black one. It had the following wordings:

“Michael Jackson was a black man, he wants to turn to white man, Chemical will kill you, chemical will kill you”

But whatever may have caused the death of Michael Jackson, thousands of fans back in Liberia, while mourning the death of the world’s best entertainer who most of them considered to be a big hole in the world of entertainment, are eager to know the cause of the death of a man they adore the most.