Tegloma Minnesota Inaugurates a New Chief!

Chief Lahai with Tegloma Staff

This Saturday August 4th 2012, members of the Tegloma Minnesota Chapter, visiting Tegloma dignitaries, members of the Sierra Leone community in Minnesota, friends and well wishers of Tegloma turned out in force to inaugurate Mr. Lahai Ansumana as the new President and Chief of Tegloma Minnesota Chapter.

Tegloma Federation Chairman
Mustapha Sheriff

In a ceremony steeped with tradition, Chairman Mustapha Sheriff, the head of Tegloma International Federation, flanked on his sides by Chief Francess Turay of Chicago, former North Carolina Chief Rev. Judith Banya, former Ohio Chief  Dr. Sylvester A. Lamin and Federation Board representative Rev. Titus Gebeh, administered the oath of office to the new Tegloma Minnesota Chapter executive, followed by  the oath of office and handing over of the Tegloma staff of office to the new leader, Chief Lahai Ansumana, a health care professional at one of USA's top Level 1 Trauma centers, the Hennepin Council Medical Center. Also in attendance were former Tegloma Minnesota chiefs Ibrahim Sesay, Lamin Jabbi and Hassan H. Kamara.

Mrs. Lahai, Chief Lahai &
Chaiman Mustapha Sheriff

MC. Sarah Cassel

Staff members of HCMC turned out in force to honor their colleague. Chief Lahai was inaugurated with the support of his wife, children and the entire Minnesota chapter. The MC for the occasion was the also another health care Professional Sarah Cassel who is also a board member of Rural Health Care Initiative, A Minnesota based nonprofit providing health care services in rural Sierra Leone.

Visiting Chiefs

A presentation was made on behalf of an organization that was recruiting health care professionals to send to West Africa to combat the Ebola scourge by a health care professional from HCMC. She appealed to all health care personnel who wanted to volunteer their services to help in West Africa to contact her, as funds were available to send health professionals on this humanitarian mission.

Appeal for Health Care Volunteers

Guests to the inauguration ceremony were treated to spectacular cultural display by traditional masquerades and partook of sumptuous food craftily prepared by the Tegloma Minnesota food committee.

Male Cultural display

Tegloma is a cultural and charity organization that provides sociocultural services to its members in the diaspora and humanitarian services in Sierra Leone. Founded in Washington DC in 1975 , the organization now has members in 19 chapters in USA, a chapter in UK, Canada, Gambia and Sierra Leone.

Parading the Chief

Female Cultural Display