Tecumsay Roberts ( 19511990) was a

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

n singer and dancer.His name is also sometimes spelled as "Tecumseh".

Early life

Tecumsay Roberts was born around 1951. Roberts had six siblings, including fellow musician Sandy Roberts. Tecumsay got his start singing in high school in

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...

Career

In Roberts' early career, he fronted a band named Liberian Dream, and circulated performances between Monrovia,

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...

, and

Abidjan Abidjan ( , ; N'Ko script, N’ko: ߊߓߌߖߊ߲߬) is the economic capital of the Ivory Coast. As of the Demographics of Ivory Coast, 2021 census, Abidjan's population was 6.3 million, which is 21.5 percent of overall population of the country, ...

. The first album he recorded was entitled ''Gettin' It On''. Roberts also recorded the theme song for the 1979

Organisation of African Unity The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...

conference in Monrovia. Roberts had also performed in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

with another band he led named Boombaya. Roberts' original style was a fusion of African and Caribbean music, dubbed "Afrolypso". This style was prominent in his single, ''Comin' Home''. Roberts also performed

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

. Roberts' popularity in

, as stated by writer Stephanie Horton, was comparable to that of

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's. In Monrovia, Roberts met an American promoter for the label Bamboo Records, who invited him to perform in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Roberts made his debut performance in the country in June 1986 at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...

. There, he performed in a ten-member Ozinga, among him the son of famous

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

musician,

S. E. Rogie Sooliman Ernest "Rogie" or S. E. Rogie (1926 – 4 July 1994) was a highlife and palm wine music, palm wine guitarist and singer from Sierra Leone. Biography Sooliman Ernest Rogers was born in 1926 in the town of Fonikoh, Pujehun District in sou ...

. Although he was performing among more veteran performers, such as

Ras Michael Michael George Henry OD (born 1943), better known as Ras Michael, is a Jamaican reggae singer and Nyabinghi specialist. He also performs under the name of Dadawah. Biography Henry was born in Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica, where he was raised in ...

, Gary Stewart of ''West Africa'' described Roberts as "the main attraction." Roberts sung and danced during the event. During his American debut, he performed a cover of the Orchestra Makassy song, ''Mambo Bado''. Roberts also performed '' Woman is Smarter''. The event ended with Roberts and Michael together performing

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

's '' Lively Up Yourself''. Upon returning to Liberia, Roberts debuted the song ''Ma Susu''.

Personal life

Tecumsay Roberts supported his mother with his work. On 7 November 1968, Tecumsay's child with Ruth Tolbert Goodridge was born, Tecumsay Richard Adama Roberts Jr.

Death and legacy

During the

First Liberian Civil War The First Liberian Civil War lasted from 1989 to 1997. President Samuel Doe had established a regime in 1980 but totalitarianism and corruption led to unpopularity and the withdrawal of support from the United States by the late 1980s. The Nat ...

Prince Johnson Prince Yormie Johnson"Prince" is a common given name for men in Liberia, rather than a royal title. (born 6 July 1952) is a Liberian politician and the current Senior Senator from Nimba County. A former rebel leader, Johnson played a prominent ...

was the leader of a rebel group called the

Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia The Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL) was a rebel group that participated in the First Liberian Civil War under the leadership of Prince Johnson.

(INPFL). In 1990, during the civil war, Tecumsay and his brother Sandy were looking for food on the road on the outskirts of Monrovia, when Johnson appeared before them in a car. He invited Tecumsay to come perform for his troops at Caldwell Base. Johnson was wielding a silver pistol at the time. In the base, Johnson commanded General Samuel Varnii to determine the validity of a rumor that Tecumsay was

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

through inspection of his buttocks. Through this crude method, Johnson and Varnii determined the rumor was accurate. Tecumsay was shot and killed by Varnii within three hours of being invited to the base due to his assumed sexuality. Tecumsay's body was allegedly thrown into the

Saint Paul River The Saint Paul River is a river of western Africa. Its headwaters are in southeastern Guinea. Its upper portion in Guinea is known as the Diani River or Niandi River, and forms part of the boundary between Guinea and Liberia. It is known local ...

after his killing. Sandy believes that Johnson is at fault for Tecumsay's killing, and does not believe that Johnson has remorse for his actions, and argues, among other Liberians like Senator Abe Darius Dillon, in favor of the creation a war crime court to try Johnson. As of 2018, Sandy continues to perform Tecumsay's songs. Johnson explained the details of Tecumsay's death, including the anal inspection and shooting by Varnii to the

Truth and Reconciliation Commission A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state act ...

in August 2008. On 16 May 2021, during a sermon, Johnson denied allegations of his role in the killing of Tecumsay. Johnson claimed that it was his deputy, General Varnii, who killed Tecumsay due to his supposed sexuality without Johnson's involvement, knowledge, or consent. Johnson claimed to be friends with Tecumsay. Johnson claimed that while he did not approve of Varnii's actions, he did not speak out against them at the time out of fear of creating division in the INPFL. Johnson used excerpts from the book ''A Nation in Terror'' by James Youboty to back up his assertions. Johnson accused Senator Dillon of spreading false information in regard to his role in Tecumsay's killing. A number of musical performances in Liberia have been done in honor of Tecumsay. On November 18, 2015, a concert was held at the Monrovia City Hall Theatre in celebration of the passing of the intellectual Property Law, which paid tribute to Tecumsay. In 2016, an event presented by a Liberian radio station showcased deceased musicians, and was put on in honor Tecumsay among other African musicians. In 2018, Tecumsay was honored at a Liberian music industry awards ceremony, along with other Liberian musicians killed in the civil war.

Notes

References