Buutuo: The Joke That Was Not Funny

By Othello Gruzeantay Gruzean

The book titled Butuo: The Joke That Was Not Funny, is a compilation of stories and revolutionary poems as witnessed by the author during the Liberian Civil War, which he refers to as the Tayloric Revolution. The fact that he did not go into exile but remained in the country and worked as a reporter, put him in a better position to scrabble those words. The book contains parables and wise sayings based on the daily life in the African jungle.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 9, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499066760

Othello Gruzeantay Gruzean

The author, Othello Gruzeantay Gruzean, was born on July 24, 1970, in Sroh Yoolar Town, near Karnplay in Gbehlay Geh Statutory District, Nimba County, Liberia. He attended a number of elementary and junior high schools including the Yoolar Public School (1979); Karn Elementary (1980); Youhn Elementary & Junior High school (Karnplay, 1983–84); Wodo Farmers Corporative School (Karnplay, 1985); Seventh Day Adventist Junior High (Sanniquellie, 1986); and St. Mary’s High School (Sanniquellie, 1987–89) where he graduated with honor, and two weeks later, the Liberian Civil War began on December 24, 1989, in Butuo, Nimba County. His passion for writing started at the St. Mary’s High School, where he served as secretary general for the St. Mary’s Bell, a school magazine, where he published a number of articles including school news. He’s a journalist who served as a reporter and newscaster for number of radio stations, including ELSM, a community radio station owned and operated by the catholic church in Sanniquellie (1992–1994); the Liberia Communications Network (Radio Liberia International in Totota, Bong County, and Kiss FM in Monrovia) from 1994–2003. He also worked as a reporter and newscaster for the state-owned radio (LBS/ELBC) in Monrovia from 2005–2009, and lastly, worked as editorial consultant for Radio Nimba in Sanniquellie before travelling to the United States in 2012. He loves reading and writing because he believes information is power.

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 by Othello Gruzeantay Gruzean.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-4990-6677-7

                eBook           978-1-4990-6676-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Rev. date: 11/04/2014

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Table of Contents

Dedication

Foreword

Poems

The Door of President Doe

How It Started

A Eulogy To A Dead Commando

The name Paul Vaye

Town Chief or Town Commander?

The Abandoned Devil

The Man PYJ

My First Night On Ambush

The Returnee

Ganta Goat

My Taboo And Second Thought

Old-man Keye-gar

I’m with the CO

They Can Really Run

Lying Because Of Lie

The Burn That Was

The Deer-Hunt

The Art Of Swallowing GB

Sincere, Or Just Naive?

The Accident That Was:

They Say, Who Say?

The Miscarriage

Our Partners

Back To The Mountain

The Short Car-pay

Zaeglay Attack

Customers’ Notice

My Shadow

Burkina-Gborplay:

A Hard Joke

Just For The Devil

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my late brother, Anthony Gruzean, whom fate could not allow to live to his full potential. He died in August, 1987, following a tragic motor accident. That was few months after graduating from the J.W. Pearson High School in Ganta, Nimba County, where he had served as a student council president. The book is being written to celebrate him.

Foreword

Thanks to all my instructors, even those who meant well but I took it for hatred. I don’t have to name names, I am only grateful. This maiden edition of what I would call the growing literary works of Othello Gruzean is intended to inspire young writers, and encourage them that anything is possible, once you are determined. I am still a high school graduate (at the time