Kei Kamara recalls bullying after Ghanaian teenager’s death in New York
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Sierra Loaded
Sierra Leonean footballer Kei Kamara has spoken about the racist bullying he experienced as a teenager in the United States, paying tribute to Javits Frimpong, a 15-year-old Ghanaian shot dead in the Bronx. The teenager was shot on 29 October while on his way to school; police were seeking three suspects, Sierra Loaded reports.
Former Sierra Leone national football team captain Kei Kamara has spoken about the harassment he says he experienced as a young immigrant in the United States, in a video tribute to Javits Frimpong, a 15-year-old Ghanaian teenager shot dead in the Bronx, Sierra Loaded reports.
Kamara said high-school classmates mocked his skin colour, hair and accent. He explained that football and volleyball had helped him overcome these difficulties. He moved to the United States as a refugee in October 2000, when he was a teenager, later became a US citizen and went on to have a professional career spanning more than 20 years.
Frimpong was killed on 29 October while on his way to school. His father, Thomas Frimpong, said the teenager had complained about harassment several days earlier and that the school’s principal had told him that two pupils accused of bullying his son had been suspended. New York police were searching for three teenagers suspected of being involved and had made no arrests at the time of the report.
Kamara’s tribute adds to calls for justice following Javits Frimpong’s death, including from Ghana and Ghanaian musician Sarkodie, who called for stronger anti-bullying education in his message after the killing.
