Liberia Stories

Nine Blogs and Three Books

2008-11-05T21:16:00.000Z

Just stumbled across a very nice post (from Oct 20, 2008) on Liberia Past and Present. It's entitled "Nine Blogs and Three Books - The True Liberian Spirit."

On the Eve of History (Again)

2008-11-03T23:51:00.002Z

For Keyan and Tyne

In November 2005, on the eve of Liberia's historic election that would give the world Africa's first female President, I wrote of change and of hope for a rise to the challenge of a new beginning.

Tonight, I am in the USA, and the whole country -- perhaps the whole world -- is in a state of heightened anticipation as we await tomorrow's historic election for the next American President.

I'm not going to be cautious and use phrases like "Whoever wins..." or "Whatever the results...." I know Barack Obama is going to win. And so I sit here tonight, in awe of the enormity of this fact, and of what it means for the country and for my children. Like Obama, my sons have one black African parent and one white American parent. In their father's country they will have a President who looks like they do, and in their mother's country (where they have lived all their lives up to now) they have seen Madame Ellen Johnson Sirleaf lead a nation out of the ashes of war. When Obama takes office, not only are we going to have a much better America (Obama is the change we need) but my African-American sons are going to grow up with amazing role models who already show them that there is no glass ceiling that cannot be shattered.

Yes, we are on the eve of history again, and so again I pray that we will welcome change and rise to the challenge of a new beginning.

President Sirleaf Receives Redemption Road

2008-10-27T16:00:00.002Z

At my first book signings, when people asked how I got President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to write the Foreword for Redemption Road, I told them I simply asked, and she was happy to do it. Not only does she have an appreciation for literature and the arts, but Liberian women have a tradition of helping each other.

Recently, I saw a clip from President Sirleaf's Inauguration, which I attended in 2006, and was reminded of her promise to all Liberian women: "My administration shall endeavor to give Liberian women prominence in all affairs of our country," she said that day. "We will empower Liberian women in all areas of our national life." Presenting copies of Redemption Road to Her Excellency today, and discussing our hopes for healing the nation through storytelling and drama, was a most uplifting experience. Thank you, Madame President, for your great vision and for a promise kept.

Press Release about our visit on the Executive Mansion website

Liberia Association of Writers (LAW) Celebrates Redemption Road

2008-10-11T18:43:00.004Z

Today's LAW meeting was probably the event I will cherish most from my Liberia book tour. LAW -- the Liberia Association of Writers -- meets at the We-Care Library at one o'clock on the second Saturday of each month for discussions, readings and critiques. I have been a member for ages -- joining back in 2000, I believe, when the group was being revived after what we thought was the end of the civil war. There were only 3 or 4 of us at that meeting, which was held in a classroom at the Wells Hairston High School on Mechlin Street. Subsequent meetings were sporadic, and more fighting came along and interrupted our lives. But through it all, we kept on writing. What else could we do? How else could we express our fears, our griefs and our hopes? Writers. We keep on writing because through our words we all live.

LAW is now very strong, and we take our meetings very seriously. Today, when we celebrated the publication of Redemption Road, LAW President Michael Weah and everyone who spoke called it "our book" and they were just as proud of it as I am. After the meeting, I did the customary signing of a copy to leave on the Liberian Authors' shelf at the library.

(l-r: James Dwalu, Michael Weah, me, Watchen Johnson, and her daughter)

Yes, it's just a shelf now, but we will keep on writing and one day, because of all our fears, our griefs and our hopes, because of all our triumphs and our joys, and because we must, Liberian writers shall fill a whole library with our words and with the stories that will keep us alive.

Book Review in the Daily Observer

2008-10-10T13:06:00.003Z

To read Bai Best's review of Redemption Road, go to www.liberianobserver.com and click on the Liberian Literature section. The site is a great way to keep in touch with what's happening here, so getting a subscription will be well worth it. The full review is well worth it too :-)

Interview on Wings of Hope

2008-10-08T22:03:00.003Z

Transcript of my interview on ELWA's "Wings of Hope" 94.5 FM
with Pastor Perry Saydee and Rev. Dr. Lyn Westman of Mercy Ships

Announcer: God is our help and hope in time of trouble. When we are confused, the way of God is there for us. Join Pastor Perry Saydee and his team of counselors every Wednesday at 7:30 and allow God to heal those wounds.

Pastor Perry Saydee (PS): Thank you very much for being there. This is the program "Wings of Hope." Tonight we have some personalities in the studio. We're going to have a wonderful time tonight. We have a number of topics to be discussed. Let me just give you our phone numbers first, because our phone lines should be busy tonight. Lonestar 06 902 360 and Comium 05 764 242. I hope you are set and ready for Wings of Hope. Wings of Hope is a radio counseling program. It's a phone-in program where you can make your views known by calling us on those numbers I gave you. And so we have in studio Elma Shaw. She's a writer and she's a media practitioner. We also have our Wings of Hope consultant, that's Rev. Dr. Lyn Westman, in the studio. You're all welcome to Wings of Hope.

Elma Shaw (ES): Thank you.

Dr. Lyn Westman (LW): Thank you. A pleasure to be here as always, Perry.

PS: We also have a guest in the studio. I'll let her introduce herself. Could you please say your name and who you are.

Gemma Speck: My name is Gemma Speck. I'm a community health nurse, and I'm working with Mercy Ships. I'm from England.

PS: Okay, thank you so much. Tonight we will be talking about reconciliation. We've gone through a war situation in this country. We know that a lot of people were hurt. A lot of people were affected. Children were mishandled and misused, especially for the sake of fighting. We know that a lot of women were abused. A lot of things happened in this country because of the civil war. This lady, Ms. Elma Shaw, has written a book. She is a Liberian, and she will better introduce herself. We will be talking about her book and we will be talking about reconciliation as it has to do with uniting our people in this country. Could you please introduce yourself, Elma?

ES: Sure. My name name is Elma Shaw, and I moved back to Liberia in 1999 and spent the last few years here writing and also doing some humanitarian work. I worked with street children and former child soldiers as well as with girls who had been out of school for many years because of the war.

PS: You said you just returned to Liberia. Where have you been all this while?

ES: I went away for a vacation in June and I just came back, but I've been living here for many years.

PS: You wrote a book called Redemption Road. Why this name, Redemption Road?

ES: Well, a lot of people don't know this, but the road behind the Mansion is called Redemption Road. Back in 1980 it was just a path with no name. It was the path that the 17 soldiers took from the barracks to the Mansion to assassinate President Tolbert. They later named the road Redemption Road. They fixed it up and called it Redemption Road. It wasn't until 16 years after the coup that I found out it was called Redemption Road. By then we were right in the middle of the civil war and the first words from my lips when I heard that were "Redemption from what!?" because nothing good or positive had happened because of what took place on that back road. It was also the same place where the 13 government officials were executed right after the 1980 coup. So that title holds a lot of significance. It doesn't only refer to the spot where these things took place -- where our course of history changed so drastically -- but also, the characters in the novel are all seeking a redemption of some sort. We have characters from all walks of life, representing all the different people in Liberia and each of them is struggling with something and they're all searching for their own redemption.

PS: Okay, how did you come to write this novel?

ES: When the war started in 1989 I was in America going to school. By 1990 people started to leave the country because of all the fighting. They were coming to the States and telling us all these horrible stories of what was going on at home. And when I finally came home myself six years later to see and to document some of these stories that were still continuing I knew that I had to put them them together in some form so that we would have them for history. The stories that I heard from people made it into the novel, but it also includes things I heard even before the civil war. Things that I heard growing up, things that I saw myself, my own observations. So it's a very Liberian book. It's all about us. It's to help people understand where we were and how we came to the point of something as violent as our civil war, and it also deals with the issues that we're facing now, in post-war Liberia.

Dr. Lyn Westman: Thank you Elma. As I was reading your book, and as I told you, it's a wonderful book -- it's very deep, very moving, and you say that it's a novel but as I read it, it seemed so real that it was hard for me to believe it was just a novel. As you talked about, there were some stories there of some people you came to know or maybe even some of the work you were doing. I suspect that some of those stories resemble maybe some particular lives of people. I don't want to ask you who particularly, but they did seem very very real so can you share just a little bit more about that for us?

ES: Our situation is really complicated so I made sure that the characters in the novel are all three-dimensional characters that really will tell people who we are. The stories and the characters are not necessarily the story of one person, but it's all lots of stories mixed up -- attitudes and thoughts and everything -- several of them given to one character so that we can see the essence of who we are as Liberians. The stories that I ended up portraying in the book were the stories that I heard most often. Everyone wanted to tell what had happened to them, and what had gone on. And the ones that kept repeating from different people, from different places -- the incidents that kept repeating -- those were the ones that made it into the book.

LW: One thing that was so significant for me was as we teach about counseling, and how to help people through trauma, we're always teaching them that it's more than just facts. It's also about the things that they think, the perceptions they have, the interpretations, and the feelings, and then how they act that out. And you did such a marvelous job identifying the internal conflicts, their feelings and their thoughts. It was just so well done, and there was such a depth to it. What I saw with the inner conflcts was that in the same person you might see them frustrated because of the prejudice around them and yet at the same time there is prejudice within them.

ES: Yes.

LW: And as you just said, life here is complicated. Of course we always teach that people are complicated. It fits right in with that, so just to see that. For many of us, we may think we have no prejudice but the way you did this story you show that all of us should be looking deeper inside to see where maybe we still have some areas that we need to be healed, or where our perspectives and interpretations need to change.

ES: Definitely, yes.

Pastor Perry: Let me ask Ms. Shaw this question. The main themes of this novel are atonement and reconciliation. As the TRC is underway, how do you think this book -- Redemption Road -- can help this process?

ES: Well, I have plans to get the book out to the masses. Not everyone will be able to read and so we have plans to do a Liberian English audio version that will be played around the country because I want everyone to be a part of the dialogue. The book is written so that we will all be encouraged to begin to talk about the things we still have holding inside us -- the resentments and everything. And so I hope that right in the wake of the TRC and all its findings that will soon come out that people will also begin to talk about the things they're feeling and begin to heal within themselves. I hope that the communities will be talking with each other and healing as well. Not everyone can appear before the TRC and so the book, I hope, will let people talk wherever they are, wherever they find themselves.

PS: Okay, this is Wings of Hope. This is ELWA Radio. You can call us on Lonestar 06 902 360 and you can make your contribution to this show. You can ask Ms. Shaw anything you want to ask her about the book, about reconciliation, about problems you're going through. We have Dr. Lyn here. She's our veteran counselor. You can send your questions to her, whatever they are, and she's going to answer them by the help of God. Remember she's a reverend and she's going to use her biblical experiences and knowledge to help you get through what you're going through. And so let me come back to Ms. Shaw. We have a lot of children who are wayward around here. Should I say they are bandoned and don't have homes. They are all in the street. You've written a novel about reconciliation. How can you bring in these children to fit in this novel?

ES: Well the novel does include a set of children, very briefly, but still. When I first moved back to Liberia I worked with former child soldiers and at the time they were really really children. They were small. They had just come out of the fighting. There are a few characters in the book who are based on those children, a little more grown up, and it shows that they're still struggling. They're still on the streets, some of them. The war is over, but they're still struggling because they have nothing to do. There're no jobs for them. They missed school because of the fighting. I know that there are several organizations that work with children in all kinds of ways -- children who used to fight, children who were associated with fighting forces. There are lots of scholarships for girls especially. I hope that all that work will continue...

PS: Let me cut you off a little bit. You talked about scholarships for girls. Who offers these scholarships for girls?

ES: Well we know that the Liberia Education Trust has money to send girls to school and they have given grants to many NGOs to help keep girls in school. I also have a program which I started back in 1999. We started by putting ten girls in school -- Senior High School -- and the program later grew with the help of the US Ambassadors' Girls' Scholarship Program. We went up to about 50 girls. The most important thing, besides the scholarships, was the mentoring. We had mentoring activities for them where we taught them life skills, we talked about health, we took them around to the universities, all the different nursing schools, so they could see the possibilities for themselves. We did job training, lots of different things.

PS: Okay, let me just switch this over to Dr. Lyn. Dr. Lyn, you read the book, and you explained that what you've been teaching here in Liberia, in the counseling seminars, are things that Elma has stressed. As reconciliation is going on right now in this country, you read her book and you've been talking with a lot of people -- child soldiers and those that were involved with the war in this country. What are the prospects of reconciliation in this country? Are you sure that we're going to have peace and reconcile and that everybody will forget about the past and reunite?

LW: That's a very broad and difficult question. I can't say that I'm sure of anything. There's only one person who knows what is possible. And we know all things are possible with God. What exactly will happen, a lot of that depends on our choices. And part of what we teach is that everyone has a choice: if they live in the past or if they move ahead; if they forgive or if they remain resentful and bitter. What we see though is that forgiveness works at whatever level and for whatever things that happened. When people can forgive, it brings not only a freedom to the people that they were holding the unforgiveness against, but it brings a personal freedom. And so as we look at scripture, even, it says that we have to forgive in order for God to forgive us. And that can be a very hard journey, and when you read the book you'll see the struggles that people had. That's why I think it was so well-written because forgiveness is not an easy task. When I look at my own life and sometimes very minor things, I think when any of us look at our own lives, we can have some minor incident and it's difficult to forgive. How much more when you have some of the situations that have been here in Liberia? And yet, with God all things are possible. All of us can forgive, and all of us are called to. One thing that people often don't remember or don't think about is that they may be able to forgive others, but one of the hardest things is learning to forgive themselves. And that still is unforgiveness, but they don't realize that and so they get held in bondage because of wishing that they had been different or trying to believe a different past than what they really have. So part of that journey, as she wrote in her book as well, is coming to terms with what they did and who they are, but then always, who they can be. That's the miracle of redemption. We're not locked into who we were. We all have the possibility for a great future. And just as you said, bringing those girls to see the universities, to see potential... It's unlimited with God, what people can do and how they can change.

PS: This is Wings of Hope. You can call us on 06 902 360 on our Lonestar phones, and Comium 05 764 242, and make your contribution to this show. I have a book before me, a novel that was written by Elma Shaw. She's right here in the studio and she's talking about this book, Redemption Road. Right after the war, what next? We need peace. Do we have it? I don't know. You call us and tell us. There's a call. Let's take this call..........Hello Caller?

Caller: Hello?

PS: Yes. This is Wings of Hope.

Caller: (unintelligible) ........

PS: Okay, Ms. Shaw?

ES: Please clarify the question for me. What did he say?

Caller: The cost?

ES: Redemption Road will be available around town starting on Friday. It's $16.95 for a paperback copy.

Caller: $16.95?

ES: Yes.

PS: The book is $16 US dollars, but it's like she is trying to give it away for free because if you see the book you will want to even buy it for $50.

ES: Oh! (laughs)

PS: I have the book in my hands right now and I hope I will find the money to purchase one. You will like it. Look for it and try to get one.

Caller: Okay I will try to get one.

LW: Yes, I'd like to ask you Elma: When you were writing this book -- you know usually when you write a book you identify some with the characters, maybe feel a little closer to others. Maybe if you could tell us the relationship -- not exact relationships, but your relationship with the different people in the book. Which ones you struggled with a little more, or which ones you felt you were closest to...just anything you want to tell us about your characters.

ES: Well I am surrounded by characters in my own life. I had to put some of them in there. And so each character probably represents 4 or 5 people who are crucial to the story. I needed to put in people who represented all the different people we have to deal with...

PS: Could we please take a call, there's a caller on the line. Let's take this call. Hello caller.

Caller: Good evening to you all.

PS: Good evening.

Caller: I want to thank Sister Shaw for what she has done for this country by producing her book which will serve also as a history to our country. I just ask that God will continue to inspire her to do more for this country with her writing, and every other thing that she aspires to do, may God bring it to pass. Listening to the explanation of the book I just feel that I should have one now. I hope you will have some around ELWA so we can pick it up from there. Thank you very much for the program.

ES: Thank you very much.

PS: Thank you so much. We'll talk that over with Elma later, see if we can have some books right here for people to come and buy. Here's another call. Oh, wait. Please don't beep us! We're just taking calls, please. Elma, you were saying something when I interrupted.

ES: Yes, we were talking about the characters in the book and how I identify with some of them. So, to continue, the characters are all representing 4 or 5 different people, and I wanted them to show all the different kinds of people we have to deal with. There's the naive Liberian who's been in America and just comes home after the war and thinks she knows everything, and thinks she knows what she would have done if she was here for the war. We also have characters who are still living in the past, in the old days before even the coup, and then there're people like the main character, Bendu, who wants to change. She was a part of the past, the elite, but she sees that the future for Liberia -- a good future -- is one in which we are together as Liberians. A future in which we love each other and treat each other as equals. Those are some examples. I really liked Commander Cobra, the warlord. I love his parts because - and a lot of people tell me this too - he was not all bad. He had high aspirations for his people and things sort of went awry as he was struggling all his life for the peace and the justice that the masses do not have. I really enjoyed writing his bits.

Dr. Lyn Westman: Can I say something about Commander Cobra? As I read that book, he was one that really did bring out the pain and the torment of the past. He was struggling with good and evil within himself. And the dialogues between Bendu and Commander Cobra were amazing -- to just see how real they were together and how they were able to confront each other's idealisms and also their weaknesses -- and to come to some place of trying to find the strengths that each of them could offer. It was great to show that sometimes we just see the warlord type for the violence or for the anger. We don't see the torment that is within them and sometimes they don't even know really what torment they have. You did a great job with that as well.

Elma Shaw: Thank you.

Pastor Perry Saydee: We're almost out of time. Elma what do you have to say to your audience now, as we close this program?

Elma Shaw: I want people to know that the book will be available starting Friday, but that eventually we'll have it available in more affordable forms for Liberian readers. $16.95 is the average price for a paperback but we're in a different sort of situation and so we're looking at publishing the book in a format that is more affordable to the general public. And for those who won't be able to read the book at all, we're doing a Liberian English audio version so that everyone far and wide will be able to hear the story of Redemption Road. I just hope that people will join the dialogue. That the book will help open up their hearts, and that people will start talking with each other about some of the issues raised in the book, and that together as a nation we'll use it as a catalyst for change - as something to help heal our nation.

Pastor Perry Saydee: Okay, thank you very much Ms. Elma Shaw, and Dr. Lyn Westman of Mercy Ships, our consultant. And thank you all very much for calling and participating on this show. The time is 8:00 and it's time to go. The next program is "Seeds of Holiness."

The American Library Presents Redemption Road

2008-10-02T23:05:00.002Z

The American Library in Monrovia has a wonderful program of weekly activities open to anyone who wants to attend. There are Guest Speakers on various topics, Movie Nights, a Story Hour for children, and much more.

As part of its Liberian Cultural Heritage Series, usually held the first Thursday of each month, the Library invited me to do a Book Reading & Signing. This was the first event of the Liberia part of my tour with my just-released novel, Redemption Road.

A Review in Jamati Online

2008-09-11T18:05:00.000Z

Liberian Author Travels With Her People Down Redemption Road

by Awo Sarpong Ansu

Not many first novels feature a foreword by the President of the author's country. But Liberian author Elma Shaw's Redemption Road: The Quest for Peace and Justice in Liberia, opens with a Foreword by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. An endorsement of such gravitas puts a lot of pressure on a book to be good, and Redemption Road more than meets the challenge. Redemption Road is the recounting of Liberia's process of healing from the wounds of its civil war and the efforts of the nation and its people to rebuild themselves individually and collectively. Through the eyes of fictional characters who speak the truth of what Liberians experienced during the war and its aftermath, Ms. Shaw shows that she truly understands the restorative power of words. Ms. Shaw spoke to Jamati and other attendees of her book discussion at The Culture Shop in Washington, D.C. about her inspiration and hopes for Redemption Road. read more...

Book Event at The Culture Shop

2008-09-06T23:36:00.001Z

The Culture Shop is a beautiful fair trade store and bookshop near the Takoma Park metro station in Washington DC. The owners, Mona and Valentine Davies from Sierra Leone, hosted a book signing for me this evening. Despite warnings of severe weather because of Hurricane Ike, quite a few people came to hear me read from and discuss Redemption Road.

Good friends Ethan and Jude Landis, and Valentine Davies

Awo Sarpong Ansu (in blue) of Jamati Online

With Cousin Trypetus and Gerald Siafa

Center for Global Development Hosts First Book Event

2008-08-26T22:49:00.001Z

The first official event on my "Redemption Road Trip" was a Reading & Discussion hosted by the Center for Global Development as part of its initiative to support Liberia's reconstruction and development. CGD is an independent, not-for-profit think tank in Washington DC that works to reduce global poverty and inequality by encouraging policy change in the US and other rich nations. After the reading, much of our discussion revolved around prospects for Liberia's future and the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Celebrating Independence Day in Washington DC

2008-07-26T08:29:00.004Z

For several years now, Liberians in the Washington DC area (which includes Maryland and Virginia) have gathered at the Embassy of Liberia in Washington DC on July 26 to celebrate our nation's Independence with music, dancing, arts & crafts, Liberian food, and old friends. This year the crowd was the largest yet. What fun it was!

Ambassador Charles Minor welcomed us all and was later joined on stage by the new US Ambassador to Liberia, Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

Ay yah! Who's missing Benson Street and affordable tailors right about now?

Beautiful African dolls! These are among my favorite gifts to give. In Liberia you can get similar ones made by Alfreda Socar out of all-natural materials.

Here I am with Liberian artist Dehconte, whose latest CD is called "Liberian Libation" (Hot Pepper Soup Records). He's holding up my soon-to-be released novel, Redemption Road. (Yes people, now you know why I haven't been blogging lately. Your nama yah, and don't worry - I have lots of stories in draft and will eventually post them.) Redemption Road comes out in hardcover on August 11th and will be available on amazon.com. You can also walk into any bookstore and order it. In Liberia, look for it (and me!) in September. Contact me at liberiastories@yahoo.com and I'll send you news of coming book events.

Jacob Does Nails

2008-05-31T16:00:00.000Z

"Fine boy, plee cahn do ma nails yah!"

Jacob has been doing manicures and pedicures for about three years now - ever since a 9th grade classmate introduced him to what has become a popular income-generator for young men. They walk the streets of Monrovia with baskets full of nail polish, and are hailed down by women fancying a quick polish change or a full set of nails.

On the street, toenails cost $50 LD (about one US dollar), and fingernails cost $125 LD. In the salons (or "saloons" as we say here) we pay $5 - $10 US dollars or more, with pedicures costing more than manicures. But then, of course, in the salons we get to soak our hands and feet in warm soapy water and have all the rough skin shaved off.

Jacob says he makes about $300 LD on most days, and about $700 on Saturdays. In fact, Saturdays are so busy that sometimes they don't have to walk around, he says. They find a spot to sit, and the women just come on by one after the other.

Jacob is a senior this year at a school on the Old Road, and says although doing nails has helped him pay his tuition, he has no plans to make this his lifelong career.

Why Not the Toenails?

2008-05-31T14:58:00.002Z

Most women try to keep their toenails as short as possible. But, to each her own...

Renewal

2008-04-03T22:02:00.001Z

After a false alarm in February (when we had a very unusual four nights of rain in a row), the first real Rainy Season rain came down late this afternoon, preceded by ominous clouds.

Renewal! Quiet and steady, the rain washed away the layers of dust accumulated from the Harmattan, quenched the thirst of our stunted watermelon patch which was planted out of season at the insistence of the kids, and gave us a very welcome cool breeze at the end of a particularly sweltering day.

I love this time of year here. Mango trees everywhere laden with plums; rare, sweet, round walnuts for sale on the streets; and the gigantic breadnut tree in my back yard starting to bear its giant fruit all over again. Right now the bright green pods are the size and shape of extra large eggs, each one standing upright and surrounded by leaves as large as tabloid newspapers. Things are growing. I am growing. Monrovia's roads have been repaired. Change and promise are in the air.

One Giant Leap

2008-01-02T20:03:00.001Z

As I drove past the Temple of Justice today, I saw something that made me gasp, shout, screech to a halt, and make a quick U-turn. I had to see it again.
Could it be true?
It was!

The phrase I have detested ever since I could read was being hacked off the face of the building, letter by letter. LET JUSTICE BE DONE TO ALL MEN is, at long last, being rearranged to say LET JUSTICE BE DONE TO ALL.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to leap for joy. I wanted to twirl around like Fraulein Maria and sing ''The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music.'' What I did do was smile and praise the construction supervisor as if it were his idea to make the change.

No small steps here - This is one giant step for women, and one giant leap for Liberia. Many of our country's problems boil down to a poor justice system. Why the regular mob violence? Why the rampant corruption? Why the reluctance of victims to prosecute criminals? Why the lack of respect for laws and for authority figures? Why the exploitation of the poor? Why the disregard for human rights? Because there is, usually, no justice for ordinary citizens and no consequences when one violates a law. Of course, this new phrase won't automatically change things, but language is powerful, and this change in wording is a step in the right direction. When the renovated building is unveiled it will show (visually) that we recognize the need for a change, that we are striving for a change, and that we are actually moving forward toward this end. LET JUSTICE BE DONE TO ALL will say this is a new Liberia - one that includes and protects its women and girls, and that is fair to the poor, as well as to the rich.

Ready to be Counted!

2007-12-31T12:00:00.000Z

This morning a nice man named Sylvester came by from LISGIS - the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services - to mark our home in preparation for the 2008 Census. Liberians are to be counted for the first time since 1984!

Interestingly, the 2008 Census will not only focus on the number of people, but also on the quality of our housing, and other socio-economic conditions. Data collected will be used as a tool for development - helping the government and its partners form policies and appropriate programs to help us reduce poverty and meet the Millenium Development Goals.

I'm so glad my family is here at this time in our history, ready to be counted!

University of Liberia Student Protest

2007-06-19T17:32:00.000Z

The next time I hear that some angry group has started a riot, I'm going to take it with a giant spoonful of salt.

I was there in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today, when hundreds of University of Liberia students took to the streets. They did it in support of their professors who are on strike until they get the 9 months of salary owed them.

Here's how events really unfolded, at least from where I stood:

The beginning of a peaceful protest. The students were chanting "No more rhetoric - we wan lehn! No more rhetoric - we wan lehn!" I took this picture from my car, intending to make a sad commentary about the students and the obviously deplorable state of education as evidenced by the way they talked. I didn't think I would see the group again, but a little later in the afternoon I had to go back in their direction.
Police were standing on the Capitol By-pass and redirecting cars to the Jallah Town Road. Not understanding what was going on, I drove past them and headed towards Tubman Boulevard, the main road (the only road) that goes past the University and all the way through Monrovia. Near the Mansion, Police tried to stop me again, but by then I could see the crowd up ahead and told them I wanted to go and take pictures.
Students held up placards and yelled out their convictions and pleas. A couple of memorable messages were "No University, No Liberia", and "Give Me Education or Give Me Death." I spoke first to the guy who had the "No University" placard. Tom T., a sophomore in Public Administration. He told me, very passionately, what the protest was all about and what he meant by his message: If Liberia's highest institution of learning does not get what it needs for education, Liberia will fail as a nation.
The arrival of some armed security personnel in vehicles with a mounted gun caused a change in the crowd. Students seemed to become more fired up, and some started addressing their concerns directly to the police, as if they caused the problem or could actually do something about it.
I didn't understand the show of force. Guns for ex-combatants demanding money, yes. But for students asking for a decent education??
The trouble started when the Nigerian UNMIL soldiers arrived and penetrated the crowd, unprovoked.
Fights and confusion broke out as bewildered students were pushed and beaten. I could not believe my eyes.
Students jumped over the fence and fled back to the University, a handful of them throwing stones and a glass bottle in anger.

As I walked away from the scene with another photographer and the last of the crowd, more officers rushed at us, one of them hitting my colleague's camera with a baton. Moments later, as the photographer was pointing out the culprit to other security personnel, a crazed, blood-thirsty UNMIL soldier came running up and assaulted him with his rifle - hit him with it quite viciously, no questions asked.

When I got back to town and heard that University students had "started a riot", I could only shake my head in sorrow.

I'm still floored by the behavior of the "Peacekeepers", but also very proud of the Liberia National Police Officers who for the most part were calm and respectful from beginning to end.

Wrototown on Fire!!

2007-06-13T20:08:00.000Z

On my way home, I saw a large black cloud of smoke in the distance, and knew it had to be something serious. Sure enough, opposite the Fish Market near the Old Road junction, Wrototown was on fire. Big orange flames engulfing several houses made of bamboo mat and sticks, while hundreds of young men continued watching a football game on the nearby field. By the time I got my camera and returned to the scene, 12 houses were completely burned up, save for the zinc roofs.

This man braved the smoke to dump buckets of water on the fire in an attempt to save his own mat house...
...but for Christine Harding, it was too late. Her house was one of those consumed by the fire.
Bamboo, sticks, straw, and paper. Terrible building materials in a country where people must use candles for light and coalpots to cook! Rumor has it that a single piece of red-hot coal started the blaze.
A few possessions saved. The fire didn't get them, but the rain tonight might. And some people who weren't at home will never know whether their things were burnt or stolen by looters pretending to help.

A Welcome Sign

2007-06-05T18:00:00.000Z

On my way back from Mali a month ago, I was in transit in Ghana, where this large sign greeted us at the airport. After the initial surprise I had a good chuckle, and thought others would too.
The Welcome sign was funny at first, with its suggestion that paedophiles go elsewhere. But then it was also sad that we have to put such warnings up at all. I decided not to post it earlier, mainly because it wasn't really a "Liberia Story." Now I share it in a different context:

Maybe in Ghana the problem comes mostly from foreign visitors, but here in Liberia young girls are sexually assaulted very often by family members or familiar people in their communities. I recently heard the case of 7-year-old Sarah (not her real name) who lives with her Uncle and his wife and 18-year-old son in their rooming house. Sarah has to share a room with her 18-year-old cousin, who rapes her several times a week and has been doing so for over a year. All the tenants in the Uncle's rooming house know this, but are afraid to speak out in case they get kicked out. Those who have expressed concern have already been warned by the Uncle not to "spoil [his] family."

Liberia, like Ghana, has passed into law "harsh penalties" for such crimes, but the reality here is that these crimes, especially when committed within families, are often kept secret. And when they are caught, criminals, even murderers, often do not pay the prescribed penalties.

What will happen in this little girl's case?

Luckily, the young woman who told me about this situation does not live in the rooming house and is not afraid to confront the Uncle. Today she told me that she'll speak out again when Sarah's own father comes down to Monrovia next month, and that the Uncle is starting to get worried because of her intervention. This is good news in a way, but July is still weeks away and I worry about the girl constantly; a rescue mission should not be so slow and should not leave the child in care of her abusers once they know a process has started.

There are currently excellent nationwide campaigns against rape and gender-based violence, but, like Ghana, we need to be serious about prosecuting the criminals. I believe we should also prosecute the adult enablers (too often mothers and aunts) who look away and allow children to suffer sexual abuse.

We've got to do more for little Sarah, and we've got to do it more quickly. Real justice in this case will be a welcome sign of our now so-called commitment to child protection.

Lone Star vs. Cameroon

2007-06-03T19:34:00.000Z

Football. Liberia's great love and our strongest unifier.

The Antoinette Tubman Stadium was packed with Lone Star fans for the African Cup of Nations qualifying match against the Lions of Cameroon. The game was preceded by much controversy and numerous street protests, though, by fans who didn't like the line-up of players. "It's foolish to let an all-local team play against Cameroon," they said. "We need some of our international stars to play if we want to win this game!"

Well, they were right. Cameroon won 2-1, with a first goal from midfield that left everyone speechless with its awesomeness.

What struck me most about the day, though, was the security put in place to deter or deal with rioters. Guns, tanks, teargas and riot gear everywhere!

Well, it worked. We all left the stadium in one piece, unified in our disappointment.

United Nations "blue helmets" - and I guess I should add "blue caps" - keeping the peace

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf greets the players of both teams

Cameroon's second goal goes up on the scoreboard

Police Inspector General, Beatrice Munah Sieh. Almost didn't recognize her out of uniform!

Liberia's finest in their spiffy new uniforms and riot gear

Nigerian police officer wearing teargas canisters on his jacket

Liberian Girls Celebrate Africa

2007-05-25T17:29:00.000Z

The girls of St. Theresa's Convent celebrate African Liberation Day with poetry and history readings, dance, song, and a display of African fashion.

This Can't Be Good!

2007-03-19T01:00:00.000Z

At a guest house in Bong County: The cord for the TV was too short to reach the outlet, so the managers came up with this solution. Tell me if I'm wrong...but this can't be good!

When there are no working gas pumps, gas station attendents have to suck a bit of the gasoline up through the tube to get it flowing, and then quickly put the tube into the tank. (That's a one-gallon mayonnaise jar in his hand). This can't be good!

We were heading to Gbarnga at 120km/h (!!) when I took this photo of the taxi in front of us. This can't be good! Actually, this is not an unusual sight upcountry, and often the drivers even let one or two people sit on the hood. Gosh, where are the police officers when you need them? Oh, that's right - they don't have cars.

Shelter by Nature

2007-03-14T22:33:00.000Z

Obadiah Gondolo is building a house out of sticks. He will make the walls out of mud, and the roof out of palm thatch. The whole process will take three weeks, and will cost him nothing since the kind landowner has let him have the small space in her yard for free.

Obadiah learned how to make a shelter out of nature's gifts when he enrolled in a free vocational training program offered by Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) in 2005. "JRS really did well for us," he says, referring to himself and the 30 others who were in his class. "It's the first institution that really taught me something useful."

Obadiah and his family (wife and two children) look forward to moving into their new place, which, though small, will also include a little shop. They are among the last Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) still living in a nearby IDP camp in Salala, Bong County. Obadiah is from the Salayea District of Lofa County, but has chosen not to return until he graduates from high school. Because of the long civil war, however, he is still an 8th grade student at St. John Elementary and Jr. High School. "Before I go back to Lofa I will also learn to be an automechanic," he adds.

(Salala, Bong County, March 2, 2007)

Jerrilyn - Our Star is Rising!

2007-03-12T23:30:00.000Z

Sold by a caregiver in exchange for a fish during the Liberian Civil War (yes, people were that hungry), Jerrilyn Mulbah was taken to live with an old woman in Saclepea, Nimba County. She was there for 2 years while her mother searched endlessly for her. Finally, someone recognized her picture as the little girl who sang in the Children's Choir in a Saclepea church.

Well, just look at her now!

Just as I knew she would, Jerrilyn made it to the Top 10 in the Idols West Africa singing competition. Our Liberian nightingale took the audience off its feet with a song by Aerosmith and won the most votes from callers in participating African countries.

If you live in Africa, catch the excitement on M-Net or Africa Magic. If you live elsewhere, visit Idols West Africa to see the auditions and Top 24 performances.

Fisherwomen at Work

2007-03-11T09:48:00.000Z

I met a lovely group of women in Bong County using a fascinating method for catching fish. They line up their handmade nets, then wade towards them using their hands underwater to shoo the fish in! They will do this almost a hundred times to get enough little fish for a day's meal. (CARI Compound, Sunday, February 25).

Jerrilyn Mulbah: Liberian Idol

2007-03-09T01:29:00.000Z

I've been watching the auditions for Idols West Africa and mostly laughing my head off at our aspiring singers. A couple of days ago though, a Liberian girl grabbed my attention and had me in tears and jumping for joy at the same time. Her name is Jerrilyn Mulbah. A sweet and pretty 23 year old with a beautiful voice and songwriting talents. She lives in Calabar, Nigeria, and has made it into the Top 24. Jerrilyn will soon be competing for the Top 10. Look for her story and see her audition on the website, and be sure to call in your votes when she performs in the next few days with Group 2! (and please forward this post to all your buddies!)

International Women's Day: A Sit-In at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia

2007-03-08T14:05:00.000Z

The all-female Indian police contingent served as security along with female officers from the Liberia National Police (LNP) and the AFL (Armed Forces of Liberia).

Photo taken from inside the Temple of Justice, where a woman is not allowed if she is wearing pants.

Mrs. Massaquoi and the Girl Guides of Liberia. The three fingers signify honor to God, Country, and Self.

Perhaps change should begin with modification of this discriminatory and exclusive motto written in large letters on the Temple of Justice. How long will we allow it to remain as it is? Language is powerful. Simply remove the word "men" and everyone will begin to feel the difference as the new motto sinks into the psyche of our society: "Let Justice Be Done To All."

Picture Quiz

2007-03-05T02:02:00.000Z

Can you guess what this is??

Nimba Portraits

2007-03-04T14:34:00.001Z

Brothers in Butuo, Nimba County, where the Liberian civil war began in 1989

One of Butuo's most vocal activists for the rehabilitation and training of former combatants.

Laokay

2007-03-04T13:32:00.000Z

This is Laokay, a pretty little Gio girl. I asked her brothers what her name means. They replied, "When woman in de house, de house can be hot." (Saclepea, Nimba County, February 18, 2007)

Saclepea Snapshots

2007-03-03T18:37:00.000Z

Saclepea is one of the major towns of Nimba County. These photos were taken on Sunday, February 18, 2007)

Ma Kou? For some reason the people in your ad just don't look like the type to drink gin - and certainly not straight out of the bottle!
A small market laid out on the ground. Pasta, beans, salt and other items are wrapped up in tiny quantities and sold for a dollar each. Since our smallest bill is a $5 note the buyer must get at least 5 items.

Martha (in the sunflower blouse) and her daughters cut and bundle freshly picked potato greens and palaver sauce leaves to sell at the market for $10 a bunch.

Back to Buckets

2007-02-14T10:21:00.000Z

It's back to bathing in buckets for us. Our well is apparently not deep enough to keep our water pump pumping water into our pipes for very long during the Dry Season. The "well guys" are digging to add three or four more cement culverts. They dig from the bottom, and all those heavy culverts fall down deeper. A dusty and muddy job!

China's President Visits Liberia

2007-02-01T16:42:00.000Z

Today thousands of people lined the streets to welcome China’s President Hu Jintao to Liberia. There was not one protestor in sight, though my activist self had considered holding up a sign asking Hu to end human rights abuses in Tibet and free the Panchen Lama.

Despite the heat, the energy was high and the celebrations were genuine: President Hu’s visit was seen as yet another sign that Liberia is becoming a respectable nation once more, after 25 years of murder and mayhem.

From the comments overheard, it sounded like people were most impressed that Hu is President of the most populated nation on earth. I, for one, was happy for the promise of new schools and hospitals, and the cancellation of Liberia’s $10 million dollar debt. But I was also stunned by how easily we shift alliances. During Charles Taylor’s days we danced for Taiwan, who helped us when no one else would. But when the Chinese came bearing bigger gifts, Liberians simply turned to them with a wider grin and a more frenzied dance.

I hope it wasn’t actually that easy. I like to imagine that choosing to support the One-China Policy was an act done with gritted teeth for the good of the Liberian people who have absolutely no clue about China’s darker side.

I wonder what Liberians would do if they did know the facts. But I already know the answer: most of us would dance just the same.

For Better, Or Worse?

2007-01-22T18:57:00.000Z

This is the corner of Broad & Randall Streets (the heart of Monrovia) almost two years ago. Recently, the long row of trees in the median, once majestic with their bright orange blossoms aflame all the way from Crown Hill to Snapper Hill, were cut down. The tiny booths too, where one could buy newsmagazines, were destroyed.This is Broad & Randall today. The trees are gone, and the luggage sellers driven off the corner (several months ago) with their black bags and rainbow umbrellas. The renovation isn't finished yet, but for now I miss those trees and the rich color we used to have at this intersection.

A Quick Update

2007-01-18T23:37:00.000Z

I'm back home in Liberia after a nice long vacation in the USA. Mornings are cold and foggy, and there's a film of dust on everything (inside and outside) as the Harmattan wind is blowing from the North. The days are still hot though, and it gets dark around 7:00pm

The good news: Our pipes were fixed while we were away so we have running water in our home at last, having lived here for two years using buckets of water (sometimes muddy) from the well. Now that we have running water I don't know how we managed for so long without!

The bad news: Sometime before we left, our little dog Frisky was stolen, most likely to be killed and sold for meat. (Yes, that's a new reality here. People had to eat dogs during the war and some apparently developed a taste for it.) I just couldn't bring myself to write about it when it happened. And now, despite leaving him in 24-hour care, our other dog Skipper, who was a lovely lively white dog when we left, looks like a mangy stray with cuts and sores and patches of fur falling out, with flies following him everywhere. We are keeping him in the yard and nursing him back to health.

The Liberian Ski Team

2007-01-04T08:05:00.000Z

Hey, why not? Skiing is the only thing that can get me out in the snow willingly and joyfully. Here we are, me with Keyan and Tyne, at Ski Brule in Michigan last Saturday. We are now winding down our month-long vacation which was full of lots of firsts for the boys. They truly enjoyed being in a Winter Wonderland (Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan) and, because the winter was unusually "warm", I didn't mind being in the US as much as I thought I would. (This is our first Winter in 8 years!) A few more days in New York and Washington DC, and then we will head back to hot and sunny Liberia where I look forward to a New Year of living, loving, learning, and blogging.

Twilight in Foya

2006-10-13T19:30:00.000Z

View from a hill in Foya City, Lofa County

Mob Violence in Broad Daylight

2006-09-06T18:00:00.000Z

On my way to the Urban Chateau for lunch today, the talk in the taxi was all about an incident of mob violence that had happened this morning, in broad daylight, right on Tubman Boulevard in the heart of Sinkor.

Everyone had their own version, but the gist of it is that two people, a man and a woman, were using using a stolen car as a taxi and robbing the passengers. The victims chased them down, the woman got away, and the man was beaten to death right there on the street by a crowd of angry people.

"You ain't mind, de man slippers still on de ro," the cabman said. I didn't believe it was possible, but sure enough, as we drove past Greenland Supermarket there they were - two yellow rubber slippers, thrown several meters apart.

Sunset at La Lagune

2006-09-03T21:05:00.000Z

La Lagune is a nice new spot for swimming on Sundays. Even swollen with Rainy Season water, the lagoon is less than five feet deep (and maybe waist-level when it hasn't rained for a while). They have tables shaded with rainbow-colored umbrellas, drinks, beach volleyball, and large inflatable boats for hire. We like to stay until sunset. (Congo Town Back Road, Monrovia, LIBERIA)

Car Shopping

2006-09-02T17:04:00.000Z

Prompted by stories upon stories of violence and robberies after dark, plus the difficulty and indignity of running and fighting and pushing to get a space in a crowded taxi on Broad Street at the end of the day (since even the taxi drivers are too afraid to let anyone charter them), I spent the morning looking at used cars for sale. There was not much of a choice, and the lowest price was about $3,800 US Dollars. Just as I was considering happily going back to the indignity of Broad Street rush hour, I saw a nice little white Nissan Sunny at the lot on Carey Street and the Capitol Bypass. It'll do just fine!

Rogue, Rogue!

2006-08-30T18:00:00.000Z

After several attempts, rogues finally broke into our yard two nights ago. They broke into Shaun's truck and stole the radio, and they cut the screen of our porch and came in for the plastic chairs. Nothing major, but still unnerving considering the fact that we were at home, and that we had two security guards on duty who were supposed to be awake all night keeping watch. The funny thing is I always get up to investigate every little noise, but I heard nothing. The good thing is Shaun has now been spurred into action on taking more safety measures. He got two fire extinguishers - one for our residence and one for his office, which is right next door - and he has hired a 4th security guard so that there'll always be three on duty. Today the welders are here building a tall wire mesh fence around the office and putting up another gate, all with razor wire on top.

A Place Called Puduken

2006-08-10T14:35:00.000Z

There are about 14 towns in the Nyemonweh Chiefdom of Maryland County, Harper District. According to my guide, Nyema Nevis, Puduken (pop. 550) was built in 1832 and is the least developed town of the Chiefdom because it is the only one separated from Cape Palmas by the ocean. There are no schools there, and those who leave to get an education elsewhere normally do not return. Nyema's own brother left for the USA in 1983 and the family has been trying to trace him ever since. It is a short canoe ride to get to Puduken, where much of the town's livelihood comes from the cassava and eddoes that grow extraordinarily well in the sandy soil. Nyema's father, John Nevis, is the Town Chief of Puduken. Born in 1921, he has lost his eyesight but is still very much in charge and very highly respected. Before the war, he served as Speaker for the Grebo People of Nyemonweh Chiefdom and represented them in audiences with President William V.S. Tubman and President William R. Tolbert. Today, his request on behalf of his Chiefdom, if he could speak to President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, is for a bridge to connect Puduken with the mainland so that development will reach his people.

The New Dog

2006-08-09T23:30:00.000Z

Skipper (left) with the new dog (right). We've been calling him "The New Dog" for two weeks now. Any good suggestions out there? Help us, please! (-:

Lights!

2006-07-26T23:44:00.000Z

On Tubman Boulevard, Congo Town, Independence Day 2006.

When the lights were tested on Monday, July 24th, the rejoicing in the streets was very much like it was the day we heard Ellen Johnson Sirleaf had won the Presidency. Even those of us who use generators here could not help but cheer. It's wonderful to see that we, as a nation, are moving forward.

Justice for Saah Samukai

2006-07-24T23:10:00.000Z

At last! After a lengthy trial, three suspects were convicted today for the murder of Saah Samukai.

After Saah's funeral last October, we stood with his mother in the hospital and didn't know what to say (see "Heaven Cried Too"). Back then I don't think we even believed justice was possible; people literally do get away with murder here all the time. Case in point: the convicted men are only three of the 11 armed robbers that attacked the Samukai family that night, and if Mrs. Tamba (as I call Saah's mother) had not thrown acid on one of them, they may never have been caught.

I didn't know what to say that day in the hospital, but a month later, when I saw an ad in the paper for a short-term media consultancy on an arms control project, I knew what I had to do to be a part of the solution. That short-term consultancy has turned into a full-time communications job and news of the verdict makes it extra sweet.

Although the frontpage headline of the Daily Observer says the killers face hanging, it's hard to believe that they will have to pay for their crime. Is this really the beginning of a new day in our justice system? Will there really be justice for Saah Samukai? We can wait and see, or we can rise up - individually and collectively - to make sure justice is served.

A Welcome Public Notice

2006-07-23T15:20:00.000Z

A welcome notice on a new light pole near the YWCA, Congo Town, Monrovia. Liberia has not had public lighting for 16 years!

Mexco Zidane's Ataye Shop

2006-07-03T15:02:00.000Z

Ataye Shops are a fairly new phenomenon here in Liberia. "Ataye" is a strong tea served in tiny glasses. The fun is in the mixing of it. The server puts the already brewed tea in a small plastic cup, puts in some sugar, and, instead of stirring, he pours the tea from the plastic cup into the glass and vice versa several times (in a very long stream) to mix it.

Ataye shops have become men's clubs ("because women don't like the strong flavor of the tea," someone explains to me) and are always alive with discussions, debates and answers to Liberia's problems. Today, at Mexco Zidane's Ataye Shop on Maryland Avenue in Harper City (Maryland County), the talk is about who should win the World Cup. I'm not really following the argument but I hear the words "Ronaldinho" "Brazil" "Portugal" "France" and something about unequal match-ups and some country taking all the African players. Mexco (aka Mohammed) offers me my very first glass of Ataye. I say no at first, but he insists and I accept. It is strong, but surprisingly sweet and not at all unpleasant.

Welcome to Whole Graway

2006-06-27T13:30:00.000Z

About an hour's drive from Harper City, Maryland County, along a dusty road winding through lush green landscapes that make one dream of building a sprawling vacation home far from the madding crowd, there is a large town called Whole Graway. (And yes, there is a smaller town nearby called Half Graway!) Whole Graway (pronounced erroneously by most people as "Ho Gravy") is the heart of the Nyemoweh Chiefdom. Situated right near the palm-lined beach, the houses are large mud structures, usually square or rectangular, with thatched roofs. The round structures with cone-shaped roofs are the kithcens -- often shared by more than one family. There are around a hundred houses in the town, but because it is the middle of the day, it is peaceful and quiet. Most of the adults have gone to the farms, leaving behind the elderly, the very young, and the goats who run ahead of our vehicle to warn everyone that strangers have come to visit.

Beautiful Kids of Whole Graway

2006-06-27T13:00:00.000Z

The kids of Whole Graway gather happily for a photograph.

Communication for the Nation

2006-06-20T19:00:00.000Z

Lonestar Cell was launched in Pleebo and Harper Cities the day I arrived in Maryland County. What a relief! From Foya City in Lofa, to Harper City in Maryland – Lonestar Cell has the widest coverage, the clearest connection, and the best customer service...by far!

River Gbeh

2006-06-19T20:47:00.000Z

Once upon a time, Liberia was divided into 13 Counties. River Gee and Gbarpolu Counties were created in recent years, bringing the number of counties to 15. There are two rivers running through River Gee County: River Gee, and River Gbeh. River Gbeh is the most powerful, with waves flowing fast and crashing noisily against the rocks. Makes one wonder why the county was named River Gee instead.

Muddy Boots

2006-06-18T21:58:00.000Z

I ordered my waterproof hiking boots online, and when they arrived I thought I had overdone it. Even though I had heard stories of the Rainy Season upcountry roads (some with stretches so bad they have names), the boots looked and felt too serious for little old Liberia. Boy, was I wrong! I’m using them for the first time on a trip to River Gee County in the less-traveled southeastern region of the country. Even though it didn’t rain much during the days leading up to our journey, what did come from the sky was enough to turn the infamous parts of the unpaved “highway” into bowls of mud soup and traps of sticky red clay. When we aren’t stuck in one for hours struggling to get ourselves out, we’re stuck waiting for hours for other unfortunate souls to get out first. While we wait I love plodding around in the mud with confidence (and an air of experience in rough terrain). It’s also satisfying to know that if we have to hike several miles to the nearest village my boots will be adequately challenged.

"What's New for April?"

2006-04-27T13:36:00.000Z

That was a question posted on Liberia Stories earlier this month.

Well, what's new for April is actually old. After a full year of searching for the perfect words (and not finding them), I have decided to just go ahead and post some of the pictures I took last April at the 25th Anniversary Memorial Celebration for the 13 government officials killed on April 22, 1980, shortly after the coup d'etat. They are posted along with the draft I wrote back then.

I think another reason it has taken me so long to share what I have is that no images can adequately convey the sheer power of that day.

I have posted each picture separately (in the April 2005 folder) so that relatives and friends can add comments and personal memories. I, too, will post the perfect words as they come to me.

Please Note: You do not have to set up your own blog to make a comment. You may use the "anonymous" identity, and write your name (if you wish) in your post.

The Fish Gods of Gbaota

2006-03-23T23:01:00.000Z

Almost three hours out of Monrovia, on the highway to Gbarnga, there is a little town with an infamous river running through it. One part of the river is used for bathing and washing clothes, and another part is full of giant catfish that have lived there unmolested since the olden days. They come to the surface in a wild thrashing frenzy if you throw pieces of bread in the water. During the civil war, I am told, when there was no food and people were so hungry that they ate rats, lizards, and even other human beings, no one even considered catching the fish of Gbaota.

Legend has it that long ago, before the war, people used to bring their problems to the fish. After such visits, which were made in consultation with certain gifted people from the town, all sorts of requests would be granted. Even women who went there with infertility problems would finally bear children. But anyone who dared to eat the fish would fall into misfortune and ill health, and die.

Town Chief Harrison Cooper says once a group of people began fishing there, claiming that as Christians, no harm would come to them if they ate the fish. “They saw for themselves,” Cooper added with a shrug, “and they stopped eating the fish."

There are other tales regarding the fish of Gbaota River. For one, they say any other fish that enters their space turns up dead, and that any Gbaota catfish who crosses a certain boundary in the river cannot turn back; it loses its power and becomes safe to eat.

The Town Chief warned that my taking photographs of them would prove useless. “Plenty people try to take their picture,” he said, “but the pictures never come out.” With that in mind, I had an eerie feeling all the way back to Monrovia. Would my digital photos disappear? Paranoid, I kept checking on them. Would we be able to see the fish in the photos? Would my photo of the three young Gbaota girls download as two old women with missing teeth and one with long flat breasts? Would the fish gods of Gbaota let me tell their story??

(Well, here they are! Apparently the fish appreciated the Fanti bread I threw in. However, if the blog starts to act up we'll all know why.)

Gbaota Girls

2006-03-23T22:01:00.000Z

(L-R) Teta, Tutu-Girl and Annie, who pulled her tube top down and insisted on showing her titties for the picture (Gbaota Town, Bong County)

Foya Rebel Fortresses

2006-02-19T21:18:00.000Z

Foya, Lofa County

One of the most remarkable things about Foya is that years after the fighting, homes and buildings still bear the marks and warning signs of the rebel forces who terrorized the citizens there.

I asked people why they keep these reminders of such a traumatic time. Someone explained that they're waiting for the owners of the abandoned buildings to come back and fix up their places. Some of those living in marked houses said they simply don't have any paint.

If you want to help give Foya a facelift so that the children don't grow up thinking this is normal, please contact me.

Making Country Cloth

2006-02-18T20:18:00.000Z

Foya, Lofa County

Mohammed Sheriff, Imam of Foya City, leads prayers at the mosque and teaches his son how to make country cloth -- just as his father taught him. They will weave the colorful yarn into a thick, striped cloth to be used for shirts, gowns, hats, and other items.

Towo Finda's Fishing Nets

2006-02-17T20:44:00.000Z

Foya, Lofa County
Towo Finda makes fishing nets with rope made from fibers found in leaves from the palm tree. You fold a long thin leaf in half, and, from the crease, peel away to expose the fine green fibers. The fibers are then twisted together into a thin rope and laid out to dry.

When fishing season rolls around, women go out in small groups and wade into the water with their nets. They gently shake the nets underwater to lure in the fish. Towo Finda says she used to fish herself, but had to stop for health reasons. For several years now, she has made nets only to sell. It takes about a week to make a good net that will last for several years.

Lunch!

2006-02-16T19:00:00.000Z

Foya, Lofa County
Frogs - only $10 LD for a pile

Edwin Kpongo, Brick Maker

2006-02-15T20:56:00.000Z

Foya, Lofa County
Edwin Kpongo and his friends earn a living making bricks out of mud. Each man on the team makes 200 blocks per day, and gets paid $200 Liberian Dollars for his labor. The blocks take up to 15 days to get dry. During construction they are put together with cement, and then plastered. With the plaster and a roof for protection, mud houses last for many years.

Bricks in the Sun

2006-02-15T18:46:00.000Z

Foya, Lofa County

Mud bricks laid out to dry in the sun.

Foya Market

2006-02-14T20:16:00.000Z

The Foya Market is situated in the middle of the town right along the dusty Kolahun Road, a.k.a. "Foya Broad Street."

A Tribute to Mr. Marshall

2006-02-12T20:38:00.000Z

I returned from Lofa County to a house with kids' handprints everywhere and the news that Mr. Marshall, our beloved painter, died while I was away.

When we renovated the house we live in, Mr. Marshall was the only professional among a motley crew of guys who didn’t know what they were doing. The “painters” didn’t know about using masking tape or newspapers to keep paint off where it didn’t belong, they left oil paint to harden on the brushes overnight, and one of them put so much paint on the kitchen ceiling that we had little icicle-looking things forming and threatening to drip on our heads. Mr. Marshall corrected their mistakes, taught them patiently, and did his own work carefully and beautifully. “Quick impact, Mr. Marshall – you’re too slow!” my husband would say. But Mr. Marshall would just laugh and refuse to rush. Long after the main job was done, he was the one we called to do extra paint jobs and touch-ups here and there.
I loved and respected Mr. Marshall not just as a painter, but as a friend. I liked listening to his stories about painting the Executive Mansion and Tupee Taylor’s house, and I enjoyed watching him interact with my two little boys.

We miss him dearly, but perhaps the Gates of Heaven needed a new coat of paint and Mr. Marshall, at 70, needed a rest. I, for now, will live with my walls the way they are because I cannot imagine having someone else paint them for me.

Away Again

2006-01-20T08:37:00.000Z

Heading to Lofa County (Foya and Voinjama) for two weeks!

While I'm gone, catch up with my archives and go to www.liberiaseabreeze.com for great articles, stories, poems, essays, and photographs by Liberian writers & artists.

Enjoy!

My Own Little "Ovation"

2006-01-16T23:59:00.001Z

For those of you who don't know, Ovation is an African society magazine that covers people and events across the continent and in the Diaspora. The glossy magazine is known for its posed pictures of movers & shakers with their fans and guests. These pictures were taken at the Red Carpet Charity Ball at Krystal Oceanview Hotel in honor of Her Excellency, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (oh, I just love saying that!)

Marcia Shaw of Image Africa, Chief Dele Momodu, Publisher of Ovation, and media & PR consultant Elma Shaw

Her Excellency, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Shaun Skelton, Director of Visions in Action, and Elma Shaw

Comfort Peabody and City Mayor Ophelia Hoff Saytumah

Jemima Baker and Denise Tubman

Marcia and Elma Shaw

Annie and Seward Cooper with Dawn and Nat Barnes

Inauguration Day

2006-01-16T21:31:00.000Z

The view from where we sat on the grounds of the Capitol Building. Those are security people on the dome -- not pigeons (-:

Heading to the Executive Mansion for a reception on the South Lawn

Many people wore "Ellen lappas"

Chris Brownell, Wood Carver

2006-01-05T19:40:00.000Z

-Ganta, Nimba County

Chris Brownell has lived at the Grace United Methodist Rehab Center since 1973 when his family sent him here after he contracted leprosy. At the time, he says, his family could not deal with the stigma surrounding the disease. The Rehab Center offers medical care and vocational training for people with challenging conditions. Trades include mat-making and carpentry. Mr. Brownell is a wood carver—an excellent one, despite the loss of all his fingers. He makes decorative wall pieces out of camwood—a heavy, sienna-colored wood found here in Liberia’s forests. He is making “a woman kneeling down” now, and says it will take him about five days to carve the piece. His workbench is a tree stump, and he uses a spear to shape the wood. The spear is a tool that resembles a crowbar but is razor sharp at the tip. Five days at several hours a day, and he will charge US$15 for the piece. Some of the carvings are sold to visitors who come to the Center, and some of them are sent to Monrovia where we—having no clue and no concern about the amount of work the laborer put in—often bargain the price down as low as we can go.

Cleaning Up the City

2006-01-04T20:37:00.000Z

-Ganta, Nimba County

A terrible thing was happening as I prepared to leave Monrovia today for a trip to Ganta, Nimba County. Groups of policemen were going around the city ordering street vendors to break down their booths. In large letters, they painted on the condemned structures “Move by order of MCC”. Apparently this is City Hall’s way of cleaning up the city for the January 16 Presidential Inauguration. But what about the livelihoods of these people? Some of them, like Elsie Boley who sells clothes on Broad and Johnson, have had their colorful booths for many years. Elsie has worked at hers for four.

These tiny shops are not eyesores. Sure, they get dirty after a while, but they should not be broken down for the sake of international visitors. Oh…now that I think of it, perhaps the booths are considered a security risk, being illegally on the sidewalks or too close to the main roads as they are. (Sigh) I suppose that would be justification for what is happening…

Still. While some people are commending City Hall for cleaning up, I wish the booths could stay. They are some of the things that make Monrovia a unique capital city—our capital city. The booths and shops are used to sell phone cards, lottery tickets, stationery, or other items. Some are forex bureaus where you can change USD to Liberian Dollars. Some are barbershops (or “barbing” shops, as they say on their signs). Occasionally you will find one sporting an old manual typewriter and a man who will type your letter for $20LD. Sometimes you even find one with an old photocopier hooked up to a small Tiger generator (2 unbelievably poor-quality copies for $5LD). Most of the booths are made of wood. The shops made with cement blocks are usually right by the sidewalk, not on it. All of them have colorful pictures painted on them by local artists. Elsie’s is made of blocks and has royal blue iron doors. There is a small veranda-like area in front of it where she sits, almost hidden by the clothes that hang from wooden rods.

Elsie showed me the citation she received to attend a meeting at City Hall. She said it was delivered just five minutes before the group of policemen arrived at her place with their can of yellow paint. The meeting is scheduled, but the place has been condemned without the vendors having a chance to appeal for exclusion or suggest compromises. New paintjobs and cute Secret Service men hanging around for a week might have been nice. Hhmmm…I may even have stayed and built me an illegal booth right quick!

Oh well. I suppose I’m worrying too much. City Hall can’t possibly tear down all the booths in Monrovia. I’m sure when I go back ten days from now I’ll find most of them still standing. I only hope that by then, Elsie and the other unfortunate vendors who were in the wrong place at the wrong time will be on the way to standing on their own two feet again. They are the life of our vibrant city, and proof that Liberians are experts at making a way out of “no way”.

My Name

2005-12-29T16:38:00.000Z

I met yet another old friend today who is appalled that my name is still Elma Shaw. He says he refused to let his wife even hyphenate her name, and could never have married a woman so modern. I, I suppose, could never have married a man so set in tradition.

It's not a common thing for a Liberian woman to keep her name after marriage. In fact, most people don’t even know it’s an option. I know one woman who still says, when she introduces me to someone else, “Sorry, I don’t know her real last name.” She smiles when she says it, but gives me a disapproving look at the same time. She's the kind that would call me by my husband's name if she knew it, despite knowing I have not adopted it. I don't mind at all when people call me by his name, and most times I don't even bother to correct them. But I might mind a bit if people who know my preference choose to ignore it out of their own disapproval.

Women have many different reasons for choosing to keep their maiden name or to take on their husband's name, and all of them are valid. After all, our names belong to us and we should be able to do whatever we want with them.

Sometimes, when people ask, wide-eyed with surprise, "You didn't change your name?" I say "No, and my husband didn't change his either." But really, my decision has less to do with feminist beliefs of equality and more to do with the fact that Elma Lorraine Shaw is who I have always been and who I always will be. It is my name and I am inspired to uphold it for the sake of my family, myself, and my own children. Finally, it is the name I always dreamed of seeing on Honor Roll lists, on diplomas, and in bold letters on books and on screen. As the dreams become reality, I love my name - and the modern me - even more.

Deep Undercover

2005-12-28T15:35:00.000Z

Rumor has it that my husband is a CIA agent. The only basis for this speculation is that he is a white American who works in Africa. But, since sometimes even wives aren’t supposed to know these things, I am beginning to wonder...

Hhmmm…living here during Taylor’s administration…two jobs that took us to war zones in the DRC and Sudan…a recent trip to LRA territory in Uganda… the tinted glasses he wears, talking about the sun is too bright… Could it be? My Sweetie?

The first time I heard this rumor I was very offended, knowing about our struggles as I do. In fact, Shaun was so frustrated about unfunded proposals at the time that I didn’t even bother mentioning it to him. Things are looking up for next year, so when I heard the rumor again recently, combined with the statement that we are rich, I just had to laugh. This time I told him what people are saying, and asked him to “Show me the money!” He laughed his head off at the whole crazy notion.

My down-to-earth, activist, anti-establishment husband is the most unlikely candidate for a CIA job. If he is indeed an agent, he has got to be either the biggest mistake the CIA ever made, or the best undercover agent that ever lived. But, since even wives don't always know the truth, I’ve taken to calling him “Agent Sweetie” – just in case.

"The name is Pie -- Sweetie Pie"

Lucky Ticket

2005-12-22T22:01:00.000Z

Monrovia and its suburbs are alive with activity and fun and games as Christmas approaches. The crowd here is playing a game of chance they call "Lucky Ticket" even though there's no ticket involved. Some call it "Gain and Loss" because, as a young boy explained to me, "sometimes you gain and sometimes you loss." For $5LD you get three metal hoops and a chance to win things like soap, pasta, juice, plastic bowls, biscuits and footballs. I watched for a long time and gave a boy four hoops to play for me while I played two myself. It wasn't our lucky day, but it sure was fun!
(Jacob's Town, Monrovia, LIBERIA)

Firestone Questions

2005-12-16T14:57:00.000Z

(Dr. Owl from today's Daily Observer)

There's another Firestone story in the paper today. Firestone's been in the news a lot lately, beginning a few weeks ago with headlines accusing the company of practising slavery on its rubber farms in Liberia. The complaint is coming not from rubber tappers and their families, but from a group of lawyers and human rights activists. The lawyers say the tappers are too afraid to speak for themselves. I say if not one tapper out of thousands is willing to sacrifice his job by speaking up for the cause, THERE IS NO CAUSE. Lawyers and activists have important roles to play in struggles for justice and fair treatment, but they cannot lead someone else's revolution. Where are the tappers who will speak up and tell us where they stand and what they want? Are they silent because they are afraid? Or are they silent because Firestone provides them housing, medical care, schools, and salaries that far surpass what the Liberian government pays? Lawyers, please bring your witnesses to the stand!

Trouble Brewing

2005-12-12T15:45:00.000Z

Ma Edith came to work late this morning. She said there was trouble in her Chugbor neighborhood last night, and along Old Road and Tubman Boulevard near CDC Headquarters. These are all places that surround our house, but we didn't hear anything during the night. George Weah came back to town last night (after a trip to South Africa) and Ma Edith says his supporters vandalised cars and beat up several people - including some policemen. She and her neighbors stayed up until 4am worrying. "Sis Emma," she said, "the place where I eh, sleep still in my eyes. If it wasn't for my Old Ma I would pack all my things and move back to Ivory Coast because ahn like for things to worry me." A bit worried myself, I asked Shaun to drive Keyan to school although I normally take him. Half an hour later they were both back. No school today because of the trouble brewing.

Just Play With Me

2005-12-09T15:18:00.000Z

This is the dashboard of the taxi I rode in this afternoon. The producers of the sticker meant well, but really... (-:

You Can Stop HIV/AIDS: A Call to Action!

2005-12-01T19:10:00.000Z

December 1st is World AIDS Day. I wrote this article for the Nov/Dec 2005 issue of Destiny - an 8-page youth-focused HIV/AIDS newsletter that I publish as part of my work with the Liberia Hope Fund. Even if you are no longer a young-un, read it and take heed :-)

Do you know what the Millennium Development Goals are? You should, because they were set so that you and your children might have a better life and a secure future. Imagine for a moment: Where would you like to see yourself in the next ten years?

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs, for short) are a set of goals designed to improve the standard of living of the world’s poorest people by the year 2015. Among the goals is one that pertains to HIV/AIDS: By 2015, we should have stopped and reversed the spread of HIV/AIDS.

The MDGs were adopted by world leaders in 2000. It is now 2005, and, according to a recent progress report, Liberia is probably not going to reach the HIV/AIDS goal. Well, 2015 is 10 years away. If we are not making good progress, let’s do everything we can to get on the track to success!

What do you need to do?

• Learn the facts about HIV/AIDS. Know the modes of transmission and the methods of prevention.
• Stop behavior that puts you at risk.
• Learn about testing issues, treatment, care, and what to do about stigma and discrimination.
• Send your children to school. Support education. A study by the Global Campaign for Education shows that by the time someone completes primary school, they have all the skills necessary to understand HIV prevention messages, and the confidence to make good decisions in their relationships and lives.
• Hold world governments (and your own!) to their promises regarding funding for HIV/AIDS research and care.
• Organize, collaborate, and work hard to save yourselves and to protect those who already have HIV/AIDS.

Finally, a special call to women and young people: This battle against HIV/AIDS is for you. More than two thirds of young people with HIV/AIDS are girls and women. Around half of people who get HIV are infected before the age of 25. How old are you now? How old will you be in 2015? Will you be free of HIV? If you are HIV positive will you have equal rights and adequate treatment? Your destiny is in your hands. The battle against HIV/AIDS is for you, and the campaign must be by you.

This is your call to action. Don’t just imagine a better future…create it.

New Skills and Terminology

2005-11-28T16:04:00.000Z

Not too long ago, after years of using candles at night, I learned how to light a kerosene lantern. I jumped for joy when I did it, and was quite proud of myself until I thought "Wait a minute...it's 2005. I should not be rejoicing about this." But the fact is we live like past generations and so must learn those old ways of life. With no electricity we must cook on coalpots, light lanterns to see at night, and use coal irons to iron our clothes.

Today, my son came home from school with his Grammar notes. Topic: How We Use Capital Letters. In the chart of examples, along with the name of a classmate and the name of his school, was this entry: "Tiger generator". He is only 5 years old, but every kid in his class knows what a generator is. (Only the adults know how frustrating the Tiger brand can be). I suppose our kids are the lucky ones though. When I visited my old elementary school in 1996 I saw a list of terms on a classroom wall that included ECOMOG and CO. I had to ask what CO stood for. "Commanding Officer," I was told.

The Easiest Way to Light a Coalpot

2005-11-28T15:44:00.000Z

Find a candle that is almost finished. Maybe one about an inch long or so. Fill the coalpot with coal, and place the little piece of candle deep down somewhere in the middle of the pile. Light the candle, and arrange two or three pieces of coal so that they surround and touch the flame without putting it out. That's it. The coals around the flame will get white hot and spread the fire to the others. No fanning necessary.

(OK - this is the easiest way to light a coalpot when you have no lighter fluid)

At Criminal Court

2005-11-24T15:02:00.000Z

I went to Criminal Court today, but there was no hearing for Isaac, Wleh and Prince—my street friends accused of robbery. The clerk told me that he would have to assign a hearing date, that the boys would get a lawyer at the hearing, and that I would have to “bring something” to make this all possible. So, I asked him, if I don’t pay you these boys will never be assigned a hearing date? After a long pause he told me he would assign the case, and I should call at 2:30 in the afternoon to make sure it was ready.

I called at 2:40 pm and was told the assignment was ready. (Wow!) “Can you make it here by 3?” the clerk asked. “You’ll need to go with the sheriff to the prison with the assignment.” No problem. I was there at 3 o’clock on the dot. But there was no assignment, no Sheriff, no trip to the prison. Just another attempt, by the clerk and the judge, to get me to file a costly bond. This time the cost was lower than the last quote, but still beyond my means and against reason: why should I have to pay anything when a court-appointed lawyer could (and should) get them out?

I was told to return on Monday, when all the prisoners will be brought to court. But I’m already tired of the runaround and I’m beginning to wonder if my interest in these boys might actually keep them in longer than necessary.

It's Official...

2005-11-23T20:20:00.000Z

It's official! Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the 23rd President of the Republic of Liberia, and the first woman in Africa elected as Head of State. All Hail, Liberia, Hail!

I was in a taxi in the middle of town and a traffic jam as the ceremony took place at the Centennial Pavilion. We cheered as we listened to it live on the radio and watched people on both sides of the street dancing and rejoicing for blocks and blocks. A beautiful and uplifting experience.

I am at home now, and still dancing.

USA Today Cartoon

2005-11-23T20:15:00.000Z

I love this cartoon from USA Today. We are on top of the world!

"We the Good Boys"

2005-11-22T17:36:00.000Z

I spent some time in town today, meeting with several guys from the A-Team* and with people who I hope might be able to provide pro bono legal aid for three imprisoned street boys accused of robbery.

Just out of curiosity, I asked Patrick, one of the leaders of the A-Teamers, why he hadn't taken advantage of the Disarmament, Demobilisation, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Programs offered to ex-combatants. He could have gone to computer classes or to academic or vocational schools through the DDRR.

"I ran behind it, but no way," Patrick said. "We the good boys couldn't get any help. You had to turn in a gun in order to get the ID card, so only those who fought or those who hid weapons from the last war could get it."

What a shame. Thousands of ex-combatants being rewarded with education and opportunity while the boys who listened to us when we said "Please don't fight anymore" get nothing but a clear conscience.

*A-Team is code name for "the street"

The Other Side of Justice

2005-11-21T22:29:00.000Z

It’s so easy to rant about the criminals that slip through Liberia’s justice system without retribution…until those criminals happen to be downtrodden people you know and care about.

For the past couple of days I’ve been advocating for three young men I’ve known since 1999 when they were just young drug-addicted street boys on the hustle. I helped design a residential rehabilitation and vocational training program for them at the Boys Town campus in Schiefflin. Over a hundred boys participated in that program during the two years of its existence. Funding ended partly because of the political climate at the time, and after Graduation exercises we placed some of the boys with carpenters, masoners and farmers to work as apprentices. Others—mostly the youngest ones—were reunited with their families and sent to formal schools. But in the end, some of them, like Isaac, Wleh, and Prince were discouraged by the lack of job opportunities and returned to the streets.

On Monday, November 14th, according to witnesses and police, a friend of Isaac, Wleh and Prince stole a handbag from a lady and ran off to their Carey Street hangout with it. The three defendants then gathered around him and fought to grab items from the bag for themselves. The three were caught on Tuesday, and the actual perpetrator was caught on Friday—the same day I heard about the arrest and visited them at Central Police Headquarters. I was told I could take them then, upon paying a fee “as a guarantee”, but I had no money at the time and none until today. Unfortunately, I arrived at the courthouse just in time to see the boys being led by UNMIL police to the minibus that would take them to “South Beach”—Monrovia’s prison. I told them not to worry—that I had just spoken with the complainant’s representative and with the police, and that I would now be able to sign for their release. But the courtroom judge, who had not even heard the defense, refused to release them in my care. He said a lawyer will have to file the papers to bail them out. The cost to do so will be six times what I had been asked to pay on Friday.

Where is the justice? The victim wants to know, but so do I. Why is the focus on Issac, Wleh and Prince, when they did not plan or carry out the actual crime? Why does the Writ of Arrest accuse them of conniving to snatch the purse when everyone involved agrees they were minding their own business when the purse happened to come their way? Why have these boys been kept for a week with no change of clothes and no access to either a private or a court-appointed lawyer? And most puzzling, why was the purse-snatcher released today? What sense does that make? Could it be that he, somehow, had the cash to get himself out?

The court case is set for Thursday. Maybe I'll get some answers there.

Namesake

2005-11-18T20:24:00.000Z

Today, little Elma came to see me for the first time since her birth on October 8th. She is the granddaughter of my children’s nurse, Edith. Ma Edith named the baby after me with no objection from the parents, who came from Harbel today to present my namesake to me.

It was both amusing and beautiful to hold a tiny girl in my arms and call her by my name. Elma. There are not too many of us in this world. Here, in Liberian English, I am often called "Emma." Some funny versions are "Edmon", and, by one little boy long ago, "Yellowma."

The day Ma Edith asked me to write my name down so that they would get it right on the birth certificate (thank goodness!), I taught her how to pronounce it, and smiled at the memory of a naming disaster avoided...

After a recent Teacher Training Workshop at which I was an instructor, a participant said he admired me so much that he was going to name his first daughter after me. I was flattered. “Yes,” he said, nodding, “I’m going to call her Elegant.” My smile got even bigger then, and I had to explain to him that my name was actually not Elegant. On the first day of the workshop everyone had chosen adjectives to go along with their first names. Where had this guy been? Did he really think our names were Mighty, Progressive, Hardworking, and so on? Or did he not mind naming his daughter with an adjective? Anyway, I was glad we got it straightened up in time to save that future little girl the stress of having to live up to her name; Lord knows what a hard time I had trying to be elegant for ten days in a row.

My namesake will come to see me every day while she is here in Monrovia visiting her grandmother. It's funny--Ma Edith calls her Elma, but still calls me Emma.

Pamper Yourself

2005-11-17T01:00:00.000Z

Go ahead—when was the last time you got those hands and feet done? Pamper yourself with a "mellicue" and a "pellicue"…you are worth it! Just don’t expect to see any cowboys or liquor at the Saloon.
(Benson Street, Monrovia, LIBERIA)

Woman in Charge: Ellen's Song

2005-11-15T01:18:00.000Z

It’s fun listening to the comments about what the new Liberia will be like with a woman in charge. Most jokes center around the idea that we will become uncontrollable and bossy, and that men will become subservient. One repeated lament is this: “The way my woman can already talk to me—what thing she coming say na? No use of me talking again sef.” (Rough translation: my feisty woman is about to become even feistier).

I must say, having Ellen Johnson Sirleaf win the presidency does indeed put an extra spring in my step. How could it not? But while my fellow Liberians wait for her to bring us electricity and running water and wow the world with her achievements, I’m just living for the day when that asinine rule that says women cannot wear trousers in the Executive Mansion and other government buildings is declared null and void.

What on earth do our clothes have to do with what’s in our brains? Without that dress code women are not suddenly going to start wearing 'dig-my-back' halter tops and hot pants to the Mansion. In fact, we will probably still prefer to wear lovely dresses; we just do not want to be told that we have to.

In my recurring daydream, Ellen strides through the Executive Mansion one day soon, wearing a beautifully tailored La-Vonne Classique trouser suit. She is moving to the beat of a song that is rocking the corridor so powerfully that even the 22 presidents in the portraits that line the walls seem to be moving their heads in time with the rhythm. Yes, this is a woman in charge, and this is her song...
Woman in Charge
(sung to the tune of Stayin’ Alive, by the Bee Gees)

Well, you can tell by the way I walk
I’m the President: no time to talk
Made it through the thunderstorm
I’ve been groomed to lead since I was born
And now it’s my time. It’s UP.
Let’s unify this sweet country
Everyone must understand
It’s time to lend a helping hand

Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a father
I’m the woman in charge, woman in charge
Feel Liberia movin’ and everybody groovin’
I’m the woman in charge, woman in charge
Ah, ha, ha, ha, woman in charge, woman in charge
Ah, ha, ha, ha, woman in charge

Well now, some are mad, and some are sad
But I know someday soon they will all be glad
Got the wings of Heaven on my shoes
I’m a Harvard Grad and I just can’t lose
Oh yes, it’s my time. It’s UP.
We all have made history
Everyone must understand
It’s time to lend a helping hand

Whether you’re a brother or whether you’re a father
I’m the woman in charge, woman in charge
Feel Liberia movin’ and everybody groovin’
I’m the woman in charge, woman in charge
Ah, ha, ha, ha, woman in charge, woman in charge
Ah, ha, ha, ha, woman in charge

I’m in the Mansion…my people help me!
My people help me o!
I’m in the Mansion…my people help me!
My people help me o…

CDC Protest

2005-11-12T03:34:00.000Z

The people cheer as CDC leaders arrive at Headquarters with UN blue helmets escorting them

"We want David,we na want Goliath! We want David, we na want Goliath!"

A determined cry: "No Weah, no president! No Weah, no president!"

Riot police on guard at the National Elections Commission (NEC) on Tubman Boulevard and 16th Street in Sinkor

Hundreds of CDC supporters head back toward Headquarters after a protest at the US Embassy in Mamba Point where they were tear-gassed.

Oh Happy Day?

2005-11-10T07:20:00.000Z

What an exciting and strange day!

We woke up to the news that Ellen was leading in the polls, and everyone had stories about CDC friends who were shocked and confused. E-man, the boy who fills our barrels with water from the well every day, was visibly sick.

By noon, I was in town hearing jokes about women ruling, and stories about empty polling centers. Where did all those numbers come from? people were wondering. In fact, at my own polling station (St. Peter's Lutheran School and Church) I was the only voter there at 3:15 pm. Not a soul in front of me, and not a soul behind. I didn't ask, but I suspect the only excitement all those National Election Commission workers, Liberian policemen and UNMIL soldiers had at St. Peter's on Election day was the fight with me about how much indelible ink they would put on my left index finger.

By far the busiest vendors in town today were the street photocopiers. They were surrounded by people wanting copies ($5 LD each) of the three latest Election joke flyers. These ones made fun of George Weah, when before, they had made fun of Varney Sherman and others who had been so sure they would win on October 11th. (Oh, the fickleness of our people!)

I returned home hearing little murmurs of dissatisfaction here and there, and still more concern that the perceived low voter turnout ended up with such high numbers from the polling stations.

Shortly after 7 pm, I heard that large crowds were gathering at CDC. Well, off I went, just in time to see three tanks roll past the headquarters heading toward Oldest Congo Town. At CDC Headquarters, armed UNMIL soldiers stood along the sidewalk while inside the yard, groups of people stood around discussing the same thing...asking the same question: How is it possible? They were not whiny, poor losers, but heartbroken people who felt cheated after putting so much effort into the fight of their lives.

Last week, on the day I saw the small CDC group on Benson Street marching past the unimpressed onlookers (see "Dwindling Numbers?"), I came to one conclusion: that a lot of CDC people had already defected in their hearts or would do so at the polls. But tonight, when I asked the people around me if that was a possibility, they shook their heads adamantly. No way! they said, No way! In fact, they had a story about a CDC observer who was given pre-marked ballots when he was mistaken for a Unity Party (UP) observer, and that is the evidence of cheating to which they clung.

After listening to several groups, I sat on the CDC fence and joined in a conversation with some teenage boys who assured me they were indeed voting age. When one of them shook his head and said "Damn it, ba! You mean we will be toting Congo people load forever?" I thought of E-man, and tears came to my eyes. I took it as a rhetorical question, but I wish now that I had said something to assure him of a brighter future.

At about 8:55 pm, people began heading toward the stage, and we jumped off the fence and followed. A strategic meeting! I thought. (I'm not a member of CDC or the Unity Party, but I voted for Ellen knowing that in doing so, I was ultimately voting for Weah's supporters). At this point tonight though, I was on a quest for truth and justice.

The meeting turned out not to be an organized session after all, but a couple of rally cries from two partisans who stood on chairs to address us. The first, surprisingly, was a white woman in a sleeveless CDC T-shirt who told us the UP was stealing the election and would soon begin stealing all Liberia's resources. She's been married to a Mano man she said, for 12 years, and was struggling like all of us. Her language was sprinkled with the "F" word, but she did warn us not to resort to violence or UNMIL would "kill [our] black ass." The second speaker was a former member of the Wild Geese, who, in contradiction I thought, declared he was reclaiming his war name.

I came home with doubts on my mind - especially when taking into consideration my own voting experience. But then different questions began to pop up: "Weren't there CDC people observing at each polling station? Didn't they sign to attest that the count was correct?"

In the end, I figure all is as it should be: If Ellen wins we'll have a competent leader, and with so many seats in the House and Senate filled by CDC candidates, the people will be well represented. As the NEC banners around town tell us, "We Are All Winners."

Oh happy day.

On the Eve of History

2005-11-08T20:25:00.000Z

I took this photograph on Golden Beach today,
as the sun set on Liberia's past. As the sun
will rise again tomorrow, so may this nation
rise to the challenges of a new beginning.

Question of the Day

2005-11-08T12:30:00.000Z

I keep hearing broadcasters talk about the absence of violence today. Why is it so "remarkable" that there is no violence on Election Day? Why would there be? It's Results Day that we need to be worried about!

A Fair Chance

2005-11-08T07:30:00.000Z

Every time I say I’ve decided to vote for Ellen in the run-off, my friends laugh at me—sometimes quite hysterically, bless their little hearts. But really, since during the entire Elections campaign I never once heard what Weah had to say, I thought it was only fair to give him some consideration before making a final choice. So – three times in the last two weeks, I found myself traipsing over to the Congress for Democratic Change headquarters dressed casually in jeans and a plain shirt so that I would fit in with the unpretentious crowd.

It’s an impressive place, CDC, compared to some of the other party headquarters we’ve seen around here. I had been there once before, on the day George Weah’s Million Man March left me open-mouthed with awe and certain that he would win. The quarters consist of a large two-story building and a huge round raised platform topped by a conical roof—both set way back from the busy Tubman Boulevard in a yard several acres big. I went now, wanting to sit under that big palaver hut-like structure and hear what it was people had gathered there to hear so often before the October 11th elections that Weah won with 28% of the vote. But I guess I picked the wrong days or the wrong times: twice there were children dancing to quiet African rhythms played on a radio, and once there was an excellent band playing as a man sang in a dialect I didn’t understand, while two teenage girls danced and jiggled their butts—and just their butts—for the crowd. I had expected consciousness-raising and strategic planning for the first 100 days after inauguration. I’m sure they had it and I missed it, but go ahead people: laugh at me.

Walking around the yard during my visits there, I did meet a number of nice people. Among them: Theresa, who said she was there so that the children of uneducated people could have a better future (and who made me admit that I didn’t see any unruly behavior among the young people gathered there); Julia from the medical team who said she enjoyed talking to me because my (too-American) accent reminded her of her daughter who lives in Michigan; and Emmanuel, a young man who was a “trainee’ in a program I once helped run at Boys Town for street children and former child soldiers. Most of the people I met gave me dreamy-eyed spiels, some of which were alarmingly naïve and showed a lack of knowledge about politics and a dangerous misunderstanding of what Weah’s role and responsibilities will be if he becomes President. (No, life is not suddenly going to become a bed of roses, and Weah will not be your personal savior!)

In the end, my experiences at CDC headquarters are not what led to my final decision. It was taking the time to listen to Ambassador Weah himself, on a radio program, and realizing that he, too, has insufficient knowledge about politics and about what his role and responsibilities will be if elected. George Weah is a good man, and I will never forget that during the civil war, as we sought refuge in foreign lands, he was our one source of pride. I think I gave him a fair chance, but tomorrow I am voting so that all of Liberia's children will have a better future and a well-run country.

NEWSPAPER HEADLINES (11/7)

2005-11-07T20:00:00.000Z

.
All Set for Tomorrow - Daily Observer

Final Battle! - The Forum

Big Tuesday: Nation's Fate Hangs - New Democrat

'King George' vs. 'Iron Lady' ...final showdown tomorrow in historic election - New Standard

Ellen or Weah? - Liberian Express

and, unbelievably:

George Manneh Weah Awaits Inuagaration: Common People On Board Again - The Parrot (that spelling of inauguration is theirs, not mine)

Meet Liberia's 23rd President - The New Broom (with a photo of George Weah below)

Dwindling Numbers?

2005-11-05T05:16:00.000Z

Caught a really small crowd of guys running up Benson Street today, chanting "Weah in the Mansion! Weah in the Mansion!" Most onlookers seemed unimpressed. The Education issue has gotten so large it is literally the talk of the town, and many people are wondering why George Weah was allowed to run for President when without a high school diploma he's not even qualified to be a Policeman.

African Writer's Block

2005-11-03T04:36:00.000Z

There's no end to the interesting things happening around here, but sometimes things are simply too sad - or too unbelievable - to write down. Instead of documenting the unspeakable, I often find myself putting out fires, removing my own life from among the stories to share, or getting too involved in creating long-term solutions to save us all.

The Countdown Begins (Again)

2005-10-29T19:00:00.000Z

Who will we choose on Tuesday November 8?
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf or George Manneh Weah?

Student March

2005-10-28T21:19:00.000Z

A large group of neatly uniformed students marched through town today, starting at the Ministry of Education on Broad Street. On their T-shirts: YOSE – Youth in Support of Education. I thought it was a classy response to the rising sentiment among quite a number of George Weah supporters that education means nothing. However, I know those Weah supporters do want their children to be educated; I think what they are actually trying to say is that even without formal or higher education, a person can still do wondrous things. And isn't that true?

In God We Really Trust

2005-10-27T20:18:00.000Z

This morning I went to the Ministry of Finance with Shaun to get our new car registered. We arrived at the Department of Motor Vehicles (located on the ground floor of the Ministry) just as "Devotion" was about to begin, and so had to wait in the hallway outside the office for a good while before we could begin the numerous steps needed to process the documents. The windows were curtainless and open, so we could see and hear it all as ten men and one woman sang several lively songs—standing and clapping and swaying to their music. The praise was followed by a scripture reading from the book of I Samuel, and then by the kind of preaching that could make a rogue repent.

Here in Liberia there is absolutely no separation of church and state. Campaigning from the pulpit was commonplace before the Elections, and it's not unusual at all to walk into an office—government or otherwise—and see religion in action. I once participated in a full Praise & Worship service at the Ministry of Information. (And that service was just one of a series planned by a group of ministries).

Here, we pray before meetings of any kind, and often pray to close as well. In fact, godliness is so widely assumed of everyone that people at a gathering are sometimes asked, without prior arrangement, to lead a prayer. As I’ve not yet become the "Woman of Prayer" that I in January of every year plan to become, I am always terrified someone will pick me someday and thus expose my sometimes flaky relationship with God.

As Americanized as I have become, I love this part of our culture. I love the fact that we all know all the praise songs (which are not written down in hymnbooks anywhere). I love the fact that despite the recent civil war which targeted civilians we still love God so much (if not more!), and I love the fact that when we count our money (yes, the US dollar is ours too) we can look at the words “In God We Trust” and know we really mean it.

Police on Guard

2005-10-26T21:20:00.000Z

Riot police outside the Centennial Pavilion as the final Election results are being announced. Ashmun Street, Monrovia, LIBERIA

American Liberian

2005-10-24T23:45:00.000Z

Today my 5-year-old son had to wear his “national dress” to school in celebration of United Nations Day. When I got the note early last week I asked him, “Keyan where are you from?” “Wisconsin!” he replied with enthusiasm and without hesitation. I must say: I was little surprised, but also amused. He was actually born in Washington DC; his father is from Wisconsin, and that is where we spend our summers boating, fishing, and swimming in Maple Lake. I am Americo-Liberian, with a naturalized American mother (who has lived in America almost all my life) and a Liberian father who raised me right here.

During the course of the week Keyan heard me tell his Daddy and two or three other people about his “Wisconsin” reply and wonder aloud what to do. This morning, in a simply amazing show of maturity, he came to me in my room, still in his Spiderman pajamas, and said—quietly and as if he had been thinking hard about how to reassure me—“Mama, whatever clothes you want to put on me today will be fine with me.” Just like that. Five years old! I gave him a big hug and told him he would wear an African outfit, but parade with the American group at the school program. He was happy with that, and excited about the America/Liberia flag lapel pin he would wear on his shirt.

At the program, Keyan and his little brother Tyne stood on stage with the other American kids (most of them born to Liberian parents) and listened while they sang The Star-Spangled Banner. They don’t know the words to that song yet, but Keyan does know Liberia’s national anthem. Maybe next year my little American Liberian boys will sing with both countries!

Heaven Cried Too

2005-10-23T00:34:00.000Z

The last time I saw Saah alive, he was at my doorstep delivering keys to me on behalf of his father, a friend and coworker. He had just started college and was very nicely dressed. We attended his wake last night, and today, on this dreary, rainy Saturday as Heaven cried with us, he was buried in a cemetery by the Atlantic Ocean. Saah was only 23 years old and was his parents’ pride, joy and hope. During a rainstorm on the night of October 2nd, as he knelt by his wounded mother’s side begging for their lives, an armed robber ignored his pleas and shot him too. His 10-year old sister was also violently attacked. Saah’s mother and sister lived to tell the story, but they weren’t able to leave the hospital today to attend his funeral. We went to see them there afterwards, but there was nothing anyone could say. All we could do was pray.

Moving On Up

2005-10-22T01:22:00.000Z

My husband bought us a car today! Ever since we returned to Liberia last December, we have been walking, getting lifts (many times from strangers!), taking overcrowded taxis—and yes, even buses, much to the surprise and amusement of the people inside. For safety and emergency reasons, I am glad for the car with its seatbelts that we will use.

I didn’t mind being without a car, but now that we have one I feel a little more…what? Civilized? Dignified? The worst thing about stopping a taxi, to me at least, is having to use various hand signals to let the approaching driver know where you’re going: point downwards if you’re stopping just a few blocks up the street; point straight ahead of you if you’re going to Old Road; point at an angle towards the right if you’re going to Airfield; and, the worst (my direction of course), shake your hand from the wrist (palm facing out and fingers splayed) if you’re going straight towards Congo Town, ELWA, Paynesville and Red Light. Other bad things are having to wait for ages to get a taxi towards town in the morning; having to watch the drivers face frequent and shameless harassment and extortion by underpaid policemen; and having to fight, sometimes literally, for a place in a taxi to go back home at the end of the workday.

I will certainly miss the public transportation though, because that is where some good stories are. Among the people you hear opinions, feel vibes, get news, and, especially during these 2005 campaign/Election days, hear and see a passion that is inspiring—no matter which presidential candidate has captured the speaker’s heart. Citizens articulate their hopes and dreams, debate the issues, and sometimes engage in arguments so bitter they would escalate to fisticuffs were the people not constrained in the vehicle. The best thing is that we are actually free to say whatever we want. I clearly remember past times in our history (1985 and 2000 in particular) when saying the ‘wrong’ thing could get you dragged off to Central (or worse).

Other good things about riding the taxis are the heartwarming gestures of civility—the sincere greetings when someone new enters the car; the huge effort to make space and welcome overweight people with humorous fat comments that they really don’t mind; the kind-hearted drivers who reduce the fare for poor people who plead in desperation; and the jokes that help us all laugh at our sometimes rather undignified lives.

Come to think of it, I am not going to abandon the taxis. Moving up in that sense would mean moving out—out of touch, and perhaps out of empathy. So, every now and then, when I’ve had a good dose of comfort and convenience, I’m going to stand on Tubman Boulevard and wag my hand towards Congo Town without a second thought about how it looks.