Today, I want to tell you a story. It is not my story. It is Saah Millimono’s story. Maybe it is actually not his story, it is the novel’s protagonist Tarnue’s story. And not just Tarnue’s, it is also Kou’s story. I know that if I go on, and on, this will end up as a story of Tarnue’s family, Kou’s family and by the time we are done, it will be the story of lives in Monrovia, Liberia and beyond to other countries that have been through civil war. As some commentators would want us to believe, this means not just neighbouring Sierra Leone, but much of Africa. Is this is a book about Africa? What never seems to be mentioned is that this has happened, civil war happens and will happen anywhere in the world. That war is human. And love is human too.
Liberia
MONROVIA, Liberia – United States-based pharmaceutical company Mapp Biopharmaceutical has begun testing the Ebola virus treatment ZMapp in Liberia.
Dr. Jerry Brown, the head of the ELWA 2 Ebola Treatment Unit, confirmed that the ZMapp trial would be administered to about 1,000 Ebola patients in Liberia. He clarified that the trials would be continued in neighboring countries still dealing with the Ebola outbreak if there were no remaining patients in Liberia. Brown made these statements at a Ministry of Information press briefing on Feb. 26.
Robtel Neajai Pailey’s children’s book Gbagba is populated with characters bound to the changing meanings of ethics in […]
Released on Nov. 18 to fanfare in the United States, the ProPublica/Frontline investigative documentary ‘Firestone and the Warlord’ is nevertheless steeped in stereotypes, overly hyped and unappealing. Having intently studied and written about Firestone’s exploits in Liberia, I believe the film’s producers simply did not dig deep enough.
Although there are some merits to the documentary—particularly revelations from declassified court documents, US State Department cables, Firestone corporate records, correspondences, and video footage—it conceals more than it reveals the true nature of Firestone’s asymmetrical relationship with Liberia.
The duration of the passage and the dangers associated with it had prepared us for the worst, but the first few days of azure skies and blazing sun dispelled our fears. We sat on deck at sunset to while away the time, hardly ever sleeping for our excitement, and sometimes we sang and evoked life on the plantations until dawn. I would lean against the rail to relish the pleasant sea breeze and to gaze at the gleaming waters stretching endlessly around us. Occasionally, the sound of the waves lashing against the ship would reach me like a song from far across the ocean, soothing my nerves.
Meanwhile the ship edged on, tearing through the churning waters, moving further away from America and heading steadily toward our destination. There were days when I would chose to keep to myself, refusing to join Reverend Barclay and others for prayer.
Photography by artist and photojournalist Chase Walker.
Political Cartoon by artist/cartoonist Leslie Lumeh, October 9, 2014
Conversations on Liberia 