Today was the first day of my quest. I started off with a granola bar had half of my rice for lunch and the rest for dinner. I was hungry quite a lot today. My rice was...bland and needs more help. I am seriously thinking of frying up one of my chicken breasts tonight and slicing it up in with the rice.
Today in class we talked about Liberia. Liberia is a country that is unique in Africa. Most of its people originated in Africa, spent time as enslaved individuals in the American South as part of the plantation economy, and then, upon achieving their freedom, were "exported" back to Africa in an attempt to answer the free black "problem" in America. It was a colony for former slaves, but to become that colony, white northern abolitionists had to "displace" the existing tribes, sometimes at the point of a gun. Liberia became a place of liberty for freed slaves but at the expense of the liberty of others. That is the problem with racism and slavery, its crooked fingers dig deeper into the souls of people and affect more lives than we can see at first. The ripples of wrongs done echo off into eternity...
With 83.7% of the population living on a buck twenty five or less, Liberia has the dubious honor of having the highest percentage of their population living in bone crushing poverty. Liberia has had a rough history, first as a destination colony for free blacks from the United States, then as an independent country then as a country torn apart by a coup d'etat and two civil wars. Liberia is the only country to have its capitol named after a former US President (James Monroe - Monrovia). Liberia is located on the western coast of Africa.
Today in class we talked about Liberia. Liberia is a country that is unique in Africa. Most of its people originated in Africa, spent time as enslaved individuals in the American South as part of the plantation economy, and then, upon achieving their freedom, were "exported" back to Africa in an attempt to answer the free black "problem" in America. It was a colony for former slaves, but to become that colony, white northern abolitionists had to "displace" the existing tribes, sometimes at the point of a gun. Liberia became a place of liberty for freed slaves but at the expense of the liberty of others. That is the problem with racism and slavery, its crooked fingers dig deeper into the souls of people and affect more lives than we can see at first. The ripples of wrongs done echo off into eternity...
With 83.7% of the population living on a buck twenty five or less, Liberia has the dubious honor of having the highest percentage of their population living in bone crushing poverty. Liberia has had a rough history, first as a destination colony for free blacks from the United States, then as an independent country then as a country torn apart by a coup d'etat and two civil wars. Liberia is the only country to have its capitol named after a former US President (James Monroe - Monrovia). Liberia is located on the western coast of Africa.
From 1847 to 1980, Liberia plotted its course as a free and independent country. In 1980 however, William Tolbert was deposed in a military led coup d'etat and this began the downward spiral for a country that had already been a poor country. Two civil wars later, a peace movement called Women of Libera Mass Action for Peace led by Lemaah Gbowee and consisting of both Christian and Muslim women forced the head of state into peace talks. The followed the example of the people of Rwanda that choose forgiveness than retribution. They chose the path of peace regardless of the wrongs done in the past and they forced other to come along. They staged a sit in around the site of the peace talks, preventing anyone from entering or leaving until the peace had been agreed upon. In the government that was established by these peace talks, they were also key in electing the first African female head of state, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. This story is told in the 2008 documentary "Pray the Devil back to @#!*% "
This is how the ripples of evil are expunged. They melt like snow on a warm day when confronted with the healing work of grace and forgiveness. While the current situation is bleak, the power of the people to effect real and lasting change has imbibed the country with a sense of new hope. While Liberia has a long way to go, at least it seems to be pointed in the right direction.
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