Tag Archives: Liberia

The Food of Liberia: A Taste of Culture

Posted on December 3, 2014 by | 2 comments

I was so excited when I heard the assignment for this week because I’m finally able to write about something that is positive and uplifting surrounding the country of Liberia. I think it’s quite sad that when it comes to African countries, we are so quick to point out what is wrong or corrupt or heartbreaking and often times choose to allow the positives to take a back seat in our news. When I think about all the struggles that Liberia has had to overcome throughout the years and even the continent in general, it’s almost impossible to fully comprehend. Yet it’s important to remember that not one thing defines a country and its citizens. Especially in Africa things like AIDS, Ebola, famine, war and inequality are discussed more frequently and with more passion because we have it in our minds that African will always be the continent that is in need. For my blog this week, I have chosen to talk about Liberian cuisine!! It is a part of Liberia that deserves to be celebrated because it is something that even the poorest towns can contribute to. Unlike politics or the economy, many different types of people have the opportunity to cook from tradition, imagination or ideas from those around them.

My town, Utica NY is widely known as “The town that loves refugees” and something that I take great pride in. The church where my dad is a pastor has personally welcomed numerous refugees from Ghana, the Sudan, and Liberia. I have first hand (or taste) of the marvelous food that hails from the country of Liberia and it is outstanding! The thing that I admire most about African meals is that it revolves around a sense of community. For my friends and their families, sitting down to eat dinner is more than just a routine event; it is a time that should be and often times is an opportunity to connect with those that mean most to you. My church has put on several potlucks and I am always amazed at not only the fragrant and delicious meals that are offered up but also the stories of companionship and overall love and care that went into the construction of each dish. They do not simply throw together a pasta dish, they take the time to present something that hails from their respective countries and encourage people to step out of their comfort zones and give something new a shot!

Rice is one of the biggest staples in the diet of a Liberian and can be eaten several times throughout the day as a way to provide the starch needed for sustenance. It’s also very convenient that many people can grow their own rice, which just means an easier way to provide food for their families. A popular side that accompanies most meals is fufu, which is almost like very doughy bread that is often times used with soup or stewed meat in sauce to soak up the juice. Since it is so doughy, it can be difficult to actually chew so people widely just swallow the bites of it whole.

My absolute favorite Liberian dish is called Cassava Leaf Stew with chicken. Cassava is a starchy root that really can take on the flavors of whatever it is cooked with. The Cassava is boiled down with the chicken (generally thighs and legs), tons of spices are added and it is all served over a nice fluffy serving of white rice with a side of fufu.

Liberia is just one of several countries with much more to offer than simply negative news. The cuisine enjoyed by Liberians is something to be celebrated and acknowledged. If the opportunity is presented, I hope you take the chance and try something new!

http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-Africa/Liberia.html

 

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The Interesting History of Liberia

Posted on September 24, 2014 by | 1 comment

To be honest, I found this assignment rather difficult. In my opinion, it is much easier to find the recent history of countries because often times people think it’s more relevant to life today. I really didn’t know anything about the ancient history of Liberia and was quite enlightened and impressed with the information I was able to unearth. Simply googling “the history of ancient Liberia” brought up numerous different websites, each with a valuable look into this mystifying country. I was however, a little surprised with the lack of differing information. There were a lot of sites to choose from but I really had to dig around in order to find unique and intriguing work. I have chosen three different websites to reference in this blog that have done slightly varying research on the history of Liberia. Now let us begin our journey into the life of the Liberian people who lived centuries ago.

The history of Liberia began during the 12th and 16th centuries. During this time there was a huge influx of various tribal members who were escaping their downtrodden regions. Much like the immigrants who have made their way into the United States, these tribal members brought numerous skills, social ideas and diversity with their arrival. These included “iron smelting, weaving, spinning, and the cultivation of rice and other staple crops in addition to political and social skills and traditions.” (iexplore) These new ideas quickly led to the rapid increase in trading goods with other West Africa regions during the 15th century.

Liberia lies on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, which meant a great potential for trade and exploration. Specifically, since Sierra Leon, Guinea and the Ivory Coast border Liberia, the natives and people from tribes were able to travel throughout this region, which put them in the position to interact with not only other Africans but also with European explorers and ultimately slave traders. For Liberia, traveling and having access to other African countries had both a positive and negative affect on their society both then and carried into now.

During this pre-colonial time, Liberia was mostly split-up into sixteen different tribal groups who would occasionally come together to discuss matters of mutual importance. They included: Bassa, Belle, Dahn, Dei, Gola, Grebo, Kissi, Kpelle, Krahn, Kru, Morma, Mandingo, Mono, Mende, and Vai. Due to the sheer number of tribes, no central government was able to take root and form. There was however, some level of control within these communities. Chiefs, elders and religious priests were most widely regarded as the leaders in charge. This style of leadership some say resemble a “Compound” which was commonly comprised of a large, interacting family clan. In many of these communities, “mechanisms for social control were characterized by military, religious and social sanctions in which secret societies…played key roles in managing social and political strife through the provision of secular and sacred functions.” (issafrica.) To summarize, while the chiefs and other elders of these tribes were first in command, it was various sanctions centered on military, religious and social means that influenced social control.

Here are the websites that I was able to learn from for this blog!

http://www.iexplore.com/travel-guides/africa/liberia/history-and-culture

http://www.issafrica.org/af/profiles/Liberia/LIBERIA1.HTML

http://www.law.yale.edu/rcw/rcw/jurisdictions/afw/liberia/Lib_CRC.htm

 

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Funerals, Ghost Towns and Haunted Health Workers: Life in the Ebola Zone

Posted on September 3, 2014 by | 2 comments

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/01/world/africa/ebola-ghost-town/index.html?hpt=iaf_t2

9/1/2014

In the past several months the extremely deadly Ebola virus has ravaged many African countries, hitting Western Africa exceptionally hard.  Liberia, situated on Africa’s west coast is perhaps the country that has felt the biggest effects from the Ebola epidemic. Throughout the article numbers related to the Liberian Ebola situated are presented and they are truly frightening.  In Zango Town, many of the houses and buildings have been abandoned and barricaded in an effort to prevent any possible spread of the deadly virus.  Everybody that had previously lived here has either contracted the disease and died or deserted the town hoping to elude the sickness.  Several miles away in Barkedu, a small town of approximately 8,000 people has contributed to about 20% of Liberia’s 1,000 Ebola caused deaths. Because of the severity and spread of the disease in this small town, a quarantine has been issued; no one gets in and no one gets out.  Another effort to potentially stop the infectious virus from spreading any further. The disease is not just stopping at the villagers however, with an entire clinic of health workers that had come in to help contracting the virus killing all but one of them.  The bodies of those whose lives were claimed by the Ebola virus are not even receiving proper burial for precautionary measures.  The virus can still be spread from a dead body so health workers use special suits to prevent transmission and then dispose of the body and any clothing that could have come in contact with the infected person. Many Liberians are victim to terrible nightmares with the imposing virus terrorizing them even in their dreams; dreams of themselves contracting the disease and of their loved ones dying from it.

The reader immediately is exposed to the severity and tragedy of the situation with a title like “Funerals, Ghost Towns and Haunted Health Workers”. The article is filled with negatively connoted words such as “devastating suffering” and “abandoned”.  The source, CNN, has a past with controversy and this story seems to fit that mold.  A study showed that 41% of articles posted on CNN were clearly negative, while only 13% were clearly positive with the remaining 46% being neutral or having a slight lean one way or the other.  This article fits right into the clearly negative category because of all the tragedy and destruction in the article. The words make the reader feel as if the African countries are unable to protect themselves and are weak and in need of aid from larger, more powerful countries.

Even though the story is negative I feel like CNN was right in organizing the article like this. However awful it sounds, that’s how bad it really is.  The article brings into light the importance of the situation and the importance of putting an end to the spread of Ebola before more lives are potentially lost. It makes the reader realize that special measures need to be taken and people need to come together in an effort to help out those who are affected or those who have lost loved ones.

 

 

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