Though our internet and electricity might disagree, we are well under way with our second training session here in Monrovia. Our second group of four trainees have had two and a half days of audiovisual storytelling training and discussion, and two to three days of story collection out in the field. This time around, the students are staying in Monrovia to explore Liberian arts and culture - and how they are used to reflect on and influence society and politics. They are now hard at work … [Read more...]
The Radio is Coming to You
During our sojourn to the seaside town of Cestos, capital of Rivercess County, we launched the Soundbooth, an audio documentary project modeled on NPR"s StoryCorps. The idea is to have two people very familiar with each other - a mother and a daughter, a teacher and a student, a pair of friends - interview each other on a story or topic relevant to their lives. StoryCorps has been doing this for a while, and has a great archive of American stories, told in conversational, intimate style. We"re … [Read more...]
After Echo
Situated next to a monument of Liberia’s first President, Joseph J. Roberts, the ruins of the Ducor Hotel is one of Monrovia’s haunting relics of civil war. Like many of the city’s buildings its skeleton stands charred and gutted, looking over the water. Along the periphery the afternoon continues with a sense of normalcy. “Sad when you see a hotel like that, when you know once upon a time man…” … [Read more...]
Suppression Inna We Nation, It Makes the Poor People Weep
Corruption bringing poverty And poverty putting my sisters on the street... They abuse us many days And misuse us so many ways - Nasseman, 'Bonkey' We were first introduced to Rabbie Nassrallah, aka Nasseman, last Wednesday night, by Sayeed, the manager of our guesthouse. We didn't realize at the time that we were meeting Liberia's premier reggae star, nor just how quickly he would become a significant part of our project. Rabbie has been living in Monrovia his entire life, … [Read more...]
Media that matters
As the Together Liberia team sets out on this project to empower Liberians to tell stories to their fellow citizens and the world, I"ve been inspired with confidence that media tools have the potential to transform lives and, potentially, the way the country operates. We"ve already seen that Liberians have taken steps to tell their own stories through the media and enable other Liberians to do the same. The Together Liberia team visited the headquarters of the Liberia Media Initiative for … [Read more...]
