Ronald Mendscole, secretary general of the Youth League of the Congress for Democratic Change, is one of four Liberians who shares his thoughts here on the importance online casino of a free press in the country"s upcoming elections. See the original post for more on the group. <object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/16563542"></param> <param name="allowscriptaccess" … [Read more...]
Taxis
Many of Liberia"s yellow taxis have a curious phrase painted in white and fully covering one of the rear fenders. "The hole you dig for me Jesus," it reads, "make me jump over it." I finally asked our driver, David, what it meant and where it came casino online from. He explained that the words are lyrics from a popular song. The essence of it: Jesus will help me meet any challenges foes present. (David declined to sing the song on camera.) Indeed, we have seen many challenges here for the … [Read more...]
First Day of Training images
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In Monrovia, you must "be the traffic"
Being a passenger in Monrovia traffic is a special experience. It’s a white-knuckle carnival ride — without the carnival glitz but with all the thrills. Our drivers — most often David Kweku and his father, Joseph — surely could meet and beat the challenge of any street in any big U.S. city. They are unflappable and oblivious, oddly good-natured about it. I had a friend some years ago who seemed immune to the cold weather, while my wife and I were freezing. “What’s your secret?” we asked. He … [Read more...]
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...]
You can “click,” or make it “explode”
Liberia could be the only country with a national handshake. The greeting actually can be a whole series of moves after the shakers lock hands, or it can be a simple, vanilla shake, as long as it ends with the distinctive “click,” where the shaking parties grasp the tips of each other’s middle fingers and snap. The best shakers can produce an arresting click, audible across a room. The worst? Silence. A complete misfire. Epic failure. This befalls many rookies visiting the country for … [Read more...]
Local radio is key to Liberians’ stories
We began this week by spending two nights in Cestos, the capital of Rivercess County. One of the aims of the Together Liberia project is to give greater voice to people in communities outside of Monrovia. The print media here in particular seems to concentrate mostly on big-city politics. I have yet to see a single story on life outside of the nation’s capital. It might just be that I am not reading widely enough, but I don’t think so. I am trying to talk to as many journalists as I can, and … [Read more...]
Connections Easily Made In Liberia
It’s all about connections in the new Liberia, just as it is everywhere else on the planet. That said, I still was a bit taken aback with the information I gleaned the other day while strolling on the Atlantic Ocean beach just a quarter-mile from the guest house where we are staying. On the sands, I ran into a young man and his dog. We shared a laugh when we introduced ourselves and heard an echo. Steve, meet Steve. My new friend Steve Kollie was a bit shy but warmed quickly. We … [Read more...]
The Rainy Season In Liberia …
The rainy season runs from May to October in Liberia, dropping an average of 170 inches of rain. Most nights, we"ve had thunderstorms and heavy rains that have lasted through the night. During the day, sporadic rain showers have made us run for cover. … [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...]
Day 1: Get hauled off by Liberian police for taking photos
David Trotman-Wilkins, (center/back row), still can smile after being forced by Liberian police to erase two photographs he took of the new U.S. Embassy in Monrovia. Over my career, soldiers and police have confiscated my film and digital images in Cuba, Honduras, Armenia, Malawi and Uganda. But this last time when we arrived here, it was David Trotman-Wilkins who inadvertently broke the law. His transgression? Taking two photos of the currently under construction U.S. Embassy. Here"s what … [Read more...]
