Video Vignettes from Liberia

Here are some short video pieces cut together from footage of our first few days in Liberia, taken in different spots we explored around Monrovia – our home guesthouse, a fancy hotel overlooking the ocean, and the beach lining the Sophie neighborhood in Congo town. Hopefully they give you a few tastes of some of the things, both good and bad, that we”ve been witnessing on our trip thus far.

 

The Compound


Luyken Guesthouse is located in Congo Town, a neighborhood on the Southeastern fringe of Monrovia. Like most of the city, the compound is heavily fortified with high barbwire walls. This morning I followed Bruce through a crack in the gate to glimpse the world outside.

 

Rock Town


The Ocean View Hotel in Monrovia is best online casino a posh spot for tourists and upper class Liberians. Along with the pristine view, the perch also looks out towards West Point, a notorious two-mile strip of beach slum inhabited by 80,000 people. The area is a known haven for drugs, crime, and prostitution.

 

Tidal


At the shore I met a man named Michael who said last week a dead body washed up on this beach. Nobody knew who is was or where it came from. The corpse lay on the sand decomposing for a few days before someone finally came to take it away. Michael requested that I film him holding a pair of flip-flops.

About Ken Harper

I'm an Asst. Professor in the Multimedia, Photography & Design Dept. at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.