Returning to my long term project All 55 African Countries, I have decided to focus on Liberia, since this country has recently been on the news with a difficult election between a Harvard graduate woman and a soccer player who lives in Florida. This country raises all kinds of issues and it certainly makes you wonder "what on earth is going on there". You know about all the killings, the political turmoil, the poverty, abuse, rapings, war, etc. I was expecting it to be difficult to find art in Liberia, but I didn't think it be impossible. I have tried to avoid the usual African carvings and folk art that reflect the historical and cultural roots of African countries, my purpose is to find new art forms that somehow tell us that these countries are able to express themselves like any other country. I have also been trying to find out how artist who were born in Africa survive artistically and how they have been finding ways to express themselves, in their countries or abroad. War and unrest have a major destructive influence on all forms of art, that is a given, they also destroy every other hope: medical care, investigation, education, infrastructure, resources, lives. No country can co-exist with war, it's what I believe in and it's what I've been confirming with my All 55 African Countries. Art is the breeze of life, where there is art, you can assume that life is thriving and better days will come. This is a sort of conclusion to this project before time and it came about with my search for Liberian artists. I couldn't find many apart from pop and folk musicians. There are some carvings as well but nothing that I could really pick to post here. I won't give up but for now I recommend a visit to the High Museum of Art of Atlanta. I've read that 3 years ago they have purchased a good number of African art items, unfortunately these items are not displayed on their webpage.
While browsing I have also found a good site to check about women and slavery: "Ain't I a Woman", the program for slave and freedom literature by Dr. Kathleen Nichols, Professor of English at the Pittsburg State University. Great resources for women's literature too.
As for Liberia, here are some links and some news that will make it clear that the place really needed some sort of starting over, since it has been a big continuous ground zero for some time now. Give peace a chance.
The Jamaica Observer
Guardian
BBC Country Profile
African Studies page about Liberia
Friends of Liberia
About Liberia
UN's IRIN News about Liberia
Lonely Planet Travel to Liberia:
The mess that is Liberia's civil war seems to be on the mend but the country is still no place to go for a beach holiday. There is sporadic looting as well as bursts of shooting in pockets of the country, including Monrovia. Though elections provide hope for stability, the future for the West African country is uncertain, and its security situation remains volatile.
With the country recovering from years of savage civil war, travel to Liberia still poses more personal safety risks than it's worth.
Photo from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration.
If you're an artist from Liberia and want me to post about you, please contact me!
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