I had a good time doing some intensive book shopping before I left and was able to find most of what I was looking for. Keep an eye out for the occasional book review to be posted here.
Blue Clay People is the story of William Powers’ two year stint in Liberia working with the Catholic Relief Services with the humble goal of ‘fighting poverty and saving the rainforest’. The Liberia that Powers saw in 1999 was one that was enduring the worst of what had been decades of civil war and was not yet in the clear.
This book took me by surprise, not because it was a graphic depiction of wartime violence – its not – but because while the book describes a period of time that ended not that long ago (with the 2005 election of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf), it is a very different situation now that it was then. In my un-expert option based purely on my experience with LEAD and my conversations and observations over the past few days, Liberia seems to have come a long way. While Monrovia contrasts enormously with the only other African capital I can compare it to (Accra), the country is rebuilding and the mood is generally optimistic. I’ve heard a common theme from many sources: ‘the war was bad, long and ended recently; let’s do what it takes to make sure that doesn’t happen again.’
I especially appreciated Power’s discussion of aid and dependency. If there is one theme he wants to hammer home, this is it. He constantly struggles with the long term outcome of his work which largely involves distributing food aid. He tries to keep his readers aware of the larger development issues of long term sustainability while keeping in mind the immediate needs.
Finally, Blue Clay People was helpful for its insight into Liberian culture. It’s been a great primer on the Liberian way of life, and what motivates them, and of course any and all help you can get on Liberian English will go a long way. Thanks for the suggestion Karen!
Other fun tidbits:
Liberia has a dual currency system and accepts the US dollar. I only now got my hands on some Liberian Dollars (and the exchange rate makes you feel rich!).
While there are apparently tons of American Expats living in Monrovia (The US embassy in Liberia is the largest in Africa), it was only yesterday that I saw my first white person since leaving the airport Sunday night.
I have a new number! Call me from the US and Canada by dialing 023-077-135-923. Calls and texts are surprisingly cheap from here to NA.
Time to go. I miss you.
Derek
