Category Archives: Liberia

Annual Message on the State of the Republic – Jan. 26, 2015

Posted on 8 February 2015 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

ANNUAL MESSAGE ON THE STATE OF THE REPUBLIC To the Fourth Session of the 53rd National Legislature of the Republic of Liberia, Consolidating For Continuity By: Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf President of the Republic of Liberia (As Delivered) Mr. … Continue reading →

Posted in . Jabaru Carlon, 2015 Annual Message, agriculture, Amos Sawyer, Ban Ki-Moon, Benin, Bismarck Kuyon, Charles Gyude Bryant, civil society organizations, Corruption, diamonds, Ebola, ECOWAS, education, elections, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, FDI, forestry, gender, Ghana, girls, gold, Goodluck Jonathan, governance, Governance Commission, Guinea Conakry, health, Health Sector, human resources, Human Rights, IGNU, infrastructure, iron ore, Jim Yong Kim, Liberia, Liberia Education, Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA), Liberian Economy, Liberianization, Mali, Margaret Chan, Mount Coffee Hydroelectric plant, natural resources, Niger, Nigeria, Nkosanzana Dlamini Zuma, NOCAL, Official Development Assistance (ODA), oil, Palava Hut, peace, press freedom, public debt, public expenditures, public revenues, public sector, Public Sector Investment Plan (PSIP), Reconciliation, rubber, Sierra Leone, UNMEER, UNMIL, Vision 2030, Willis D. Knuckles -, youth | Leave a comment

Ebola in Liberia: More than a Health Crisis

Posted on 14 September 2014 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

It all started with two Ebola cases in Foya, Lofa County. It was on March 17 of this year that the Ebola virus entered Liberia from Guinea. The reaction of the government of Liberia on the arrival of the virus was … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013/2014 National Budget, Amos Sawyer, April 12 1980, Corruption, curfew, Debt relief, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Doctors without Borders, Ebola, Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, FDI, Foya, Governance Commission, Guinea Conakry, Health Sector, Liberia, Liberian Diaspora, Liberian Economy, Lofa County, Médicins sans Frontières (MSF), Monrovia, Samuel Kanyon Doe, Shacki Kamara, Sierra Leone, State of Emergency, Sudan, Uganda, United Nations (UN), US - Africa Leaders Summit, West Point, Westpoint | Leave a comment

Paul Julien in Liberia in 1932 – Part II

Posted on 19 July 2014 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

Today starts in the National Museum in Monrovia an exhibition portraying  Paul Julien and his work. Paul Julien was a Dutch photographer and amateur-anthropologist, who travelled in the interior of Liberia in 1932. He wrote many books on his travels in … Continue reading →

Posted in Alhaji Kromah, Americo-Liberians, Andrea Stultiens, Barclay, Campfires along the equator, Christy Report, Daily Observer, Dutch Eyes, Firestone, Hendruk Muller, Kampvuren langs de evenaar, Kenneth Best, Kru, League of Nations, Leopard men, Liberia, Liberian History, Monrovia, Moratorium Act, National Museum Monrovia, Netherlands Foto Museum Rotterdam, OAC, Oost Afrikaansche Compagnie, Ordinary Liberians, Paul Julien, Poro Society, President Charles King, President Charles King resignation, President Edwin Barclay, Ritual Killings, Sasstown, Slavery Scandal, Vice President Allen Yancy, Vice President Allen Yancy resignation | Leave a comment

The mystery of the Kru or Grebo rings – Part II

Posted on 25 April 2014 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

In my April 7 post I drew attention to the lost history of the Kru or Grebo rings (‘nitien‘) that originate from eastern Liberia and, probably, from the adjacent western region of Ivory Coast though no such cases have ever … Continue reading →

Posted in Abe Guenther, Barclayville, Culture, George Schwab, Grand Cess Territory, Grebo, Grebo rings, Harvard University, Horatio Bridge, Ivory Coast, Kru, Kru Coast, Kru money, Kru rings, Kru/Grebo rings, Liberia, Liberian History, Liberian Studies Journal, Mark Clayton, Nathaniel Hawthorne, nitien, Peabody Museum, Ritual Killings, Ronald Davis, Sasstown, Scott Shepperd, Siegman, Sven Holsoe, The Liberian Journal | Leave a comment

April 12, 1980 : A Personal Account and View

Posted on 11 April 2014 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

On April 12, 1980 I woke up by the sound of automatic gunfire. It must have been around  6 AM. I was staying with a friend who lived in the Sherman Compound, in Congo Town, then one of Monrovia’s outskirts. My … Continue reading →

Posted in 'April 12', 1980 execution South Beach Monrovia, April 12 1980, Charles Taylor, Comprehensive Peace Agreement CPA 2003, Corruption, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia, Liberian History, Monrovia, Monrovia South Beach, NPFL, Prince Y. Johnson, Samuel Kanyon Doe, Thomas Quiwonkpa, Tom Woewiyu, True Whig Party, William R. Tolbert Jr. | Leave a comment

The mystery of the Kru or Grebo rings – Part I

Posted on 7 April 2014 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

The Kru speaking peoples of eastern Liberia The official number of tribes in Liberia is 16 but an estimated 31 different languages are spoken in the country. They usually are subdivided into three language groups: the West Atlantic or Mel … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, Barclayville, Culture, Grand Cess Territory, Grebo, Grebo rings, Horatio Bridge, Krahn, Kru, Kru Coast, Kru money, Kru rings, Kru/Grebo rings, Language groups, Liberia, Liberian Studies Journal, Malagueta Coast, Mark Clayton, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Pepper Coast, Portugal, Portuguese traders, Ritual Killings, Ronald Davis, Sapo, Scott Shepperd, Siegman, Sven Holsoe, Vai | Leave a comment

The 1983 Planning and Development Atlas – a forgotten document?

Posted on 2 February 2014 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

By accident – I should rather say sheer luck – I recently acquired a beautiful copy of a Planning and Development Atlas that was prepared and published by the Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs (MPEA) in 1983. The Atlas was … Continue reading →

Posted in 1962 Census, 1974 Census, 1984 Census, 2008 National Population and Housing Census, Liberia, Liberian History, Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs, Planning and Development Atlas 1983 | Leave a comment

Will Charles Taylor end up being Africa’s only former president convicted of war crimes?

Posted on 29 September 2013 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

Yes, September 26, 2013 was a historic day. On that day the Appeals Chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) rendered its verdict in the ‘Charles Taylor trial’. In a packed court room presiding Justice George Gelaga King … Continue reading →

Posted in African Politics, Alhaji Kromah, Blaise Compaore, Chad, Charles Taylor, Civil War(s) Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Ethiopia, Gaddafi, George Boley, Guinea Conakry, Haile Mariam Mengistu, Hissein Habré, Impunity in Africa, International Criminal Court ICC, Ivory Coast, Justice, Kenya, Liberia, Liberian History, Libya, Mali, Meles Zenawi, Nigeria, Omar al Bashir, Prince Y. Johnson, Robert Mugabe, Roosevelt Johnson, Samuel Kanyon Doe, Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone Special Court, The Gambia, Truth and Reconciliation Committee (TRC), Tuareg, Uhuru Kenyatta, William Ruto, Zimbabwe | Leave a comment

How many Liberians will celebrate ‘July 26’ abroad?

Posted on 20 July 2013 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

July 26 is Liberia’s Independence Day anniversary. On July 26, 1847 the independent Republic of Liberia was officially born, created by less than 1,000 men: freed slaves, free-born blacks and mulattoes from the United States of America. They called themselves … Continue reading →

Posted in 'July 26', 1847 Constitution, African Politics, Americo-Liberians, April 12 1980, Charles Taylor, Comprehensive Peace Agreement CPA 2003, Conference of liberian Organizations in Southwestern United States (Colosus), Corruption, Elections in Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, European Federation of Liberian Associations (EFLA), Federation of Liberian Mandingo Associations in the USA (FELMAUSA), Independence Day, Liberia, Liberian Association Holland (LAH), Liberian Demography, Liberian Diaspora, Liberian History, Liberian Mandingo Organization in the Netherlands Bengoma, Liberian-American Community Organization of Southern California (LACOSC), Liberians In Holland, National Association of Cape mountainians in the Americas (NACMA), National Krao (Kru) Association in the Americas (NKAA), National Motto, National Seal, Organization of Liberians in Minnesota (OLM), Pepper Coast, Remittances, Samuel Kanyon Doe, The Liberian Journal, The Liberian Organization of the Piedmont, UNHCR, Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas (ULAA), United Bassa Organization in the Americas (UNIBOA), Vision 2030, William R. Tolbert Jr. | Leave a comment

April in Monrovia

Posted on 30 April 2013 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

April is the hottest month in Liberia. The temperature easily reaches 90 degrees Fahrenheit (i.e. 32 degrees Celsius). The sky often is cloudy. Thunderstorms announce the  7 months rainy season. Air humidity will gradually rise and reach its maximum of 100 per cent … Continue reading →

Posted in 'April 12', 1980 execution South Beach Monrovia, Alhaji Kromah, Americo-Liberians, April 12 1980, April 12 2013, April 14 1979, Charles Taylor, civil society organizations, Civil War(s) Liberia, Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia (COTOL), Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), Corruption, Coups in Africa, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Executive Order No. 50, George Weah, Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL), Grassroot Leadership Network (GLN), Human Rights, Krahn, Liberia, Liberian History, MODEL, Monrovia, NPFL, oil palm plantation, Press freedom in Liberia, Rice Riots, Roosevelt Johnson, rubber, Samuel Kanyon Doe, Sinoe County, True Whig Party, ULIMO, ULIMO-J, ULIMO-K, William R. Tolbert Jr. | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment