Liberia: A Crucial Missing Link in Our Evolving Democracy

25 February 2015
opinion

Post war Liberia has embraced the war time idle attitude of sitting together to discuss the prevailing circumstances or current development in the community or society; be it domestic, social, academic or history. During the war, industries were closed down, businesses ran dry, and sources of livelihood were affected that people got trapped to sitting home idly and all they could do was to assemble and play games (cards, checkers, lulu, chess and scrabble), and hold discussion on anything that would take the time of the day. Overtime, gathering and discussing became a way to keep the time and in a way became a duty, like a job. These general discussions were usually, like in the rural setting held in open spaces in the community: under a tree, in a hut or at a town square. Also, like in the rural settings, kola nuts with pepper and palm wine or cane juice were served while conversation was being held.

Similarly, in exile as refugees, Liberians did not have anything like jobs to do; they were being taken care of by the various organs of the United Nations (UNICEF, WFP, RED CROSS, MSF, etc). Like Liberia, with nothing to do, the practice of keeping the time with general discussions and games got rejuvenated. Kola nuts with pepper and palm wine or cane juice got replaced by another kola nuts of the Mandinka tribe of Francophone nations called bitter Kola due to its bitter taste and a herb tea known as 'hythaie' in the Mandinka language. Bitter kola and hythaie have some things in common, among which are the taste of bitterness and the ability to keep you going strong for a while without food.

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