In Liberia: Finance Minister Konneh, CBL Governor Jones Named Observer's Persons of the Year

Liberia's first and foremost independent daily, Daily Observer, has named the country's Finance Minister Amara Konneh and Central Bank Governor J. Mills Jones as its 2012 persons of the year.

In an article announcing its choices for person of the year, the newspaper's senior editor, Ms. Fatoumata N. Fofana said "As in 2011, we again thought we were going to have an easier task selecting our Person of the Year. In our assessment of government officials, private sector stake-holders, civil society organizations and opposition politicians, we combed through our notes gathered over the year to try to build a composite picture of each person’s performance."

She continued: "In our analysis of both personalities, we came to the conclusion that indeed the effects these two financial engineers have had on the economy over the course of the year can be quantified. They could be measured — for Jones: increment (increase) in the Central Bank’s reserve from five million United States Dollars (US$5 million) [since 2006] to around three hundred million USD (US $300 million) as of August 2011; the launching of a Loan Extension Assistance Facility (LEAF) in the amount of LRD$200,000,000 (Two Hundred Million Liberian Dollars) for Microfinance Institutions, Credit Unions and Village Savings and Loans Associations, only to mention a few of his achievements.

"On the other hand, Finance Minister Amara Konneh is leading the charge in ensuring that Liberia becomes a middle income country 2030 (2012 - 2017).  He found and forged a new beginning in reshaping the way aid is administered in Liberia; along with the President, the then Finance Minister, Augustine Ngafuan (now Foreign Minister), his predecessor,  Finance Minister Antoinette  Sayeh, and CBL Governor Jones,  Minister Konneh played an exceedingly impressive role in completing the benchmarks for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. This resulted in the waiver of $4.6 billion in external debt from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other lenders. Mr. Konneh led the development process for Liberia’s threshold country proposal and negotiated with the United States Millennium Challenge Corporation for the approval of a US$15 million grant to improve land rights and access, increase girls’ primary education completion rate, and developed a trade policy regimen consistent with regional standards."

In practical terms, she said, these economic architects have valiantly paved a pliable roadmap for Liberia’s economic-revitalization, which is commensurate (matches) with Liberia’s development diplomacy---the contemporary (today’s) focus of this war-ravaged country’s foreign policy.

In a nutshell, she added, for striving to begin the task of placing the Liberian economy back in the hands of Liberians; for spearheading the rebuilding of key infrastructures across the country, the Observer is pleased to name Finance Minister Konneh and CBL Governor J. Mills Jones as our 2012 Persons of the Year.

According to Editor Fofana, from a shortlist that included veteran educator and Peace Activist Mary Brownell and Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee, Central Bank Governor Mills Jones and Finance Minister Amara Konneh have for the first time been named the Daily Observer's Persons of the Year.

 

Liberia: President Unveils Top 5 Resolutions for 2013

In her New Year message to the Liberian people, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf outlined the five topmost priorities of her development agenda for 2013. She expressed a sense of conviction and unwavering determination towards the achievement of those goals, come next year.

Beginning 2013 with a Fresh Look!!!!

Women in Retrospect: 2012

Giving her family a fighting chance beyond mere survival is what motivates the ordinary Liberian woman

 Before we finally close the chapter on 2012, flipping a fresh page for a new beginning in 2013, let's not forget that the unresolved issues of 2012 and other past years are still in need of solutions. In this final week of 2012, we want to highlight that the socio-political and economic advancement of Liberian women remains an ongoing struggle, claiming the attention of advocates on a daily basis. However, here's a look back at a breathless twelve months (2012) that saw ordinary women doing extraordinary things to improve their lives; the women’s world pushing for gender democracy at all levels. Let’s take a reflective look at an eventful year in news:

A National Embarrassment!

The lawmakers disgracefully snubbed the national visioning exercise

A great deal of news coverage has been devoted to the rift between the Executive and Legislative branches of government since last September, with the latest snubbing of the National Vision 2030 by legislators, leaving many disappointed and sad.

Both branches have been at each other’s throat and so it actually didn’t come as a surprise that activities related to the official launching of the Vision 2030 conference were snubbed by lawmakers.

It all began last September, when President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf allegedly told a gathering in the United States that Liberian legislators were more interested in themselves than much else in scrutinizing the fiscal budget and---as a result--- had unilaterally increased their share of the budget.This comment had enraged members of the House of Representatives with Speaker Tyler requesting the President to retract her comments against that august body.

So, two out of the 30 senators and one out of 76 representatives, showing up at the National Vision 2030, really didn’t come as a shock; on the other hand, it exposed a lack of unity in Government that could be exploited by unscrupulous and manipulative individuals to create chaos and strife. Surprisingly, some legislators are blaming the conference committee for not officially inviting them.

When will these national leaders stop being hypocritical about restoring peace to Liberia? Why should it always be about them and not the country? I think it high time that these officials put aside their selfish, self-centered interests and genuinely take charge of the country’s healing exercise. How can we achieve genuine peace when these very national leaders are embroiled in conflict among themselves? I think the issue at hand could pose a severe setback to the positive stretch of Liberia’s path toward peace; a stretch that leads to reconciliation.

LPRC: Playing with the People and Christmas

What a time to fool around with gasoline!  Does the LPRC not know that Christmas is throughout the world by far the busiest Season of the year? It is during this season that you see a sudden, sharp increase in the number of petty traders wheeling their wares across Monrovia. The city gets unusually densely-populated and commuting becomes unusually a headache. So, why ‘add insult to injury’ at this moment? When will these policy-makers become more proactive and forward-thinking? Does the LPRC find it any fun seeing our people struggling to get to and from one destination to the other, during this Season?

LPRC Summersaults: Admits Gasoline Shortage; Terms It ‘Sabotage’

The Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company (LPRC) has made a quick ‘about-face,’ adding a new twist and singing a new tune after rejecting out of hand---in almost unequivocal (no ifs, ands buts) terms---the slightest suggestion that something slippery was taking place, under its nose, with the gasoline business in this country.

TOTAL, Others Booked for Hoarding Gas

Several major petroleum suppliers, including TOTAL and Super Petroleum, have been booked hoarding gas to create an artificial shortage and increase prices. The Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company (LPRC) last night released findings of a random survey its team of inspectors, in close collaboration and coordination with the Liberia National Police and the Ministry of Commerce, had conducted on illegal sales of petroleum products in Liberia by “unscrupulous persons.”

Selective Feminism

It has always been 'my money is MY money, but his money is OUR money'

Your husband earns and so do you. But do you share the financial responsibility in the home? Most Liberian women – employed or not – are perceived to always be at the receiving end. Even in the home, full-time professional women, fully armed with purchasing power (money), will still sit and wait for the man to foot all the family’s expenses. No small help?!!

Who’s Withholding the Gas?

Some customers spent more than two hours in queues at various filing stations across the city on Monday

Could the Government’s professed reduction in the price of petroleum products end up being of hindrance rather than of help to the general public?

In Liberia: Petroleum Crisis Looms

Liberia's Ministry of Commerce’s newly announced reduced prices for petroleum products in the country have rather been met with what many in the public have termed as an artificial shortage of gas on the local market.

The new price ceiling released by the Ministry took effect on November 28, 2012. In a news release issued yesterday in Monrovia, the Ministry announced that in collaboration with the management of the Liberia Petroleum Refinery Company, (LPRC), it has made reduction in the prices of petroleum products on the local market.

No Woman Deserves to Die While Giving Life

Maternal mortality is a major reproductive issue in Liberia and Africa as a whole. The conflict-ravaged Liberian society is recovering from a devastating 14- year civil war which destroyed all of its infrastructures, including health centers and road networks. In the contemporary context, the few health facilities renovated and operating are not within the reach of the vast majority of rural dwellers. According to the 2000 National Health Plan, only 10% of the population lives less than 10 kilo meters from a health facility. 

This inaccessibility has resulted in at least 63% (Liberia DHS 2007) of births occurring in the homes, usually attended by an unlettered and unsupervised traditional midwife – a common practice in rural areas. Moreover, only 32% of mothers living in rural areas can expect a medically assisted delivery (Liberia DHS 2007). The resultant effect is that scores of women are experiencing obstetric complications such as prolonged labor; leading to life threatening conditions and morbidities such as Vesico Vaginal and Recto Vaginal fistula (VVF & RVF), maternal deaths, stillbirths, etc.

Healthcare practitioners and statisticians as well as demographers have described the current state of the country's maternal healthcare delivery as alarming, appalling and devastating. These descriptions are also backed by staggering statistics on the maternal conditions faced by women in Liberia. A 2012 CIA Fact Book report states that at least 990 women die per 100,000 live births, giving Liberia the world's 7th worst maternal mortality rate.

The good thing is that most of these deaths could be prevented. To curb this societal menace, and bring the death rate down to at least 375, the European Union (EU) last Thursday pledged to equip President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf with 42 million euros to lead the charge against this scourge (curse) of death that terrorizes our mothers. What is most strategic about the Liberian leading this charge is that she is herself a woman and a mother. And this puts her in a strategic position to feel the pulses of her fellow female compatriots. 

It is, therefore, my fervent hope that President Johnson Sirleaf, empowered with the EU funds, will invest in health workers and strengthen the country’s healthcare delivery system, so that every day, everywhere across the country, all women and newborns will have access to lifesaving care. It is also our prayer to see government strengthen areas such as surveillance, quality of care, monitoring and evaluation to improve the President’s chances of reducing 990 deaths per 1000,000, to the 375 per 100,000 deaths targeted.

It is hugely incumbent upon government to find ways to ensure that a woman’s hopeless financial situation does not determine her pregnancy’s outcome. It is against this backdrop that I am urging government to use the EU donated funds to provide the delivery services, and Caesarean services conducted by able physicians, accessible to our mothers.

The African Secret

I walked into an office last week and immediately noticed, at one corner, three women glued together [ears-to-mouths]. Two of them had left their desks [with all their load of assignments] to join another to discuss her ‘shaking’ relationship. They left their shoes behind their desk apparently in a rush to grab their share of what their co-worker had to gossip about. 

CDC to ‘Walk’ -- Come Hell or High Water

George Weah's CDC has vowed to take to the streets tomorrow

All roads lead to the party head-quarters of the Congress for Democratic Change tomorrow, where Cdicians claim they intend to ‘walk’ peacefully to hold on their grounds, a memorial service---and nothing more---that has been in the making for a while.

But, words like ‘walk,’ ‘peaceful,’ ‘memorial service’ etc. that seem to have been popping (no pun intended) up all over the place, might have helped put Justice Minister Tah on her guard. With her antennas up, she appeared to be leaving nothing to chance when it comes to peace, security and the smooth and uninterrupted flow of life, traffic and human movement in the city, on tomorrow.

Minister Tah could have been falling back on a statement that Representative Munah Pelham [of the CDC] made at an October 25 meeting between the Justice Ministry and the CDC; the Minister had relayed to the CDC leadership, Ms. Pelham’s statement: “I will personally be leading a delegation of 2,000 partisans to the party’s headquarters on November 7.”

Truth, Womanhood & Free Speech: Can We See the Bigger Picture?

President considers Ms. Gbowee’s critique 

as an exercise of free speech 

It was extremely amazing how the women of Liberia put up an elaborate welcoming ceremony for President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on last Wednesday as she hit the ground from Tokyo, Japan, where she attended the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund.

The motive behind last Wednesday’s elaborate thanksgiving and welcome program indeed went far beyond celebrating the President’s achievements in Tokyo – including the assurance from the Japanese to help expand Somalia Drive to 8 lanes. It had all to do with layered domestic affairs – ceasing the opportunity to create a platform where they would rebuff criticisms emanating from a fellow woman.

The thing is that the President has undertaken countless foreign trips during which she effectively conducted Liberia’s foreign policy of development diplomacy – putting forth Liberia’s development agenda and soliciting partners’ assistance. And true enough, she has emerged with resounding successes in the majority of such endeavors.

Islam or African Tradition? __ Marking the Myth of the 'Double Sermon'

There is growing fear among Muslims in Liberia, Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire that the observance of this year’s Eid-El-Adha (also known as “Tabaski” or “Abraham's Day”), which falls on this Friday, October 26, could be ominous for the leaders of their respective countries, especially their heads of state. 

This expressed fear is entrenched in a notion especially held by Muslims in the above countries that “double sermons” should not be preached on the same day.  Thus, with this year's Eid El-Adha occurring on a Friday, which also happens to be a normal prayer day in the religion, a second service of worship is expected that day. 

Stepmothers

Either of the fairy tales, Cinderella, or Snow White, paints an evil picture of step-parents, especially stepmothers.  The way a stepchild is treated by most stepmothers in our society helps to reinforce a traditional cultural belief that stepmothers are wicked or heartless. 

Many stepmothers tend to instigate their husbands’ beating and mistreatment of children who live in their home but are not born to their union: stepchildren. But whenever the husband frowns at his wife’s biological child(ren), tension mounts in the home and the husband is caught between a rock and a hard place.  All the children are fruits of his loins, but only some belong to his current wife who apparently regards her husband’s other children as less than her own. 

Women & Power: How Are We Doing?

A Liberian mother doing what she can to contribute to keep her family going

After parading women around the corridors of power, what difference has it really made? Women in our society today have been greatly challenged to transcend the status quo by claiming their rightful place in the public sphere, something they had for decades been denied.

Mothers

I have met quite a few unhappy young women who are living with emotionally abusive mothers. Feeling so miserable, some have continued to wonder why their own mothers would decide to treat them like strangers. Others, too, have said that they always have heavy heart because they don't know why their mothers are competing with them. I, personally, find this ridiculous. But it's real. It's happening in this world of ours. I find it extremely difficult to understand why a mother that suppose to love her children be emotionally abusive to them.

Torn Between Family & Work: The Balancing Art of Liberian Mumpreneurs

Jacqueline runs a home-based snacks enterprise that serves as a self-employment opportunity for this mother of one

In Liberia, a country recovering from a civil war that spanned nearly two decades, for many women entrepreneurs, starting your own business may not be a choice, but a necessity. Hundreds of them work in what could be considered just above the lowest ebb of the economy, vending wares that are the dietary staples of their society.

There are scores of them – predominantly single moms – who dare to  establish and operate full-time a home-based enterprise. However, they soon find themselves unconsciously allotting more time and even affection to their business than their families. Balancing work  and life thus becomes a real sticky issue.

Torborgi and Its Kinds

Bitter balls on display at the Rally Time Market

Torborgi stands as one of the major Liberian dishes which transcend cultural, ethnic and religious bonds. As the name suggests, it is a sub-regional cultural meal liked by many Liberians. As it is perceived across the sub-region, the meal originated from both northern Liberia (Lofa) and the Guinean city of Macenta.

Locals of both Macenta and Lofa are noted for their love for torborgi and how excellently the meal is prepared by them. Also, the women of Macenta and Lofa are also well-known for their production of some of the best torborgi oil regionally.

The Power Of Dried Bony: Have You Tried It?

Dried bonnies add to the taste of your meal and make
 it simply sumptuous

Here comes a new day for me to get set and begin the preparation of a sumptuous meal. People are always tempted to clean their plates or bowls with their tongues after eating my food.

Someone once told me this: “You know, I could continue eating for another three to four rounds. The first round was actually meant to satisfy my hunger. But now, I’m left in a dilemma. I want to go for another round and that will be for taste and a third, also for taste, and a fourth, for taste.”

Family Operation

On my way downtown a few days ago, I jumped into a cab in time to catch one of the main points of a heated debate among my fellow passengers---men mainly: ‘who’ brings ‘what’ home financially and how the home dynamics could and often changes because of an increase or decrease in income earned by one spouse or the other.

Bad Governance Could Poison Oil Money

IPI Executive Director Alison Bethel McKenzie believes that in the wrongs hands, oil money can be a "bad thing"

A major debate that ensued at the just ended Oil, Gas and Media Conference, organized and hosted by the International Press Institute in Baku, Azerbaijan, was governments’ use of revenues generated from the energy (oil, gas) sector.

Discussing the topic “My Country is Oil Rich, so Why Am I So Poor?” delegates and panelists at the conference called for the judicious use of oil revenue by states to avoid oil revenues becoming poisonous to the survival of the state and its people.

Beneath the Economic Glass Ceiling

Wheeling her wares through the streets of Monrovia

They play an indispensable role in our economy. But at the end of the day, there is a glass ceiling. It's not exactly the proverbial glass ceiling that used to bar women from leadership – in domestic and professional capacities – alongside or above their male counterparts. Perhaps, just a minute form of it.  This time, however, the glass ceiling is purely economical.

These are women who work in what could be considered just above the lowest ebb of the economy, vending wares that are the dietary staples and other bare necessities of our society.  Yet, the prospects of profitability and growth of these gallant economic foot-soldiers remain dim.  Living “from hand to mouth” with many unemployed husbands, children and other dependents, the reality of their dual roles as street vendors and as a critical component of the livelihoods of both poor urban and rural households – this reality – bears countless stories yet untold, of women trying to beat the odds, challenge the status quo, and simply make a living.  Essentially this is a story of ordinary women doing extraordinary things out of the sheer necessity to provide for themselves and their families.  

Tracking Criminals or Dying Innocents?

My mom, Mrs. Fanta Kone-Fofana (MashAllah!!!)

  

At about 8:30 am on May 22, 2012, I arrived at the Loguatuo border post from Man, the western capital of Cote d’Ivoire, en route to Monrovia. With me was my mom in a critical health condition, in need of urgent medical attention.  She had been told by some physician's assistant in that mountainous city that she had a sore/ulcer in her chest and, being a diabetic patient, the entire family was terrified.

Liberia: A Dichotomy of Press Freedom

Fatoumata N. Fofana, The author

While media houses in Liberia currently enjoy freedom of expression, in reality, their functions as conveyors of public information, investigators and repositories of public trust, remain a subject of heavy regulation by law. Facing an uphill challenge for sustainability, there are ominous signs that the issues of press freedom and independence of the press could threaten the future of the industry in Liberia.

Thugs Reign on Gurley Street

An early morning tussle to board a bus on Johnson Street, Monrovia

“Oh my phone! Oh my handbag!” These cries are becoming familiar to ears of residents of Gurley Street in central Monrovia. Nowadays, as a resident of Gurley Street, you dare not dare the criminals, who have invaded the area, and continue to terrorize residents and passers-by, by stepping outside as early as 5:45am to 6am. The Street is one of central Monrovia’s most crime-infested, Carey and Center Streets closely following.

Marauding thugs, bent on terrorizing peaceful and law-abiding citizens, now take pleasure in preying on young girls and older women who aim to reach central Monrovia before 6:00 a.m., in order to beat the tedious traffic an hour later.  Between 5:30 and 6 a.m., Monrovia is just crawling out of bed and the few who make it to town that early can only wish that that last hour (before 7 a.m.) would provide some quiet time for reflection before the day's hustle begins.

Health or Image? Monrovia’s Young Women Enjoy Spending to Maintain that ‘Perfect Look’

A sample of women recently interviewed by me in downtown Monrovia did not mince words when they said they enjoy spending hugely on their looks than on a healthy diet or nutritional products.

“The healthy diet you are talking about will cost me so much and will only be good for eating within seconds, minutes. Take for instance, if I want to prepare a vegetable stew for lunch; that will cost me at least US$50 or more to get all the necessary ingredients from the supermarket and the meat. But that US$50 can get for me a very beautiful pair of flat heel shoes that I would enjoy wearing for the next couple of months,” one of the ladies said.

Life is not only about the belly, another one added, it is also about looking gorgeous.

Well, this is no joke. The slogan you often hear most young Liberian women say nowadays is, “looking good is a business.”

Usually, this statement comes after they have spent so many US dollars on hair, clothes or shoes. For them, the saying only helps to comfort them. But in actual sense, is simply another excuse to spend more on themselves.

They want to look good and are, indeed, comfortable with the notion that a certain amount of pressure is placed on them to do so.

Obsessed with the latest beauty trends and maintaining a perfect look, these young women care very little about their inner health. For them, once they have scored that perfect look, all other health worries can be laid to rest. The imbalance in their lifestyle is expanding by the day.

Rivalry in Polygamous Marriage: Part II

I am continuing my discussion on how dramatic; rivalry in polygamous marriages can be, especially when rival wives are residing under the same roof. In Part 1 of this series, I underscored serious challenges faced by women who find themselves in these situations and how competitive it can be when it comes to doing everything to establish their worth in their husband’s eyes.  This last half of the series focuses on friendship between/among rival wives; factors responsible for the growing wave of polygamy across Africa and the effects of such marriage on the children.

Rivalry in Polygamous Marriage: Part I

Imagine after spending 16 years in a marriage with a man you love so dearly and have made so many sacrifices for, waking you up one morning and informing you that in a matter of days he would be taking on a second wife? “Sorry to say, my dear, but I have impregnated a girl whom I think I want to take in as my next wife. So please be co-operative and become a part of the festivity.”  What would you do?

The Journey of Mary Tanyonoh Broh: From a Difficult Childhood to Acting Mayor of Monrovia

Mary Tanyonoh Broh, the current Acting Mayor of Monrovia, was born on September 15, 1951. She first served the Liberian government in March 2006 as the Special Projects Coordinator for President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's executive staff during the Broad Street beautification exercise. In 2007, Broh was asked by the President to direct the Passport Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an attempt to clean the Bureau of corruption and bribery. In 2008, she became the Deputy Director of the National Port Authority. In February 2009, she was appointed by the President to serve as Mayor of Monrovia, an appointment that was met with serious controversy. In any case, the aim was to legitimize the administrative and financial management of the Monrovia City Corporation's (MCC).

For the Liberian Child, A New Day Dawns

 Saturday, February 4, 2012, dawned a day for the Liberian child. It marked the historic launch of the 2011 Children’s Law of Liberia by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. This development followed more than two years of relentless advocacies by state and non-state actors from all walks of the Liberian society, including the Liberia Children’s Parliament and UNICEF, among many others.

The law was finally passed on 15 September 2011 by the 52nd Legislature.

Urban Settings & The Liberian Child

On 28 February, UNICEF launched its ‘The State of the World’s Children 2012: Children in an Urban World’ report. This year’s report focuses more attention on children in urban areas. The 142-page document reveals that one billion of the world’s children live in urban areas, a number that is growing rapidly. Yet, it continued, disparities within cities reveal that many lack access to schools, health care and sanitation, despite living alongside these services. 

In an official statement posted on its website, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warns that urbanization leaves hundreds of millions of children in cities and towns excluded from vital services. As reflected in its The State of the World’s Children 2012: Children in an Urban World report, greater urbanization is, however, inevitable. In a few years, the report says, the majority of children will grow up in towns or cities rather than in rural areas. Children born in cities already account for 60 per cent of the increase in urban population.

The Private Ward

When you are first told the amount charged per night in order to attain a semi-private room within the walls of the private ward of the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Hospital in Monrovia, you might be inclined to assume that that money will also be worth the services provided. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen. Get ready to deal with unbecoming behavior from the nurses on duty. And the good thing is that they actually get away with these poor, unprofessional behaviors and the level of morale among nurses unfortunately finds itself right there in the dump!

Reversing the Roles ...for a split second

2011 Nobel Laureate, Tawwakol Karma

The old saying that “behind every successful man stands a strong woman” continues to highlight the role of women in many of the great human accomplishments of time, particularly where men are in the forefront of success. Some, in fact, go as far as adding that the “great woman” standing behind this “great man” is a woman of “fire”, or ‘...une femme de feu’; the French would say. 

Moving On Up: Young Liberian Female Journalist Takes up Diplomatic Post

Journalist Vivian Gartayn

A young Liberian female journalist who has earned her stripes in newsrooms locally, is now joining the ranks of Gabriel Williams, Josephus Moses Gray and other, more senior journalistic figures as press attaché to one of Liberia's key embassies abroad. 

It is a testament to Vivian Gartayn's understanding and knowledge of her craft – journalism – that she has been appointed by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as Minister Counselor for Press and Public Affairs at the Embassy of the Republic of Liberia near Abuja, Nigeria.  This young and dynamic journalist was once a radio reporter covering the Executive Mansion, an assignment she undertook with spunk, professionalism and poise.  Her reportage has had a diverse appeal to a wide audience, and won the respect and appreciation of her audience.

Mother-child Bond: The Case of an Evicted Mother

The back page of the June 27 and 28 editions of the Daily Observer told the story of an evicted mother who had made for herself and her two-months old baby boy a makeshift home at the corner of Broad and Johnson Streets in downtown Monrovia. The touchiest thing was that that two-months old baby was exposed to the cold of this wet season at such tender age, with his 8-year old brother missing from the family and at the mercy of the elements. 

Liberia Considers Reopening Border with Cote d’Ivoire

Following a month and few days of border closure with neighboring Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia is considering reopening the border, after an intensive assessment of the area within a couple of days by the Minister of Defense. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf disclosed this an exclusive interview in her Capitol Hill office Thursday, June 12.  The closure of the border between the two West African countries in early June  followed the killing of seven United Nations peacekeepers and eight civilians in the Ivory Coast town of Tai [allegedly] by Liberia-based gunmen. In response to mounting pressure, Liberia did not only close its border with Cote d’Ivoire.  The country also pledged to take every measure aimed at ensuring that there is peace in neighboring Ivory Coast.

No ‘Excessive Celebration’ for July ‘26’

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

 As Liberians eagerly anticipate the official celebration of their country’s 165th independence anniversary next week Thursday, July 26, in the City of Monrovia, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has disclosed that this year’s official celebration is “unfortunately… not going to be an excessive one.” 

The Liberian leader told this writer in an exclusive interview last Thursday at her Foreign Ministry office that “although we will celebrate the way we always do, but it is not going to be an excessive celebration, unfortunately.”

‘Rape Cases Disturb Me,’ Pres. Sirleaf, Outlines Challenges to Reducing Child Mortality

President Sirleaf 

As though the seven years to life sentence for rape convicts – depending on the gravity of the crime, under the 2006 rape law – were not enough, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has disclosed that she greatly troubled by weekly reports of increasing rape cases across the country. She disclosed this in an exclusive interview with this writer last week.

Upon ascending to the Liberian presidency in 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf pledged that no rapists would go unpunished during her tenure. However, the United States 2010 Human Rights Report released by the United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor on Liberia, revealed that rape continues to be a widespread problem in the post-war country mainly because the 2006 rape law was not effectively enforced.

Girlfriend or Wife Material?

  

On my way downtown a few days ago, I jumped into a cab in time to catch one of the main points of a heated debate among my fellow passengers---men mainly: why most men are finding it extremely difficult to find a single, childless woman to marry these days in Liberia.

Rocking That Glamorous Look with Your Natural Hair

While most women get easily fascinated about the thick texture of their natural hair, others are often turned off by that. For such women, the remedy is some perm or relaxer cream to get that relaxed texture instead. This is because they just cannot stand the re-growths.

I remember a few months back, whenever I attempted going natural with my hair, my friend will do all she could to find some fault with it, especially after doing her best to get me put on some weave or to braid my hair with some attachment. If I still insisted on going with my afro, she would convince me into either blow drying and flat ironing my hair which, for some reason, worked wonders to straighten and smoothen my hair but the trade off was loss of volume.

And that’s exactly what happens when you abuse your hair with chemical substances. Take for instance, the perm. Once it begins to give way for the natural thickness of the hair to take its natural place, the top-most layer of your hair (the affected one) also begins to wither.