Monrovia

11 JANUARY 2023

Having spent two days absorbed in admin. tasks mainly regarding getting a visa for Cote D'Ivoire, its good to get out and about in the city.

Monrovia is a vibrant and always busy, city. On every street side people are selling, sitting, on the move and generally trying to make a living. The noise level is phenomenal; on top of peoples' voices, there are the hooting of motorbike and car horns, the megaphones repeating sales' pitches of mobile phone top ups and the like. Add to that the unapologetically loud speakers blasting out the latest Liberian street music - all making for a combined decibel level that pounds throughout the day. It's amazing how you do get used to it and how you learn ways to block it all out.

In the old part of the city, there are the vivid reminders of bygone days in the decaying remain of the historical buildings which tower above the ramshackle assortment of buildings hosting shops, offices and educational establishments. In the main shopping streets the shops are hosted in container style buildings with metal doors that can be securely locked at night.

I spent the first part of the morning at the EJ Royce building. Constructed as the headquarters of the True Whig Party in 1964, this imposing building was constructed with stone engraved panels to the outside, an extensive deco style window above the door and a huge auditorium inside. It was used by all the future presidents including Sam Does, when he led the military coup of 1980. Bullet holes across the façade capture the times which led to the buildings closure and its change of use. Today it stands empty awaiting investment and a government decision.

I then walked across Gabriel Johnson Tucker Bridge to see Providence Island where the first shipload of repatriated black freed slaves from America stopped along with its two white male members of the American Colonization Society. 'This was the beginning of the settlement programme of Americo-Liberians in 1817. Close by is today's temporary settlement of West Point. Beyond lies the all important port of Freeport - on which Liberia depends for its imports and exports. In recent years this has been renovated to become a safer, more secure and efficient international port.

Back in town I visited the Centennial Pavilion where former presidents were inaugurated, the impressive National Museum of Liberia and the other historical places; the first Methodist church of Liberia and the decaying Hotel Ducor.

By the end of the day, I had more knowledge of the history of Liberia, the hopes and visions of the conflicting political and military parties and some insight into the lives of Liberia's people. It was sobering to see the aftermath of a knife attach on my way back to the hotel. In some areas, for some people, life seems very fragile and on edge...