Buchanan

12 JANUARY 2023

I did a day trip today to Buchanan, a small town along the coast with an active sea port.

The drive was along a road under reconstruction which then changed to a perfect tarmacked road once we reached the American owned Firestone Rubber Plantation at Harbel. Acres of rubber trees line the road and the organised infrastructure of this establishment can be seen as you travel through. During the civil war, the military positioned themselves here and were paid taxes and other payments by the owners in return for the continued manufacture of rubber. The plantations in Liberia supply America with 80% of its supply.

Traveling on to Buchanan, I then visited the outskirts of the sea port. An important export and import centre for this area.

Sometimes these kind of trips enabled you to meet extraordinary people. Today I met Sun Harmatten, the senior inspector of police at the port and Morris Matadi, the CEO and founder of the Development of Former Child Soldiers (IDEFOCS). Both shared their incredible life stories.