Get Some Bassa Rhythm!

Bassa Dialect Choir Drummers
The bigger drum keeps time and the smaller drum improvises

One of my "touristy" goat skin Liberian drums

Here is a basic Bassa rhythm that I was taught as a kid in Liberia.  It is from a Bassa song that has something to do with a man that had gold in his pockets, so a happy song!  I used a touristy goat skin drum I picked up along the street in Monrovia as I could not find the actual Bassa drums for sale.  Supposedly the traditional deer skins are hard to find as people chop bush meat into smaller pieces with disregard to the skin and the deer are becoming more difficult to find.  

Bassa drummer bringing the beats to a congregation heading down to the river for a baptism

This first video then is the basic beat that would be played on the bigger square drum and the second video is of the rhythm that is played on the smaller drum.  These rhythms are slowed way down and also in reality there would be two drummers each playing one of the drums at the same time, but hopefully this gives you the idea!

Of course if you'd rather not learn to play and just listen check out a couple of these Bassa Dialect Choir recordings I made in the summer of 2011.  The lighting is bad in the night one and the sound can be rough at times, but you can hear loud and clear those drums beating out some fine Bassa rhythm!  Enjoy-o!

This guy can rock out!....

I dream of someday drumming like these guys....

The Day I Entered a Poro "Devil Bush"

I've written a little about the so-called "Devil Bush" in several articles here.  It is a kind of sacred grove hidden in the bush where secret societies like the Poro and Sande meet for their secret rituals.  It is a place where non-initiates are threatened with death if they trespass; a place I unknowingly entered into when I was 13.  Here is the story of how all of that went down ...

BACKSTORY

We arrived in Liberia in 1976 at the request of some Bassa leaders that were looking for teachers from the US for their school.  My dad then taught in Buchanan, the county seat of Grand Bassa County, and it was through this that he became connected with an individual that made another request of my dad:  he wanted him to come speak in his village.  This individual was a Liberian who had become a Christian and he wanted my dad, who is also a pastor, to come and speak in his village about Christianity.  My dad agreed and made the trek.

According to old newsletters that my parents had written around that time the name of this village was "Doowin".  (This was at least how it sounded to my dad when he heard the name.)  It was quite a hike back into the deep bush and upon arrival the entire village came out to meet the group that had journeyed together with my dad.  Everyone spoke in Bassa and dad was able to get pieces of information from the welcome ceremony from translators.  Entering this village must have been like entering another world for my dad.  Here's what he pieced together from that...

WELCOMING CEREMONY

The visitors to the village were joined together with the villagers in a big circle under the open air in the middle of the village.  The Chief of Doowin (sp?) walked into the circle and greeted the visitors in the presence of everyone there.  To the best of my dad's recollection, in his hands was a plate that had an egg on it and also a small pile of salt and a small pile of dirt.  These obviously symbolized something and dad remembers getting a brief explanation, but does not remember exactly what that explanation was.  It seems that it had something to do with being invited into the community.

Chief of Doowin presenting the visiting group with an egg,
dirt & salt in a bowl
 - photo by Ken Vogel

THE STRANGE WHITE MAN

Dad remembers how the village was curious about seeing a white man.  Everyone kept stealing glances at him to see if he was for true.  They listened with interest to his presentation of some basic Christian concepts through a Bassa translator.  They watched him as entered the guest hut.  They watched him again with fascination as he brushed his teeth.  They watched as he performed this strange ritual of spitting and rinsing into a cup and then "wasting" his spit water on a nearby rock.  He looked and behaved so very strange and must have been quite the talk of the town.

DOOWIN REVISITED

I was not old enough to make this initial hike with my dad.  However about 9 years later, when he was asked again to return, I got to go with him.  I remember sitting in a small, mud and stick church that first evening there after our long hike.  I remember that everything was spoken in Bassa except when my dad was asked to speak.  Then I recall that everyone got quiet as an old man got up to speak in Bassa.  Here is the basic translation of what he said....

THE DEVIL BUSH

He recounted how he remembered when my dad came to visit their village several years before.  He remembered how he had talked about this strange, new god who had power over death.  He then remembered that this white man had taken his spit and thrown it on their sacred rock in front of everyone.  (Apparently the rock dad had thrown his toothpaste water on was their village god!)  He remembers waiting to see what would happen to this man who had challenged their god in front of the entire village.  Surely their god would strike this man dead!  When the white man lived the village met and decided that this white man's god must have more power than their god and placed their faith in this new god.  After the white man had left and with a new found courage in this new god they went into the Devil Bush and cut it down and in its place they had built this church where we now worship this new god, Jesus.  In fact, the very place where I was sitting that evening had been the gathering spot for Poro.  In the community's new spirit of openness instead of secretiveness I had been invited to enter into their very own most sacred space.  I had entered into the Devil Bush and lived to tell about it!

The village of Doowin gathered around to welcome the new visitors (Aug 1977)
photo by Ken Vogel

Alright, so perhaps this wasn't what you were expecting?  Perhaps you were wanting me to share some kind of deep, dark secret that I had witnessed in a Neegee ceremony (a missionary actually did join the Neegee once by the way but that is another story) or some amazing tale about how I had barely survived attempts on my life for trespassing on Poro sacred ground.  In fact, depending on your personal views on Poro and Sande this whole tale is either a terrible tragedy to Liberian culture or it is an amazing testimony to the power of God to use people who have no idea what they are doing.  

I will end by saying that from my perspective it was far better to have been in the sacred grove at peace with my Liberian brothers and sisters than it would have been if I had been in that same grove 10 years earlier.  Had it happened then my life would have surely been threatened just for simply being there.  That they shared their sacred space with me instead of threatening me to stay away speaks of true love and hospitality.   From my point of view the fact that I was invited into fellowship with Liberians as they worshiped was far better than being excluded because I wasn't born in the "correct" culture.  

You may ask, "But didn't you just feel more comfortable with them because they now worshiped the white man's God?"  To which I would reply, "We are all children of God and last I checked Jesus was actually Middle Eastern, not white."  The teaching of the Bible is that the Blessing is available to all nations, races and ethnic groups through Abraham's Seed.  Anyone can know the peace that transforms us from excluding others from our sacred space to opening wide the doors to our fellow human beings (whether that exclusion be a Poro society or an all white, suburban church in the US).  Shalom.  

Recipe: Ma Augusta's Shortbread

Ma Augusta behind the counter at Otis Spot with a fresh batch of another one of her specialties:  Light Bread

MA AUGUSTA'S SHORTBREAD

As made and sold at Otis Spot, Buchanan in the 80's

This is Liberian food as far as I'm concerned.  While it may not be traditional Liberian fare, I first ate it in Liberia made by a Liberian and so it is included here.  It goes great with Jolof rice and collard greens.  It is also wonderful for breakfast with coffee.  It tastes sort of like a crispy cake and the recipe was passed on to our family from an amazing Liberian woman named Ma Augusta (more on her below).

INGREDIENTS

5 cups of flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 sticks of butter (softened)*

*Ma Augusta used margarine as milk products are difficult to find in Liberia.  Butter tastes much better in my opinion.

DIRECTIONS

Mix flour, sugar, and baking powder together.  Add eggs and butter, and cut into dry ingredients   Mixture will be coarse.  Add approximately 1 3/4 cups of water.  The batter should be thin enough to pour into a pan but thick enough that you have to use a fork to spread it out towards the edges of the pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 - 40 minutes.  Knife should come out clean when inserted into center.


ABOUT MA AUGUSTA

My mom with Ma Augusta at Otis Spot.
I am on the left eyeing the light bread

Augusta Togba, or "Ma Augusta" as she was known, was an amazing woman.  She was a neighborhood mother for all the children who lived around her shop "Otis Spot" including us white kids.  In those days, many children were sent into Buchanan from the "bush" because it was assumed that there were better opportunities for education and future employment in the big city.  The result however was that hosts were often unable to handle the added financial burden and there were tons of kids without parents running around town.  Sometimes they were able to get them into school, but this was not always the case and there are sorts of sad stories about how these children survived or tried to survive.  In Ma Augusta's days hungry children knew that they could stop by Otis Spot and Ma Augusta would make sure they had something to eat: rice crust, light bread, or her famous shortbread.  She was a very generous, strong and wonderful woman and the sense of reassurance and stability that she brought to that area of Buchanan will be missed.

Setting up a Voter Registration booth at Otis Spot

Election Official and neighborhood registrants on the Otis Spot porch.  

MA AUGUSTA'S OTIS SPOT

Otis Spot was a place were people could come and play checkers (Liberian rules), eat light bread wrapped in Swedish newspapers thrown out from nearby LAMCO and of course palavar on the porch about all things political, religious and controversial (this is a Liberian fine art).  It was here that I came to enjoy palavar for palavar's sake as we discussed such diverse topics as the Rastafari, the treatment of animals, Apartheid, political corruption, colonialism, et al.  Ma Augusta was always within earshot to throw in a few comments, laugh at or with us and break up the occasional fight and encourage us to leave her place with peace and goodwill.  

Open Bible Road goes past Otis Spot on the left and leads up to Tubman Street.  It was on this porch that checkers, palavar and shortbread were enjoyed by all.

Today Otis Spot is the site of a small church and the open palavar porch has since been screened in.  An era is gone but the recipe for Otis Spot still remains:  mix motherly nurture, community, palavar, checkers and of course Ma Augusta's famous shortbread and see what happens!

RIP Ma Augusta - You are missed!

Introduction to Liberian English - Part 2

Liberian Girl with a red deer (or duiker?) that is called by Liberians something that sounds like "Folding Tonga".  They are prized for their meat.

Due to the popularity of the earlier article on Liberian English I've listed some more terms and phrases that you can add to your travel dictionary.

This is Part II of an "Introduction to Liberian English"  You can visit that article in order to read a bit more about Liberian English itself and also see more Liberian English words and phrases defined.

________________________________

Baboon - this is actually what we call a chimpanzee and not what we would call a baboon.  I have no idea when, where, or how the change up came about, but when you hear a Liberian talking about a "baboon" think "chimpanzee".  

Book - can mean "the law" or simply used as a metonym for being educated.
  "That man know book"

Burst (possibly "bust"? pronounced "bus") - can mean to devour something; and also to injure something.  -- "damage" is also used for devouring food as in 'we damaged the palm butter'.
   "I tell you, I can bus some rice"

Bush - the interior or the tropical rain forest of Liberia; jungle.

Caustic - poison
  "She give them children caustic and they die-o"

Chaklah - to destroy or mess something up.  Not really sure where this comes from but I've heard it used the following way...   
    "The soldier come and chalklah the whole area"

Coal Tar ("koh tah") -  paved road versus the prevalent dirt roads that make up most of Liberia's road system.
   "The koh tah fini at the junction."

Congo - This is a term used to describe Americo-Liberians and not usually used of someone actually from the Congo.  The infamous Liberian chant "Country woman born soldier, Congo woman born rouge" which was sung when Doe overthrew the Americo-Liberian rule of Liberia in 1980 is an example of this term.  This chant/song infers that the "country" or indigenous peoples of Liberia (see below) gave birth to a conquering soldier (Samuel Doe) and all that the Americo-Liberians gave birth to were "rouges" or thieves that stole from Liberia.  

Country - this used to refer to any native Liberian who was not from the Americo-Liberian elite.  It now refers to the interior "bush" culture or area of Liberia and it is sometimes used as a derogatory comment in reference to someone or something being inferior.  This is true even if the people calling someone "country" are not Americo-Liberian themselves.  One example of this term is "country cloth" - the old hand made lappas that were made in the "bush" before the mass produced and printed lappas took over the Liberian markets of today.  Another example:  "She country" - I've seen this used both derisively and also with a smile while shaking the head which seemed to mean "that is just the way she is and I love her for it".

Cruso - Cashew.  I have no idea where this pronunciation comes from, but this is how it sounds to me when someone points to a cashew and says its name in Liberian English.  The actual cashew is thrown on the ground and is considered "caustic".  The cashew fruit is the part that is eaten and they are delicious!

My brother holding a "Cashew Apple"  -  the brown part on the top is the actual cashew nut

Cutlass ("culeh") -  machete.  According to a theory by Tim Butcher in his book on Liberia, "Chasing the Devil", this is a term left over from the age of Liberian coastal peoples interacting with European traders who called their swords "cutlasses" just like the old swashbuckling pirates of olden days.  
   "I have no culeh to make farm."

Devil - a costumed individual that dances in the streets with an entourage.  In the city this is sometimes for visitors, tourists or celebrations.  In the bush it is much more closely aligned with the Poro and Sande Secret Societies.  Devil Bush is another use of this term and is one of the names for the secret location in the jungle where initiations take place.  

Dialect ("dielay") - the indigenous languages of Liberia like Bassa, Kpelle, Vai, etc.  For example, at some churches that are for whatever reason in transition from their traditional language into English they might have both an English speaking choir and a "Dialect Choir" which sings in their first language.
  "Dielay choir director can sing-o!"

GB - You may see this advertised on street side chop shops.  It is a kind of hard and fermented fufu that is mostly preferred in Nimba County.  One swallows the hard blocks of GB and washes them down with a soup called "slippery soup" that sometimes contains rancid meat.  An acquired taste that some Liberians do not even like.  I have never tried it yet, and it isn't really on my bucket list either, but who knows?

Issue (or more specifically "Issue in the press") - This can refer to dog meat.  The story behind this is that most Liberians did not confess to eating dog before the Civil War when it was not considered civilized, but during recent hard times all food was game.  In order to keep one's dignity and not order "dog meat" to eat at the chop shop a system was created.  Dog meat was kept in a 5 gallon bucket and covered with newspaper and someone could order an "issue" of this paper and get dog meat.  A seller with fresh dog meat could then walk around with his bucket yelling "Issue! Issue in the press!" and thereby keep his dignity by not having to yell, "Dog meat!  Get your fresh dog meat here!"  Some developed a taste for dog after having to eat it during those days and an "issue in the press" can still be found in the market if you are so inclined to look for it.  There are many in Liberia who love dog meat today however I am not planning on trying this!

Juke - to stab, often used to describe a painful injury or to intimidate
   Example of intimidation:  "You know me?  I will juke you!"

Monkey Apple - there are actually two completely different fruits that are both called "monkey apple" in Liberia.  One is the fruit that we would call a "star fruit" the other I have never seen in the US and have pictured below.

This red spikey fruit is also called a "Monkey Apple".  The red skin is peeled off and a grape-like, slimy yet sweet substance surrounds the seed inside.

My People Coming (or "My people now coming") - this is a phrase used when someone believes they might die or when they are so terrified they feel that their life is in danger.  I watched a grown man leap over a patio wall while he was yelling, "The soldier here!  My people now coming - o!"  I was running right behind him!

Not Correct - someone who has to face more than the average amount of mental challenges.
  "That woman is not correct."

Plum - the is what we would call a mango.  There are different varieties with different seasons.  I remember one mango that Liberians called a "German plum" that I liked.  When you hear "plum" in Liberia think "mango".  

Reed  ("ree") - this is what we would call bamboo.  To make matters a bit more confusing there is actually another plant with very thin stems that Liberians do call bamboo.
  "We got plenty ree for cutting." - as in "We have an abundance of bamboo to make things with."

Sliding - this is the Liberian term for "surfing" as is captured in the surfing documentary "Sliding Liberia"

OK --- Well, there you have some more Liberian English terms and phrases that have come to mind today.  I hope to do another entry sometime later as I recall more.  I'm due for another trip back and I'll try to take better notes next time.  Remember the best way to get the proper pronunciation and rhythm is to go to Liberia and speak with and listen to the people of Liberia.  Blessings!

The Magic Money Of Liberia

The concept of "Magic Money" is not necessarily a foreign one to someone from the US.  We have "lucky pennies" and mythologies about bowls of gold at the end of rainbows guarded by magical little men and even fairy tales about enchanted treasures guarded by dragons.  It is just that in general Westerners have lost their ability to believe these things are true.  In parts of Liberia this is not always the case.  In Liberia magical money still exists.

A "Kissi Penny"
A gift from Hope 2 Liberia President, Sam Wrisley

The Kissi Penny, "bush money" or "money with a soul" as it has been called, is an unique contribution to the world of numismatics and is strongly associated with Liberia.  The name "Kissi Penny" comes from the Kissi tribe that lives in Liberia and used it as a form of currency.  It was also used by the Bandi and Loma throughout their regions in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.  It is so closely associated with Liberia however that the Central Bank of Liberia has two of these bar-shaped "pennies" crossed on their seal.  The seal can be seen fairly well on the L$10 below.

The crossed "Kissi Pennies" are found in the CBL Seal on the left side of the reverse of Liberian bills

These rods of iron used as currency makes sense in an iron ore rich country.  Iron was and is a ready resource that is used in Liberia for basic agriculture and military protection.  One can tangibly see the value of this currency by thinking in terms of how many tools they would make: like a cutlass, hoe or weapon.  Also in this Kissi Penny Economy, one of the central figures of Liberian culture, the blacksmith, added to his power and prestige by becoming the director of his own mint.  He could literally print his own money!  The magical aspects of this currency comes from the fact that blacksmiths are often associated with having magic powers in Liberia and either they or the Zoe (they were often the same person) became involved in this currency production as we will see in more detail later.  First...

HOW MUCH ARE THEY WORTH?

A "Kissi Penny" next to a US Quarter for reference

This is the question that has been most commonly asked when I show this form of currency to people.   According to an excellent Introductory Article on the Kissi Penny by Dr. Van Der Kraaij, who specializes in African Economics, these bars were often wrapped into bundles of 20 rods.  For example, a cow could cost approximately 100 bundles, a bride 200, a slave 300 and so on.  The bars themselves were also of different lengths with the longer bars being worth more, presumably because there was more iron in them.    

WHY THE STRANGE SHAPE?

One of the thin "blades" at the end of a Kissi Penny

The shape of this currency is rather peculiar.  One wonders if there is some sort of secret meaning attached to it, especially in a society steeped in secrecy and secret societies.   A more practical reason is suggested by Dr. Van Der Kraaij and that is that this shape prevents tampering with the iron content. At each end of the rod the surface is pounded out into very thin "blades" that are easily inspected for purity.  In the middle the iron bar is very thin and twisted and is also very easily inspected for its quality.  It could just be that this is a practical shape for inspection; I like that theory, however I'm not convinced that it removes the possibility of the shape having a "magical" connotation as well.

MONEY WITH SOUL

Western society is familiar with the concept of money having a soul, especially when considering the influence of the King James Version of the Bible.  Jesus taught that man cannot serve both God and Mammon.  Here the concept of "Mammon" is equated to "wealth" (or money as we think of it) and is on the level of having a persona that competes with the Spirit of God.  Traditional Liberian societies would agree with Jesus that money has a persona, or a spirit or soul.  We Westerners would call this an animistic view of reality, however we would probably refuse to classify Jesus as an animist.  Let's step away from the cultural theology for the moment.... Why is this "Penny" called "Money With A Soul?"

"Pointy" end of the Kissi Penny with US Dime for reference

Let me start with a story.  While traveling in Monrovia we stopped by a store selling bottled and bagged water and intended to buy this water with a US$ 20.  We ran into a strange problem... the shop owner would not accept our bill because there was a slight tear on the corner of the bill.  What?  Well, this concept makes sense when one takes the time to listen to the Liberian's perspective on currency.  This currency only has power to seal transactions when it is complete (without defect).  A tear or rip indicates that the power that had been imbued upon this bill in order to complete a transaction has been taken away from the currency.  The bill had lost its soul and was "dead"; unable to transact proper business.

This may seem laughable to the Westerner who hasn't taken the time to investigate what gives his own little pieces of paper in his own wallet the "power" to purchase other objects.  We may believe that our bills are backed by some sort of mysterious "gold standard" or AAA rating of Treasury Bonds or the mood of the Stock Market or the GNP or whatever, but when it comes down to it this Liberian's explanation makes as much sense as ours.   This Liberian believed that this US bill was backed by the power (or perhaps magic) of the US mint and it had lost its power to transact because it had been torn.  Fascinating to say the least.  I also don't doubt that certain unscrupulous businessmen in Liberia have no problem perpetuating this theory by changing out the defective money for less than face value!

The "Paddle" end of a Kissi Penny with US Dime for reference

I'm not sure why the merchant didn't want to take our bill with a tear on it, however the Kissi Penny might give some insight into this particular perspective of currency.  You see, it wasn't just any old piece of iron ore that one could do business with, but rather only those pieces of iron that had been given the "power" to be used for currency.  This was imbued upon the iron by either the blacksmith or the Zoe (what we call 'witch doctor" and who may or may not have actually been the blacksmith himself depending on the custom).  Whenever one of these thin rods broke it no longer possessed the "power" to be used as currency.  It had lost its "spirit" or "soul" so to speak.  It had to be fixed by the Zoe for a price (nice business move).

This broken currency could supposedly be restored by being taken to a Zoe who would then recombine the two pieces with a special ceremony that would summon the spirit back into the piece of iron.  In fact, these objects are often associated with magic and considered by some to be living beings.  This is why I assume that the shape also has some ritualistic significance as I do also with the water spirit rings that are sometimes called "Kru Money" and are still found buried near Liberian villages.

ARE THEY STILL USED TODAY?

According to Dr. Van Der Kraaij the use of this currency in Liberia began to quickly fade in the 1960's and so in that sense they are no longer used.  (As a side note, Liberia would therefore be the last region to hold out on using this form of currency which is what gives it such a strong attachment to Liberia.) Besides bartering, the Liberian people today use the US dollar and the Liberian dollar as their main forms of currency in trade.  However, the Kissi Penny is still used to this day, but not as currency.  Today it is mostly used in ritualism and tourism.  They are sold to interested tourists like the one that was bought and then given to me in the pictures above and they are also made and used in mostly secret society ceremonies: burials, divination, graduations, sacrifices and the like.  

We may see a vast gulf between the way Liberians view their "money with a soul" and the way we view our money backed by psycho-sociological agreements but I'm not sure the difference is all that great.  In the end, we either use money or it uses us and to the extent money uses us it very much behaves as if it were a being with a soul.  

Kissi Penny next to US Quarter for reference

When Life Gives You Bullets What Do You Make?

I was just recently given a shell casing that was found in the home village of my Liberian friend Eric Wowoh.  Eric was kidnapped by soldiers near his village at age 12 while trying to return home with some fish he had gotten to feed his family.  I could go on about how he was tortured, escaped, managed refugee camp life, etc.  He has amazing stories to tell, as do many Liberians, but what I want to focus on here is that these Liberian stories all address the question, "What do you do when life gives you bullets?  When all you have ever known is war or running from war in refugee camps or occupation by UN troops?"  

bullet casing from the Liberian Civil War(s) - found by Sam Wrisley in 2012 in Lofa County near Eric Wowoh's home village

Liberians have answered this question in many different ways.  Some have resorted to crime, to prostitution, to ritualistic murder, to milking NGO's for financial gain, basically resorting to the same sort of survival techniques used by many during the war years.  In essence some have answered, "When life gives you bullets you hide, you survive, you put up with it, or you stock up and wait for your turn to fire back."  However, some have answered this question much differently.

Bullets Into Crosses

Liberian "Bullet Cross" inside of a "Mortar Shell Cross"

In the artistic and craft communities of Liberia the answer has been a powerful symbolism:  "Bullets Into Crosses".  The millions of shell casings that have littered the streets and jungles of Liberia have been collected by some and transformed into crosses.  The symbolism is obvious for the Republic of Liberia, which has a large percentage of Christians:  When life gives you bullets, you point to the cross.  A place where God Himself is said to have faced death and where death and destruction did not have the final say.  There is a hope expressed here for a transformed, new, resurrected Liberia and it is well captured by the Liberian artist.

Of course now it has become commercialized like all good ideas.  Liberian bullet jewelry, fair trade bullet crosses, "charlies" selling the transformed shell casing turned out by who knows who in who knows what sort of conditions.  But the symbolism is still powerful.

Rifles Into Lamps

Recently a group met with the Vice President of Liberia about the idea of starting a University in the Robertsport area.  In support of this initiative the VP gave the organization a lamp made out of AK-47's.  It is now a fitting symbol of their organization and although I couldn't find it yet online, I am told this lamp is central in the new University Seal.  From war to peace.  From darkness to light.  Another great picture of transformation.  However...

The Jaded Humanitarian

I'm not sure we Americans can learn from the Liberian here, partly because we think they are supposed to be learning from us and partly because the lesson we need to learn has to do with our own struggles with materialism.  For my part I would be hesitant to even buy one of these works for fear that some "boss" is forcing kids to hunt for shell casings in the jungle and making children work in some sort of sweat shop turning out crosses because the white man likes to buy them.  I don't like that all we tend to see is a pretty commodity with a good story to buy and sell.  I don't like that people will abuse people to make sure we consumers can get what we want.  All I desire we see is what the symbol represents:  taking something terrible and making something new and even better out of it.  Turning ugly into something of beauty.  I want to share with you what Liberians can teach us.

Bullets And Lemons

While we Americans deal with what to do when life gives us lemons, I strongly believe we can learn something from the African spirit that answers what to do when life gives you bullets.  Perhaps all we can see when we see these transformed bullets is a commodity; something to sell and trade and own and place on a shelf.  We would do well to see beyond the prospect of setting up a new fair trade craft web site for Liberian bullet crosses, and simply just learn from our Liberian brothers.  They are teaching us something here.  There is more to dealing with life's problems than just setting up a new lemonade stand (or NGO for that matter).

What I am learning from my Liberian brothers and sisters is that while this life takes us through the valley of the shadow of death there is beauty to be shared with each other.  Relationships matter!  Singing together.  Dancing together.  Sharing symbols.  Sharing food.  Sharing life.  Sharing ourselves in community.  For this guy coming from a culture consumed with stuff and getting stuff and valuing people based on how much stuff they have the clear teaching of the Rabbi rings true:  "Life does not consist of the abundance of one's possessions"  True riches are found in relationships: relationship to self, to others, to your Creator, to your world, even to the bullet.  

So when all the raging is over, the violence done, and the dust has settled in your life you will find that you can turn to your Liberian brother and learn from him.  He has something to teach you.  He has been down this road before.  Listen as he says, "On this road you will see the spent shell casings that took from you everything that you held dear and loved, and yet you will also see that in that bullet is the very material that makes a cross; and a path to new life."  

Recommended Reading - Chasing The Devil

Here I am imaging a Guinea worm inside my body.

There are a lot of great books out there on Liberia.  Each has its own strengths and/or weaknesses.  I would recommend a few of them based on their scholarship on various Liberian topics or their outstanding visual documentation.  However, far beyond any other book on Liberia that I might recommend to you is Tim Butcher's "Chasing the Devil." This is the ONE book I would recommend across the board to any newbie interested in Liberia.  I think it is the perfect pre-trip read for those interested in traveling to Liberia as it introduces so much of the culture and history in a very accessible, down-to-earth style.  Perhaps you have heard about Tim Butcher and his harrowing journey in Blood River.  If so you might imagine him to be some sort of crazy adrenaline junkie or thrill seeker who goes over the top with stories about crossing rivers full of crocodiles.   Instead you will find here an author as vulnerable and frail as the rest of humanity struggling to come to terms with Liberia.  He does actually get scared.  He does get tired and blistered.  He does actually chafe!  In the process of reading you will find Mr. Butcher to be easy to relate to and a very competent and personable guide into what can sometimes feel like entering the very Heart of Darkness itself.

Wondering exactly what a Bull-Roarer might sound like,
then kind of freaking out a bit

If you have read Graham Greene's "Journey Without Maps" then this book is not a recommendation for you, rather it is a must.  In fact, you have not yet truly read Greene's book until you have read this book by Tim Butcher.  He lets us in on so much back story to Greene's journey to Liberia that no one will ever read "Journey Without Maps" the same way again.

Epiphany!  Graham Greene's bow tie
was really a camera!

Why would this be?  The subtitle to this marvelous book gives the answer: "A Journey Through Sub-Saharan Africa in the  Footsteps of Graham Greene."  For those unfamiliar with Graham Greene's 'footsteps' it was a 1935 trip starting in Freetown, Sierra Leone that ended in Monrovia, Liberia by a rather circuitous route (through the so-called Liberian "hinterland").  As Butcher points out, Greene's trip was partly sponsored by powers within the UK government to see if the claims were true that Liberian natives were being enslaved by Americo-Liberians.  (Later, it appears that Greene actually worked as a spy for the British Government in West Africa).  If a discovery of modern day slavery had been made by Greene it would have given Liberia's neighboring colonial powers (stationed in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast & Guinea) reason to deny the Republic of Liberia's international standing.  This could have even possibly led to interested superpowers (read France and England) taking over Liberia's lands in a maneuver to help 'protect' Liberians.  The Fernando Po incident of that era helped add fuel to this strategy, but that is all for another story.

Dreaming of rat infested huts and secret Poro waterfalls
after a hard day of reading

Back to the book.  Time and time again I found Mr. Butcher able to clearly relate the most important insights and facts that would benefit any Westerner visiting Liberia.  Every major topic or point or event that I have brought up to those interested in traveling to Liberia was brought up in this book and it was done so in a very easy to read and entertaining manner.  By entertaining, I don't mean warm fuzzy feelings of happiness like when a child takes her first steps, but rather entertaining in the cathartic sense; in like you just survived a white water rapids ride over a waterfall and are happy to still be alive!  The stories are often gory (but not gratuitous) and deal with such topics as murder, witchcraft, disease, child soldiers and rape, but alas! ...Can there be an accurate telling of Liberia's story without these topics being included?  I'm afraid not.

Learning that I called my 'machete' a 'cutlass' 
as a small boy because Liberian English was 
influenced by "Pirate"  --- arrrgh, Matey!

I could go on and on but I'm sure you would best be served by reading it for yourself.  I will make three observations though before we end.  First, I was grateful for Mr. Butcher's treatment of the Bassa people.  Mr. Greene had no kind words to say for what he considered a lazy 'Basa' race.  He considered them corrupted by civilization and that by having learned the white man's ways they were unworthy of trust and were basically unreliable.  ~ (I suppose by that he meant unreliable for carrying his luggage) ~ While I will not vouch for the entire Bassa tribe (nor the entire white man population!) I have not found most Bassa to be lazy nor unreliable and I appreciate Mr Butcher sharing the moment when he nears Buchanan (my hometown!) and a woman stops and prays for him in Bassa.  That is the sort of generous and spiritually attuned Bassa person I knew growing up and while Mr. Butcher may have only been reporting it to round out his tale I'm glad he decided to include this story in the book.  ~Peace to my Bassa people reading!~

Looking at pictures of Tim Butcher
with his feet in buckets full of water

Secondly, I wanted to comment on the missionary David Waines that he meets in this book.  I've been intrigued by him over the past couple of years and was fascinated to learn that Mr. Butcher actually meets him in this journey.  He seems to like Mr. Waines also as the title of the book is based on his words, and here I quote, "...we are going to chase the devil back to hell through prayer."  Here Mr. Waines is referring to the Poro devil, and specifically the ritualistic murders done in the name of Poro.  It is hard to communicate with someone who has never lived there, but Poro is an unbelievably difficult thing to stand against while trying to live in that part of the world, but this is the sort of guy you will meet in this book.  He appears here as a very interesting chap, a Club Beer drinking Canadian missionary that stayed in Liberia DURING the Civil War!  That's right, during the Liberian Civil War he went back into Liberia!  Wow.  This guy has got to have to some tales to tell.  In fact, here is one...



He supposedly even confronted Charles Taylor, which you can watch in another video at the above site < == I wonder to myself, is that story for true?  It is almost too much, but if so... Wow!  btw- You will find several other hair raising tales by Waines in Mr. Butcher's book as well.  

The first time I heard of Waines was after watching Anthony Bourdain's trip to Liberia on the Travel channel (in which Mr. Butcher also makes an appearance).  I had gotten online and was looking for more information about Bourdain's trip and came across the following interview that had been edited from the airing program (Tony "s-word" alert kiddos)...




Perhaps Tony should have let David talk a bit more here at the end as I'm sure David had more interesting things to say, but hey it is Tony's show.  Whatever the case I became interested in this fellow at that time and began reading a bit about him.  I had lost track of him until I read this book just recently and then there he was again!  I began to have a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Butcher might have been one of the main consultants for Bourdain's trip to Liberia.  If you watched that episode after reading this book you'd see why I say that.  I wish Netflix would bring back Season 6 of "No Reservations" so I could direct you there and also so I could watch that whole thing again myself, but it is no longer there.   The Liberia episode is covered in episode 16 if you do get the chance to view it or buy it.  All that being said, Bourdain himself offers the following glowing recommendation of "Chasing the Devil" when he states on the dust jacket:  

Concurring with the Archbishop's 
recommendation:
- "Africa has a worthy chronicler."

"Amazing. As history, as anthropology, as a ripping yarn.  Both exploration of an epic journey - and a hard yet sympathetic look at a Utopia-gone wrong."  Yep.  I agree, and by the way, Archbishop Desmond Tutu also recommends this book on the dust jacket!

Taking a break from reading in order to 
hold one of Louisiana's many fine 
contributions to society

Lastly, having lived in Louisiana I 'chafed' when Mr. Butcher mentioned Boudreaux's Butt Paste because (in my opinion) the context made it look like it came from Canada.   Now perhaps that particular tube was brought from there, but everyone who has lived in St. Tammany Parish knows that Boudreaux's Butt Paste is Louisiana home grown!  (Just don't ask how its grown --- jj).  Now they make it in Indiana but I just felt like I had to represent all my crazy Who Dats and their Butt Paste otherwise I'd have no place to stay when I come to down to catch cabbages from tractor pulled floats on parade.  So for now I will just heartily agree with Butcher's assessment that this stuff is amazing and it should be included in the Liberian traveler's knapsack.  (My wife says it smells good too!)  This is just one of the many helpful bits of information about Liberia that you will glean from reading this book --- there is much, much more here, but enough already, just read it!

Liberia reading bliss!

Old Tubman Farm in Totota

Pygmy Hippo at Tubman Farm Zoo

When Tubman was President of Liberia he had a really cool zoo near his house in Totota.  It was known as the Tubman Farm and was my first recollection of a live elephant.  I remember being fascinated by the baby elephant's wiggling ears.  The zoo no longer houses any animals at the moment, but these pictures are here to remind past visitors and introduce those who have never visited this fascinating place.

Elephant skull near a sign of the Zones of Tubman Farm Zoo in Totota, Liberia

The Author fascinated by the wiggling ears of a baby elephant - awwww!

Pygmy hippos eating at Tubman Farm Zoo

I also want to say a few things about the Pygmy Hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis or Hexaprotodon liberiensis).  You'll notice by the Latin liberiensis that this is an animal that is somehow connected to Liberia.  The reason is that, except for a few sightings in neighboring countries, the Pygmy Hippo is only found in Liberia and is very rare outside of captivity (<3,000 specimens in the wild).  It is known as a 'Water Cow' by Liberians and wasn't even thought to exist by Westerners until late in the 1800's.  

Huge Turtles at Tubman Farm Zoo

Author and bro chill-axing at the Tubman Farm Zoo

Elephant Man of Tubman Farm Zoo - yikes!

Pygmy Hippos swimming at Tubman Farm Zoo

If a Pygmy Hippo is ever seen it is almost always seen in captivity.  There are several in US zoos today.  One of the first Pygmy Hippos in the US was brought by Harvey Firestone (of Firestone tire fame) and given to president Calvin Coolidge as a pet.  He was known as William Johnson Hippopotamus or Billy for short.  President Coolidge later donated him to the National Zoo in Washington, DC.  Most Pygmy Hippos in the US are suspected to be descended from this hippo.  I found an interested article about the the National Zoo which had some years later ran into a predicament in that they only had two females left and needed a bull.  A male Pygmy was then gifted by Tubman from this zoo during the Eisenhower's years.   The name of this hippo?  --- Totota!

Ostrich at Tubman Farm Zoo - These things scared me! But in my defense I was only 4.

Cool looking monkey at Tubman Farm Zoo in Totota, Liberia
- if you know what kind of monkey it is please comment!

Today pygmy hippos are found in many zoos, but unfortunately their natural habitat in Liberia continues to be endangered.  I've included a video link below to a baby pygmy hippo born in captivity in Australia and also one of the extremely rare hippos in the wild in the Sapo region of Liberia.  These pygmies are nocturnal so it is a night time picture of a hippo trotting through the Liberian bush.  Hopefully these rare and beautiful animals will once again thrive in Liberia.

Pygmy Hippopotamus at the Tubman Farm Zoo in Totota, Liberia c. 1977