Sand, trees, rock & sky at Furtermark Beach, Grand Bassa County, Liberia
If you make it to Buchanan while in Liberia you should checkout Furtermark Beach. I think this used to be an old LAMCO beach as I believe there was someone with the last name of Furtermark that worked at LAMCO at one point. I assume it is named after him for some reason. LAMCO (the Liberian-American-Swedish Minerals Company) has a fascinating history in and of itself and I have fond memories of visiting the old compound near Buchanan and the one up in Yekepa when I was younger. I'll have to see if I have some old pics of those places somewhere and do a post about all that, but for now I'd just like to share some images of one of the many beautiful beaches that are in Liberia: Furtermark Beach. To get there I would "charter" a taxi in Buchanan and ask them to take you to Furtermark. (To charter a taxi means that you'll pay more but you'll have it for the whole day (or half day) and you won't have to find a taxi for the return trip) You'll go through the gates of the Arcelor Mittal property to get there. (Areclor Mittal bought up the old LAMCO properties in Liberia). The guards will ask why you're entering but an answer of "Furtermark Beach" was sufficient to let us through.
Coconuts covered the ground below the coconuts trees all along the beach
The restaurant/bar on the beach site is frequented by dock workers after working hours and things can get rowdy there in the evening from what I hear, but it was practically desolate when we went to visit in the late morning. Like many beaches in Liberia you also need to be careful of the strong rip tides, walking alone in desolate areas & standing out on the rocks that jut out into the waves (we almost lost a couple of people who went out to get a closer look at the crashing waves!).
Walking the beach heading back to the Palavar Huts at Furtermark Beach proper
As far as I can climb a coconut tree!
I have yet to get the courage to go surfing (or sliding as they call it in Liberia) and am not really able to read waves at this or any beach for surfing purposes. However I will say that they seem a little rough and choppy to me and you actually get waves going back out towards the sea in a few places. The waves I saw at several Robertsport beaches (which surfers say are great) seemed much more uniform and lasted much longer. I got in the water at Furtermark Beach for a bit and the rip current was too strong for an enjoyable swim but was fine for just playing in the surf. This beach is perfect for walking, photography, sand sports, sitting, eating and plain old relaxing Liberian-style.
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!
Inside a Fanti Boat in Fanti Town, Buchanan, Liberia - note the Ghanian influences
Fanti (or Fante) towns have established themselves all along the shores of the Liberian coast and they do business with the Liberian people mostly through their fishing enterprises. There is nothing like walking along the beach and gathering around a Fanti boat full of fresh creatures from the sea and placing your bid on some fish. You never know what you might get: I remember eating hammerhead shark, barracuda, grouper, snapper, & sea turtle to name a few. If it is in the ocean the Fanti have probably brought it up.
The "Ebenezer" - a Fanti boat in Fanti Town, Buchanan, Liberia
Dugout Canoes are often used for both fishing and
for selling fresh fish right on the beach
While not originally from Liberia, in 1974 the Fanti were so numerous in Liberia that they were included on the Liberian census as a Liberian ethnic group. The Fanti are originally from Ghana and still keep ties there. They are from the Akan group (the same group as the Ashanti). One of their most famous sons is Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the UN. They have long done business in fishing and historically provided a middleman function between trading Europeans on the coast and the interior tribes of Ghana. They are recorded as doing business with the Portuguese as far back as the 1400's and they also traded with the Dutch and the English who ultimately destroyed the Fanti Confederation in the late 1800's. I assume that this event helped to scatter the Fanti people all along the coast of West Africa and today they are mostly found in Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia.
Fanti Boats in Fanti Town, Buchanan, Liberia
I have always found their communities intriguing and their customs very similar yet slightly different than Liberians. They have usually been very friendly and I remember riding my bike through the middle of Fanti Town in Buchanan as a small boy and receiving nothing but broad smiles. What really sticks out in my mind though are their beautifully decorated boats. If you're into photography a Liberian Fanti Town would yield a treasure trove of beautiful images. You can find these towns on the beach in most of the larger coastal communities of Liberia like Monrovia and Buchanan. Enjoy the pics and the following video of a Fanti boat that I was invited to enter and photograph by a friendly Fanti man.
This Bike came from Ganta to Conference in Monrovia where we taught.
One thing that has definitely changed since I used to live here were the Pen-Pens (motorcycles) that now swarm the streets of Liberia. There are still taxis and buses and bicycles but there are Pen-Pens everywhere swerving in and out of traffic making their namesake sound with their horn: "Peen Peen!".
We mostly took automobile taxis as they seem to be more safe, but I took a moto-bike taxi several times and it was quite an adventure! No one wears helmets. No one obeys traffic laws. No one stops for pedestrians. In fact, some Pen-Pen drivers seemed to get a chuckle out of laying on their horn and startling the unsuspecting as they drive by. There are some of those types in every society.
PROS: You get there faster. Can handle bad road conditions better than autos and buses. Fresh air and "cycle therapy" with the wind in your hair and all that jazz.
CONS: You may not get there! Exposed to elements/opportune thieves. Not always seen by larger vehicles.
My big Kpelle brother, Daniel K. Biah, who took me on several Pen-Pen rides through Buchanan
As with any taxi ride, you put your life in the hands of the driver. Don't hesitate to say, "Slow down!" Here is a brief part of one of my Pen-Pen trips through Buchanan in Grand Bassa County, Liberia.
One day Mary Beh was cutting greens from her garden when she
noticed a small boy watching her. “What you doing Ma?” He asked. “Cutting
collards.” “Those look good to eat.” The boy replied. Mary did what any mother would do for an
obviously hungry child. “Here I will
give you small.” The boy returned the
next evening and repeated the routine.
Then he showed up the next.
Finally, she asked him to stay and that was how it came about that
the Beh's would spend their 60’s and 70’s taking care of orphaned children.
Over the course of time MODUC has lost 7 children to the busy Tubman Street due to the simple lack of a secure enclosure. Recent funds helped finish this wall.
Thousands of children were orphaned by the brutal 14 year
Civil War that devastated Liberia. Tom
and Mary take care of 42 of them on their small property off Tubman Street
in Buchanan.They feed them, cloth them,
and teach them up until High School.Mary Beh used to be the principal at Liberia Christian High in Buchanan
before the war and she professionally runs this house with loving order and structure.
Author with one of my Liberian Heroes: Mary Beh
Over the years they have struggled to provide for such a
large family and at one point they incorporated into an NGO that they call
MODUC (Mission for Orphaned, Disabled, and Unaccompanied Children). I’m sure there are more pleasurable ways to
retire in Liberia, but I can think of none more honorable. However, the inevitable transitions will one
day take place and as they reach a point of physically being unable to care for
these children they ask your prayers for another generation of caregivers to
step up and care for these otherwise helpless children.
I'll end the post with this song that the children sang for us during our visit...
Coloring with crayons and pictures our team brought over
If you make it to Buchanan while in Liberia you should checkout Furtermark Beach. I think this used to be an old LAMCO beach as I believe there was someone with the last name of Furtermark that worked at LAMCO at one point. I assume it is named after him for some reason. LAMCO (the Liberian-American-Swedish Minerals Company) has a fascinating history in and of itself and I have fond memories of visiting the old compound near Buchanan and the one up in Yekepa when I was younger. I'll have to see if I have some old pics of those places somewhere and do a post about all that, but for now I'd just like to share some images of one of the many beautiful beaches that are in Liberia: Furtermark Beach.
