After years of bad news from home, local Liberians have reason for optimism as they watch the performance of Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. A Harvard-educated economist, she served as Liberian finance minister in the early 1970s, and has worked for the UN as well as international banks. Johnson-Sirleaf assumed office in January, becoming the first elected female African head of state. Considering how Rhode Island is home to an estimated 15,000 Liberians, her efforts hold considerable local interest.
Johnson-Sirleaf, 67, is attempting to restore normalcy to a country wracked by more than 15 years of violence and civil war. After being greeted by thousands when she spoke from the steps of Providence City Hall on a frigid day in March, she faces a Herculean task in leading the rebuilding of Liberia, a Virginia-sized country on the west coast of Africa. National priorities include restoring power and water to the capital Monrovia, and making a dent in the 85 percent unemployment rate.
Mator Kpangbai, president of the Liberian Community Association of Rhode Island (LCARI), is encouraged by recent events in Liberia. “Things have been improving. It takes time,” he says, “but the policies and actions of the government are very promising.” Kpangbai says it’s important for everyone to keep “the needs of the country” in mind, and to provide “the support the government requires to make good on its promises.”
Liberians are also paying close attention to the upcoming war-crimes trial of Charles Taylor before a UN-backed court at The Hague. Taylor, the Liberian warlord who played a key role in deadly conflicts in Liberia and Sierra Leone, was brought to the Netherlands after being apprehended in March from his exile in Nigeria and then held in Sierra Leone.
The Liberian civil war forced tens of thousands of Liberians into refugee camps; many have yet to return home or to resettle elsewhere. Kpangbai expresses hope that the US-educated Taylor, who returned to Africa after escaping from a Massachusetts jail in the mid-’80s, will be held accountable for what he did.
Locally, events are much more upbeat. On July 15-16, LCARI (www.lcari.org)is sponsoring Friends and Family Days, a two-day celebration of the 159th anniversary of Liberia’s independence, to be held at the sports complex at Central High School. The event, which is open to all, will include traditional African music and games, activities for children, food, arts and crafts, and a soccer tournament in which teams representing Liberia’s 15 counties will compete. The Friends and Family Days is one in a series of events LCARI is sponsoring over the next two weeks. Others include a July 22 dinner recognition ball, during which US Senator Lincoln Chafee will deliver the keynote speech, and a July 26 celebratory program at Providence City Hall.
Kpangbai is optimistic about the prospects for Liberians in Rhode Island, and he sees the community gaining in strength, numbers, and political muscle. “In the next 10 years,” he says, “Liberians will be a significant voting bloc in Rhode Island.”
