Liberia a small West African country

You can obtain the necessary visa for Liberia at the Honorary Consulate of Liberia in İstanbul. The cost of the visa is $70, though you'll pay $150 for a visa that allows multiple entries. Of course, actually reaching Liberia -- the land of diamonds, gold and petrol -- from Turkey is not all that easy or direct. The fastest way to do it is through Europe, but you could also fly through Ghana or Ivory Coast. While there are no direct flights from Turkey to Liberia, there are three each week from Belgium to Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. This is because Liberia has one of the biggest diamond markets in the world.

Liberia's name means “the country of the free.” In the year 1822, a large number of recently freed slaves from America returned to the African continent and settled in Liberia. And so, in 1847, Liberia was officially established as a nation. Interestingly, the capital's name, Monrovia, is a reference to US President James Monroe, who was in office at the time that the freed slaves first came to Liberia. Even the flag of Liberia bears a strong resemblance to the American flag. Liberia was the first African nation to declare itself an independent state. There are 20 different tribes that live here, and they all speak different languages, but the shared language is English, which is also the official language. A full 20 percent of Liberians are Muslim; the Mandingo tribe in particular is largely Muslim. Forty percent of Liberians identify as Christian, while another  40 percent predominantly practice local African religions.  

The streets of Monrovia

Over the years, civil wars and bad management have deeply scarred Liberia. Many business interests have fled the country. Some have returned following the cessation of war, but in general there is still a huge deficiency of trade. Eighty-five percent of Liberians are estimated to be currently unemployed, and most Liberians live below the poverty level.

Monrovia is the most crowded and most developed city in the country. Roughly 500,000 people live here, but it is quite difficult to find a building that is not damaged from all the years of fighting during the civil war. The city feels a bit like an abandoned city: There are many abandoned, empty buildings here.

Thus perhaps it is not surprising that rents are high in buildings which are actually inhabitable here, especially if you are a foreigner: A stable but simple apartment can cost between $1,500 and $2,000 a month. Keep in mind that even a simple apartment will often have a generator to deal with the frequent electricity cuts, but if your apartment building has an independent water tank, it is considered a higher-quality building. Also remember that the water that flows out of taps here is not potable, and that no place in the city has always-reliable electricity or water.

The Turkish high school in Monrovia

It is obvious from the streets of the city that there is no regular infrastructure. There are long stretches of cables running between buildings here because neighbors borrow electricity from one another, with those unable to afford generators hooking up cables to those who can. Of course, those who do this must pay for it. Part of Liberia's electricity problem stems from the extensive damage sustained by its dams during the civil war. These dams used to generate hydroelectric power, but now they don't, or at least not in a way most people can benefit from. The scant electricity generated is sent to hospitals, schools or houses of worship. The rest of the city is shrouded in darkness. Of course, when you consider that that is the situation in the nation's capital, it's not difficult to guess how it is in other cities. The civil wars that have plagued Liberia have wrought untold damage on the country. And there were no winning sides in these wars. The only “winners” have been foreign powers, who have used the chaos to benefit from the diamond trade and natural resources in Liberia.

The intensity of the Liberian civil war spared nothing. There is almost nowhere left untouched by the metal shards of bullets. The civil war went on for 16 years and came to an end only in 2003 with the intervention of the United Nations. In November of 2005, Liberia held elections, during which Africa's first female head of state was elected.  

A motorcycle taxi

With the lack of electricity almost anywhere you look in Liberia, there are some interesting sights that pop up as you walk the streets. You can often see an enormous generator sitting in the middle of the street, in front of the business for which it is generating electricity.

Another huge problem in Liberia is charging cell phones, those instruments that are such a huge part of our lives these days. In fact, some Liberians have gone so far as to make a business out of phone charging, opening up special cell phone charge centers. People who own generators of their own open up small charge shops, where you can bring your phone. You hand over your phone, the shop owner affixes a number to it, gives you a ticket with the same number and sticks your phone onto a charge machine.

When your charge time is completed, you hand in your ticket and get your cell phone back. The cost for charging one phone is 20 Liberian dollars. This is equal to around 40 US cents.

The Liberian state is not able to fix the dams that were badly damaged by the war. Yes, Allah has given them rivers, but the water now is breaking down the dams. Instead of using the dams built in previous years, they are working to obtain electricity from Chinese-made generators there. This, of course, is a great situation for people who produce generators. When you don't have electricity, it means of course that none of your “white goods” at home -- from refrigerators to washing machines -- work. Also, there are no home phones in Liberia these days because there is absolutely no telecommunications infrastructure in place here. All phone calls are done via cell phone.

A mosque in Monrovia

Looking out over Monrovia from on high gives you the best idea of the poverty here. There are thousand of buildings with roofs covered in tin, next to concrete buildings that are often in rubble.

Of course, all these homes, whether covered in tarp and tin or not, don't tell the story of the many people who have simply never returned to Liberia in the wake of the cessation of war. Monrovia is filled with abandoned homes. There are no municipal services offered in the capital. The trash is piled up everywhere you look. And of course, the asphalt, even on the central roads, is a disaster. It gets slowly and progressively flattened as traffic travels over it.

Another interesting aspect of having no electricity here is that the gas stations have hand-turned pumps.

Despite all this though, Liberia has a fast-increasing population, with the size growing 5 percent each year. But of course, infant mortality is high, too. Of every 1,000 children born, around 150 die before reaching the age of 5.

Unemployment is sky-high, and those who do have work here are not in a good situation. For example, policemen make around $90 a month. A teacher makes around $55 to $60 a month. There are laborers who work for just a dollar a day here. A security guard may net around $30 a month for his work. The per capita income is estimated to be around $130 for Liberians.

A bird’s-eye view of Monrovia

One thing that is very difficult to understand is the depth of the poverty in Liberia despite the wealth of natural resources here. And in fact, it would appear that it is largely foreigners who benefit from all this natural wealth.

One particularly unpleasant result of the rampant unemployment in Liberia is the almost uncontrollable level of theft in the city. Apartments are surrounded by walls and fences and wires, but the stealing never seems to stop.

Disease is also a giant problem: There are an estimated 100,000 people with AIDS in Liberia. Considering that Liberia has only 3 million people, this is a very high proportion. While the state is fighting the spread of AIDS, there appears to have been little success in the fight. Signs and posters along the roads warn people of AIDS. But with AIDS so rampant, rape rates are also high. There are many billboards and signs in the capital warning “Rape is a crime.” You can even seen signs telling rape victims about free therapy and treatment options, signaling that the state feels so helpless it has focused on reactive, rather than proactive measures to address the problem.

Officials from the United Nations have worked to gather the many weapons floating around the country following the civil war. There are currently around 18,000 UN forces in Liberia today. You can see UN vehicles everywhere you go.

There are open-air markets in Monrovia where you can find people selling anything that comes to mind. Don't look for firm prices on any of the items sold here -- everything is marketed according to the eye of the beholder. The market is a great place to get a feel for the beat of life that pulses on despite all the poverty and difficulties. You get a feel for this looking at some of the children hanging around, inevitably dressed in castoff Western clothing, but holding on tight to the life around them, no matter what barriers it may present.

[QUICK FACTS]

Capital: Monrovia

Major languages: English (official) and 30 native languages, including Bassa and Kpelle

Government: Republic

President: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Area: 111,370 square kilometers

Population: 3,441,790*

GDP (per capita): $500**

Main religions: Christian (40 percent), Muslim (20 percent), indigenous beliefs (40 percent)

*July 2009 estimate **2008 estimate