Liberia is a small country on the West African coast. It’s most notable feature is its distinction of being the point closest to the New World, the Americas. From that promontory point some 500 years ago, Spanish slave ships first departed with their human cargo. Slaves toiled till death in the gold and silver mines and the sugar cane plantations of South and Latin America. Later slave labor worked the cotton and tobacco plantations of the United States.
Forty years before the American Civil War, freed slaves returned to Africa to start a new life. Liberia or the land of freedom was born.
The first settlers arrived back on that very promontory point from which their ancestors departed. They died by the droves from tropical diseases like Malaria. Undaunted, more settlers arrived and took the place of the fallen. They created a permanent settlement that became known as Monrovia, after James Monroe, the American President.
Arriving ships brought American customs, dress, holidays, the English language, and most of all Christianity. Settlers from America dreamed that Liberia would be instrumental in reaching the entire African continent with the Gospel.
By local standards the returning freed slaves and their descendents were rich. The new arrivals soon became the ruling elite over the indigenous tribes. Inequality from America was transported to Liberia. The rich immigrants took advantage of the poor locals. Armed clashes and battles ensued but the Americo-Liberians prevailed and created a democratic government and founded the country of Liberia in 1847.
For almost 140 years the Americo-Liberians maintained power over the indigenous tribes. Then a coup in 1980 brought Samuel Doe to power. He was the first Liberian President to come from an indigenous tribe. But he turned out to be a despot and dictator, and used his power to persecute other tribes.
On December 24th, 1989, Charles Taylor, an Americo-Liberian, launched his civil war. The stage was set for a bloodbath.
Table of Contents
Prologue: Divine Appointments
Foreward
Introduction
- #72 Soldiers’ Barrack
- Bessie’s Escape
- Torture
- Wako Village
- Questions of Faith
- Christmas Eve
- After Christmas
- Descent into Chaos
- Death Squads
- The Final Investigation
- Post Mortem
- Witchcraft
- Chester
- Kakata
- Gloria
- Journey to the Border
- Journey’s End
- Danané
- A New Arrival
- Crawfish
- Black Stone
- Union Baptist Church
- Viola
- Attack on Danané
- Comfort
- The Dark Night
- Escape to Guinea
- The Ending
- Another Beginning Afterword
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