Liberian Literary Magazine
Promoting Liberian literature, Arts and Culture
unpatriotism, greed and systemic corruption.
The scars of this baggage are irreversibly
piercing the aspiration and destiny of millions
across Liberia.
On this Unification Day (May 14), there is no
sign of impetus from citizens to observe this
national holiday in grand style. The hustle for
bread has intensified. The struggle for rice
matters, especially to slum-dwellers. In a
country of equal citizenship, vast majority of
Liberian citizens are economically powerless,
choiceless and defenseless. As a result of this,
rights have been swept under the carpet. Equal
opportunities for all citizens are entirely
imaginary and nonexistent as the ‘Spoils
System’ prevails.
As I walk on the principal streets of Monrovia
every day, I see absolutely no hope in the faces
of street children and coldwater sellers. I see a
group of young Liberian youth in huge quantity
gambling and experimenting with drugs. I see a
growing population of car loaders, push-push
riders and motorcyclists. The newest profession
of our young brothers graduating from high
school these days is motorbike riding. Our young
sisters have to trade their self-worth and pride
just to survive. Their dream to become potential
leaders of our society is decaying day after day.
Our streets are becoming jam-packed with
hopeless and helpless citizens as a result of the
depressing economic realities prevailing across
Liberia. Children, youth as well as adults have
become very vulnerable to all forms of
exploitation and abuse ranging from trafficking
to rape. Some of our young sisters have become
prostitutes overnight just to survive. Life in
Liberia is no longer about human dignity or selfesteem. Some of our people have been wholly
disrobed of their dignity. Liberia has become a
nation with a miserable and frustrated population.
It is an open secret that Liberians are really
desperate for economic change. There is no doubt
that they are catching hard time. In 2014, a
Liberian said to me “I would prefer living in a US
prison for two to five years and later be given a
valid status in America than to live in Liberia.”
Another citizen applying for diversity visa in 2015
had this to say, “I can parade in Monrovia naked if
the US embassy can guarantee to offer me a visa.”
This is the extent at which our people are vulnerable
and hopeless. What a sad story to narrate!
Hopelessness vs. Joblessness: The
Dilemma of Unification Day in Liberia
By Martin K. N. Kollie
Youth Activist, [email protected]
Since this year began, I have made it my
business to conduct a practical assessment of the
livelihood and wellbeing of our people in
various communities across Liberia, especially
Montserrado County. I have gone to slum
communities like West Point, Clara Town,
Soniwen, Chicken Soup Factory, Logan Town,
Doe Community, Red Light, Plumcor, Neezoe,
New Kru Town, Bassa Town and many other
shantytowns. I have seen for myself the
horrifying living condition of our people.
The reality from these petrifying scenes is that
our people no longer live like normal human
beings in a country of their birth. Some of them
are mere squatters and informal inhabitants. Life
has become hopeless and unbearable due to
extreme poverty and hardship. Survival of the
fittest has become a normal phenomenon,
especially in slum and rural neighborhoods.
Every time I reflect on what our people are going
through in a nation endowed with diversity of
natural resources, sorrow pricks my heart with
tears springing forth from my eyes.
It is not an easy thing to narrate the story of
our people, because they have an appalling and
a gloomy story. Their story is a story of neglect
and self-pity. Their story is a story of misery and
non-achievement. Their story is a story of
hopelessness and joblessness. Their story is a
story of hard labor and destitution. Their story is
a story of abuse and exploitation. Their story is
a story of hunger and humiliation. Their story is
a story of marginalization and subjugation. Their
story is a story of illiteracy, ignorance and
disease. As I sit this morning in my lonely room,
I am finding it very difficult to pen down the true
story of our people.
However, this is not a new or strange story.
For more than 168 years, these are realities our
people have been confronted with. They have
been trekking with this baggage of misery for
almost two (2) centuries now. The impact or
weight of this bundle is too heavy to bear, but
they have no choice or option now, but to endure
this tough journey as a result of bad governance,
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