Liberia is fascinating. The country was founded by Americans and is the only American colonial nation where resettlement was involved – there was never an effort to encourage Americans to move to the Philippines or Puerto Rico. Liberia (literally, “Land of Freedom”) was founded in 1822 by American abolitionists who thought it would be great… [Read More]
Blog
Category: Africa
Sierra Leone: The Last Vet
Sierra Leone sits on Africa’s west coast. It was a major port for the slave trade, and is now home to 5.6 million people with a per-capita income of $1,400. The country’s economy is growing fast, though, as Sierre Leone recovers from a civil war that ended in 2002. Sierra Leone is rich in mineral… [Read More]
Guinea: Buried Secrets
Guinea, which is next to Guinea-Bissau (which itself has been known simply as Guinea at times, just to keep us all confused), is a former French colony with a population of 11 million people who have a per-capita GDP of $1100. Obviously, it’s a very poor country, but it sits on what may be phenomenal… [Read More]
Band-Aid, Ethiopia, famine, and other fun stuff
In 1984, singer Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats was so outraged by the news videos of Ethiopian famine that he organized a fundraising organization, Band Aid. He convinced a group of English and Irish musicians to record a song, the proceeds of which would be spent to bring food to Ethiopia. “Feed the World”… [Read More]
Guinea-Bissau: Warriors at Work
The Africa blogging project has been delayed by reading! I just finished another long book about a small country, Warriors at Work: How Guinea Was Really Set Free, by Mustafah Dhada. It’s the story of the country’s revolution against Portugal. Guinea, now known as Guinea-Bissau, attracted Portuguese slave traders in 1446. Portugal didn’t achieve control… [Read More]
