The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia
June 11, 2019

Around 2:00 pm on June 7, we pulled up to the Liberian embassy. There was a small crowd, of about 100 -150 people protesting, and awaiting the presence of the Ambassador George S.W. Patten. He had come out once before to address the protesters but was booed. “Shame on you.", the Diaspora protesters yelled from the sidewalks where they were kept.

As we walked up to the sidewalk, we were approached by a gentleman, assumingly, a neighbor of the community. He asked what was going on.

“There’s a protest. Liberians are unhappy with their President.” I said. He began to draw connections with his home country the former Yugoslavia. Their issues with corruption, the Turks and continuing violence. Their Diaspora encounters the same problems when they go home, “they take our money, but call us Americans...”

He added: “We humans still have this primitive thing in our brain that not even animals in the jungle have. Always killing each other over politics.”

By the time we arrived, the Washington Post, Voice of America, Al Jazeera and the BBC had already covered the protest in Liberia. They also reported that Facebook and Whatsapp had been shut down. After weeks of threats from government officials, a performance by the militia the day prior, they now also shut off the Internet. A last, and clearly unsuccessful attempt to circumvent the demonstration.

I’d been watching from Facebook, from about 9:00 am which is 4:00 pm in Liberia as I always do. I start each morning with updates from back home, streaming stress. I often feel like I never left Monrovia.

Amongst the live feed of thousands in streets, I could see that the capitol building was completely closed off. Men and women chanting, “Weah dah rouge!” The median age of the protestors was around 22. People still showed up.

If Weah did not believe he was in trouble before, he now does. Even if only 10,000 of the 100,000 that showed up were genuine, it was a significant number for our little country.

On the 6th, he cut the ribbon for the Duport Road Market. One of his many feats in his 18-month term, which included the road constructed in his town, Clara Town. This, the president boasted was his greatest feat since becoming president in a BBC interview last spring.

But Liberians aren’t convinced that’s the best he can do. Not my house help who sent me a note via Messenger asking if I was returning back to Liberia. She’s still babysitting children, but the side income she made cleaning houses is now a necessity. The rate is now 200LD to 1USD. When I left in August 2018, it was 140, and I remember that was tough. Not the market women who find it difficult to make ends meet. Not the teachers, police, nurses, etc. who have not taken pay for months.

Another friend, I called for an update on things on the ground. Gauging whether or not returning to Liberia once I finished my studies was feasible. “I wouldn’t recommend it, not right now.” His shop is doing better as if he just ran into some new seed money for his business. Money flows for some, not for others.

People are asking who are the sponsors for the protest. Calling it political effort. But everything is political and we know exactly who the sponsors are. If the opposition can keep the momentum, they can make a serious change in the country. But it will take a lot of endurance. I can’t imagine Liberians protesting in the streets every weekend for 9 months like the French across the ocean are doing. But then again, Liberia is a country of surprises.

---

About the Author:  Aisha Dukulé is a Liberian Writer & Journalist 

---