BootsnAll Travel Network



Liberia’s Independence day: Tragically Symbolic

August 1st, 2006

The following entry is my reflection on the fire that damaged the Executive Mansion in Monrovia this past week on Independence Day. For more information about the fire visit: http://allafrica.com/stories/200607260969.html

This past Wednesday, July 26, 2006 was Liberia’s 159th Independence Day Celebration. Due to the recent transition, the democratic election of President Sirleaf, and the lighting of street lights for the first time in 15 years, it was a day received with much anticipation and excitement. The presidents of Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone attended the official ceremonies and offered their words of congratulations, support, and admiration for Liberia’s progress. Those heads of state that did not attend sent their regards from Lebanon, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Guinea, Switzerland, and the list goes on. President Sirleaf spoke of the many accomplishments, and the many hurdles left to overcome. She recognized that the goals of the recovery may not be fully achieved for many years to come, but none the less the country would begin on the journey. “Let us start” she proclaimed.
After the closing ceremony, the dignitaries and guests made their way to the reception which was going to be held at the Executive Mansion. As I arrived at the mansion and walked through toward the garden where the reception was being held, I heard someone yell “Its burning!”. Confused , I looked up at the mansion to see smoke and flames coming from the fourth floor. I , along with everyone else there, stood in disbelief. I quickly called my colleague who was inside the building and told him to leave immediately. I then stood by my friend who I had sat next to at the preceding ceremony and she and I just shook our heads thinking of the words of optimism spoken just moments earlier.
The flames were growing and the only response available for the first few minutes were fire extinguishers which had no impact. When the fire service truck did arrive, there was no ladder available, so the water was not able to reach the fourth floor. After much confusion, the arrival of two UN water trucks, and the efforts of many frantic men – much to our surprise and relief the fire was put out. I have to admit that I had my doubts as to whether or not they would be able to successfully fight the fire, given the size of the flames and seeming inadequacy of the tools at hand. But as I watched what seemed to be ineffective chaos, progress was made.
For those of you who attended Wangari Mathaai’s speech at KSG earlier this year, you may recall the story she told of the hummingbird who started putting out a forest fire by dropping drops of water from its beak. As the other animals watched, they asked the hummingbird, “What are you doing? The fire is too big for you to stop.” The humming bird simply responded, “I am doing what I can”. I don’t know – as I remember my thoughts of pessimism as I watched the fire fighting, and I think back on my past frustrations and questions of how/if a difference is being made, I wonder to what extent my vision of progress and how progress is made has become too narrow . . . . is it possible that in the quest for efficiency we actually lose time? At what point do you put strategy aside for action? Maybe through all of the many agents doing what they can – no matter how chaotic – progress is made in the development process.
As I think on the fire, I can’t help but be amazed that the seemingly impossible was accomplished simply because people refused to focus on what they didn’t have, but simply move forward with what was at hand. So in spite of it all; poverty, lack of capacity, and poor infrastructure we are left with President Sirleaf’s words “Let us start”. It is simple, and with persistence, effective.

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Frustration/Skepticism

July 13th, 2006

July 11,

When you work in “development” you eventually reach a point when you become quite skeptical of the whole system. After three weeks – I have reached that wall of skepticism.

Imagine Monrovia, a city of a million people, dilapidated buildings, insufficient school systems, abject poverty, no sewage or water system, and no electricity. These challenges in the city are only dwarfed by the more depressed circumstances in rural areas. While the challenges seem endless – so do the available resources. As I move through the city I am amazed at the number of international agency SUVs that are on the road. There are hundreds. Then you enter “Mamba Point” the unofficially designated international agency neighborhood. There is every agency there from the ARC (American Refugee Committee) to UNICEF. Each agency has several departments, each department has a budget and a number of personnel assigned to that designated task. I can’t help but wonder how it is that with the amount of US dollars, and international expertise that has descended upon Liberia in this post-conflict period, how it is that things are not moving forward more efficiently.

Moving beyond the larger question of effective management and implementation of multi-faceted resources, is the less straightforward question: How can Liberians become fully integrated participants and managers of their own recovery? Granted, asking this question is not to say that Liberians are not at the helm – in fact they are, particularly in the public sector. But I wonder to what extent the international contributors are able to integrate Liberians as full participants, and to what extent the geo-political power-dynamic between Developed and Developing Nations plays out on the ground between imported expert practitioners and local workers. This is something that I hope to learn more about as the time moves on.

Recognizing myself as an imported practitioner, I am often not sure how to feel about the privilege I am lent simply because of my nationality and Harvard status. Because of my status, I have access to the international community and their lifestyle: After-work dinners at local restaurants; weekend beach trips; pool-side dinners/parties; air-conditioned cars, offices and bedrooms; running water; and enough disposable income to only drink bottled water. While I appreciate these comforts – they are a constant reminder of my privileged existence, something that I am not always comfortable with or quite sure how to handle well. Will my efforts from my air-conditioned bubble truly “trickle” out and change the lives of the young men with missing limbs who beg at my car window. Will my work with SMEs truly enable market women to become profitable businesswomen who can take care of themselves and employ others?

I have no misconceptions about what can be done in 2 months, and I am fully aware of the limitations of my work. I guess I wonder to what extent my limitations are systemic, meaning that the hundreds of other imported practitioners like me, who come for a time and spin their wheels, to what extent is our work limited. How do we effectively bridge the gap between the official meetings and typed reports and the reality of those who we work on behalf of? How do we get to a tipping point where Liberia moves forward aggressively, surpassing the imposed limitations of lists and lists of challenges? Am I simply suffering from impatience, or is it that in the world of development we have become complacent, accepting the lack of efficiency and celebrating marginal improvements as success when we know that much more is necessary and possible?

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Liberia’s Prospects for Development: Private Sector as an Engine for Opportunity

July 13th, 2006

June 22,

President Sirleaf has assigned me to work with the National Investment Commission (NIC). The commission was established in 1979 with the purpose of promoting and coordinating all investment activities in Liberia. During my time with the commission I will be a member of the team that is developing a new strategy for attracting foreign investment. In addition, the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Department of the NIC recently established an Enterprise Development Fund which aims to stimulate the growth of local businesses. I will be working with this department in order to develop a strategic plan for increasing the size of the fund and identifying how it can be best used to have the maximum impact on local business development.

As you can imagine, one of the consequences of the civil war has been severe economic degradation. Currently, more than 80% of the population is unemployed. Local business ventures are dominated by the elite (particularly non-Liberians), and foreign investment has been limited due to the disincentives of violence and poor infrastructure. For many Liberians daily survival is extremely difficult. While sources of income are scarce, the cost of living is high. Most goods, even staples such as rice, are imported. To give you an idea of the severity of the situation, the average government salary is about USD $30 a month (USD$1 per day). A bag of rice (which can last the average family about 2-3 weeks) on average costs USD $20. While formal employment provides security, even the majority of “employed” Liberians do not earn a living wage. Consequently most people depend on working several jobs in the informal market, and/or receiving monthly wire transfers from family living abroad.

Honestly, when I step away from my meetings here at the commission and I consider the daily reality of the average Liberian, the economic predicament of the nation seems completely overwhelming. That being said, the level of resources, expertise, and commitment that is dedicated to the recovery of this country leaves me with little doubt that appropriate and effective strategies will be taken. With the right strategy, entrepreneurs and investors will be able to grow successful businesses that provide employment at livable wages, allowing families to send their children to school, and providing the foundation for the generations to come to have the means to live productive and healthy lives. The simultaneous complexity and simplicity of the situation keeps me up at nights. It is exciting to imagine the possibilities.

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My First Day: A Snap Shot

July 12th, 2006

After a series of close calls – having my passport go MIA with the US postal service, getting stuck in dead-locked traffic on the drive to New York’s JFK, and almost missing my connection in Brussels, I landed in Monrovia today – June 20th – sometime around 6pm.

Upon landing, the UN helicopters and planes – big white aircrafts with the simple letters UN printed in black – stick out against a green, rainy background. As I walk from the airplane, a Liberian restaurant owner who I met at JFK pointed out to me that the burned out building to the left is the old airport that was burned down during the war. The charred frame still stands just meters away from the newer facility. The realization that I am entering a post-conflict country finally strikes me.

When I enter the airport, I am immediately greeted by an airport officer holding a sign that closely resembles my name. He escorts me into a side office that is a bit cramped with three work stations. Everyone in the room seems to know who I am. At one point I am referred to as “the guest of the President” – I can’t believe it!! As they look through my passport and make calls in regards to my visa, a cell phone is handed to me. “Hello Desiree, this is commissioner such and such, we have been expecting you – welcome. We will take care of your visa and your ride should be awaiting you outside”.

After collecting my luggage, I am driven the half hour from Robert’s Field airport into Monrovia. During the drive it is announced on the radio that the timber embargo on Liberia has been lifted. (The UN placed an embargo on the export of timber and diamonds from Liberia because revenue from these sectors was used to fuel the civil war.) Working with the UN to lift these sanctions has been a priority for the new government as a means toward reviving the economy and bringing much needed investment and revenue into the country. As I listen to the announcement, and the excited reactions of those riding along with me, I realize that I am not simply in a “post-conflict” country, but a country in transition – a country trying to rebuild, literally and figuratively.

When we arrive at the guest home where I will be staying, it is brought to my attention that it is owned by one of the President’s assistants and is located across the road from the President herself. Later that night, in a very embarrassing moment with me rendered semi-speechless, I meet the Madame in her kitchen and sit with her and several others at dinner.

After dinner, I go to bed, my head swimming with the excitement of meeting the President on the first night. I am not sure exactly where my work will fit into this country’s transition, but I do know that I will surely get more out of this experience than I could possibly give back.

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