Culture
- Young Liberian dancers --Aesthetics/ Dance http://www.solosana.com/#!recent-projects/csml
- Woman Painting -- Aesthetics/ Art http://blog.37thstateonline.com/post/13546795069/liberian-artist-ehi-obinyan
- Liberian family after church -- Belief system/ Religion http://wallpaper222.com/explore/liberian-people-clothes/
- Traditional liberian dish of plantains, and okra -- Social Aspects/ Food http://www.liberiaprogress.org/
- St. John's Lutheran Church -- Belief system/Religion http://www.unicef.ca/sites/default/files/imagecache/wysiwyg_imageupload_lightbox_preset/wysiwyg_imageupload/13/unicef_liberia_-_church.jpg
- Currency -- Economics/Types of economy http://www.banknotes.com/LR30.JPG
- Civil war children -- Economics/ Politics https://www.propublica.org/article/firestone-and-the-warlord-intro
- Beggars in the streets -- Social Aspects/ social rank http://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/Images/2010/11/4/201011443030206621_20.jpgBa
- Man realaxing in area riddled by bullet holes -- Economics/ Politics http://thehigherlearning.com/2014/09/23/liberia-agrees-to-completely-stop-cutting-down-trees-in-exchange-for-developmental-aid/
- Girl presenting in front of class --Social Aspects/ Education https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/nodeimage/Liberia%20ED_0.jpg
- Overhead view of family dinner -- Social Aspects / Customs http://www.tasteofliberia.com
- Tribe of Liberia -- Social Aspects/ Family structure http://www.liberianobserver.com/news/saudi-arabia-islamize-liberia-w-africa
- The streets of Liberia -- Economics/ Transportation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberia
- President Of Liberia -- Politics/ Leadership http://www.tonyblairoffice.org/news/entry/liberian-president-government-and-people-are-partners-in-progress/
- Family in Mourning -- Social Aspects/ Customs http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2014/11/13/363346745/liberians-meet-death-with-flowers-trumpets-and-cameras
- National soccer team -- Social Aspects/ Lesiure Activites https://firstnewsliberia.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/liberia-ends-world-cup-nation-cup-campaign/
- Original Tribes of Liberia --Aesthetics/ Art http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com/slideshow-photo/liberian-art-by-travelpod-member-blk24ga-monrovia-liberia.html?sid=11514852&fid=tp-10
- People tending to the cassava fields Economics/ Types of economy https://www.usaid.gov/liberia/agriculture-and-food-security
Demographic info
Country Demographic Data
Population under 14 42.72%
Urban populaion 49.7%
Infant mortality rate 67.5 deaths
Life expectancy 58.6 years old
Death rate 9.6 deaths
Effects of war on population
The First Liberian Civil War started in 1989 and lasted until 1997. The country was buckling under the President Samuel Doe where corruption and economic mismanagement spit the country into it’s a bloody civil war. Over 2000 Liberians died and many were forced to flee as refugees. If you look at the graphs you can see that population from 1989 to 1990 was drastically altered in one year. The next slide shows the population rebuilding itself from the Second World War which actually didn’t end until 2004.
Since recently Liberia has been more than 50% rural and that correlates with a high birth rate. In 1921 Liberian women were having an average of 6 babies per woman. As more people move into the cities the number of children has come down to 4 babies a person. Which still sounds like a lot for me!
Jacobs, W. (2010). Projects. Retrieved October 5, 2015, from http://liberiandancetroupe.com/projects.html Did you like the photos of the dancers? Well dance is deeply rooted in many African States. Check out the site below for more information on the Liberian Dance Troupe.
Liberia - Its People and Culture. (1979). Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://www.bong-town.de/Bong_Town/Liberia/Background/Culture.html This website touches on many significant aspects of Liberian culture from the native languages to their hand crafted masks. Take a look a learn a little more about the culture.
People Like Me Viewer's Guide. (2015). Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://worldartswest.org/main/location.asp?i=11 In the indigenous groups of Liberia, masks play an important part in connecting the living with the ancestral spirits and ancient deities. It is a means by which people strive to gain knowledge and insight into the future. The dancer "becomes" the mask, thus it is traditionally important that the human identity is not revealed to the public. Check out the site for more information on specific masks.
Liberia - Its People and Culture. (1979). Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://www.bong-town.de/Bong_Town/Liberia/Background/Culture.html This website touches on many significant aspects of Liberian culture from the native languages to their hand crafted masks. Take a look a learn a little more about the culture.
People Like Me Viewer's Guide. (2015). Retrieved October 6, 2015, from http://worldartswest.org/main/location.asp?i=11 In the indigenous groups of Liberia, masks play an important part in connecting the living with the ancestral spirits and ancient deities. It is a means by which people strive to gain knowledge and insight into the future. The dancer "becomes" the mask, thus it is traditionally important that the human identity is not revealed to the public. Check out the site for more information on specific masks.
Religions |
There are 3 major religions in indigenous religions, Christianity, and Islam. Approximately 40 percent of the population exclusively practices traditional indigenous religions. Because the tribal languages were only accounted orally, the origin of these practices is unknown. As much as 40 percent of the population practices either Christianity or Christianity combined with elements of traditional indigenous religions Christianity can be traced back to the colonization of the freed slaves in 1847.The men, who signed its declaration of independence did so in the Providence Baptist Church in 1847 thus making it a sovereign state, were all men of the Church. Approximately 20 percent of the population practices Islam. It was first introduced in Africa around the 8th century and spread throughout the continent including Liberia. (Dennis, 2015)
The role of the indigenous religions on social development in Liberia is evident. According to Nyanseor, polygyny was the acceptable form of marriage in Africa prior to the arrival of the colonizers and Christianity. There are various indigenous religions and because they make up a great deal of the population there is still a very rural culture that focuses on agriculture. Even though western customs are more common in the cities, both traditional African music and western modern music are popular in the urban areas. (2015)
Other than Mosques and churches, not much is known about sacred places. There are sites that are considered sacred by various tribes in the country. There is even a cultural heritage program that works on preserving these sites such as the Rocks of Golodien, (Nanews, 2015).
There’s evidence of Christianity in the government for example according to Liberia 2027, The contents of our National Anthem, our National Flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the first Constitution of Liberia (1847-1985) all point to the fact that our forefathers had assumed Liberia to be a Christian nation” (Vision Liberia 2027).
Although religion has a big impact of societal life, there seems to be a stark segregation between lifestyles depending on the religion. In the map above you can see that the country is broken up into sections which correlates to the lifestyle of the people. The indigenous tend to have their own religions and they live outside of cities. People who have an urban lifestyle are more likely to be Christian. Islam is the fastest growing faith in Liberia which is near a country which a high Muslim population throughout.
Nordic Africa News. (2015, April 16). Retrieved October 20, 2015, from http://www.nanews.net/news/liberia-200-year-old-sacred-rocks-preserved/
Nyanseor, S. (n.d.). Polygyny (Polygamy) Is Already A Practice. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
The role of the indigenous religions on social development in Liberia is evident. According to Nyanseor, polygyny was the acceptable form of marriage in Africa prior to the arrival of the colonizers and Christianity. There are various indigenous religions and because they make up a great deal of the population there is still a very rural culture that focuses on agriculture. Even though western customs are more common in the cities, both traditional African music and western modern music are popular in the urban areas. (2015)
Other than Mosques and churches, not much is known about sacred places. There are sites that are considered sacred by various tribes in the country. There is even a cultural heritage program that works on preserving these sites such as the Rocks of Golodien, (Nanews, 2015).
There’s evidence of Christianity in the government for example according to Liberia 2027, The contents of our National Anthem, our National Flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the first Constitution of Liberia (1847-1985) all point to the fact that our forefathers had assumed Liberia to be a Christian nation” (Vision Liberia 2027).
Although religion has a big impact of societal life, there seems to be a stark segregation between lifestyles depending on the religion. In the map above you can see that the country is broken up into sections which correlates to the lifestyle of the people. The indigenous tend to have their own religions and they live outside of cities. People who have an urban lifestyle are more likely to be Christian. Islam is the fastest growing faith in Liberia which is near a country which a high Muslim population throughout.
- Works cited
History of Liberia. (2008). Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.liberia2027.com/627324
Nordic Africa News. (2015, April 16). Retrieved October 20, 2015, from http://www.nanews.net/news/liberia-200-year-old-sacred-rocks-preserved/
Nyanseor, S. (n.d.). Polygyny (Polygamy) Is Already A Practice. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
Food |
Over 85 percent of the average Liberian diet is rice. Their dishes interestingly, are a mixture between indigenous food that has been consumed throughout the history of Africa, and the food that the African Americans brought to Liberia.Many Liberians grow their own rice, sugar cane, and cassava.
Traditional food includes fufu, a a doughy food that accompanies most meals. It can be made from rice, plantain, cassava, corn, or yam. (Left) A typical Liberian dinner consists of rfufu served with palm butter and palava sauce, meat stew, jollof rice, and beef internal soup. Rice bread and sweet potato pone are served for dessert, and ginger beer is drunk throughout the meal. In the city of Monrovia, there are some modern restaurants, but in most towns there are small "cook shops" that offer stews and fufu. Most cooking is still done outside on a stone hearth.(Liberian Connection, 2001) Liberian Connection. [Online] Available http://www.liberian-connection.com (accessed February 14, 2001). |
Recipe for jollof rice