Come to Liberia! the marketplace. Liberian culture is almost completely unique- no The culture of Liberia begins brand of Africans on the continent The with a group of youngsters speaks with such distinctive playing soccer and yelling in local pidgin like Liberians. The tiny English, ‘Da penalty!’ or a group West African nation is a mixture of young girls playing a leg sport of 16 local tribes that settled from Beauty of dubbed ‘Na foot’ yelling almost across the corners of the continent simultaneously, ‘Da my time to along with repatriated freed play!’ It stretches to a child holding American slaves that settled in a pot of water on his head walking the 1800s. This is the melting pot Mama from the creek and looking of civilization, western life, Afro aimlessly at the stretch of shrubs American culture, Afro Caribbean along his path. You take a walk lifestyle and was once a home for in the neighborhood and the air almost every man of color. Liberia, Liberia is choked with aroma of hot palm meaning ‘land of the free’, is the butter hovering over the town and place to go for every man wanting young baby mothers nursing their total freedom, from the scars of The culture of Liberia begins defiant babies, adding their crying racism to the bondage of cultural with a group of youngsters voices to the chorus of market cage, Liberia with its liberal playing soccer and yelling in women yelling, selling, cooking tendencies accommodates every and babysitting, all at once, on the local English, culture from every planet. With shores of the wall street of Africa- a small population of less than 5 million, it’s a home to mangrove Jolofrice is a Monrovia based swamps, beautiful beaches, exotic dish that has sustained an intense landscapes and a very hospitable rivalry between Nigerians and people. Its second largest city, Ghanaians. But, a festival with Buchanan, named after former Liberian Jollofrice would put US President Thomas Buchanan the rivalry to bed. The Liberian is locally referred to as the ‘home jollofrice is mixed with just of the nation’s hospitality’ Liberia everything from the market, has been a home for everyone pigfeet, chicken, spareribs, meat, from every corner of Africa, the mixed vegetables, and an aroma Caribbean, America and Europe. that seals the deal. Liberia is a mixture of Cosmopolitan and Liberian cuisine is one of the most Provisional lifestyles with lappa- exotic dishes across the continent, tying women with babies on their from her dense Torborgee backs walking to a local market or from northern Lofa County, to to attend to farming chores or a pounded cassava known as Gehba woman dressed in a Gucci jeans (GB) from Nimba Country or and blazer, sun glasses, top hats hopping from an elevator. Next pounded softer cassava known as Lekpele M. Nyamalon is a poet and writer dumboy from Grand Bassa and time you’re lost on the continent from Monrovia. He can be reached at Rivecess Counties or red palm oil and need a place to keep your [email protected] soup with rice and okra known as sanity in check, drop in the bosom Kpelleh soup from Bong County. of the land of the free. Enjoy your stay and thank me later! Liberia, Africa’s oldest republic is The diversity of tribal ethnicity that situated in West Africa bordering makes up the Liberian population Liberia’s guinea in the north, Sierra Leone has embellished and added value in the west, Ivory Coast in the to the culture and the cultural east and south by the Atlantic life of the country. There are 16 Ocean. About half of the country tribes in Liberia each representing is covered by tropical rain forest a unique set of custom and Rich which boasts one of the most tradition, the congruent blending valuable hardwoods in Africa. of different tribes as well as Liberia is endowed by vast natural religion and culture is fetchingly resources, the plateaus and interwoven in the framework and Cultural mountain ranges in the north of fabric of the way of life in Liberia. Liberia is rich with iron ore, gold Whilst many young Liberians and diamond putting the country today are not deeply rooted in on the pedestal of future growth their culture and tradition that and successes. represent their various tribes, yet, Heritage The culture of Liberia has two the country has a rich cultural distinct roots namely: tradition that has been uphold a. The freed Americo-Liberians for generation. Today our culture The culture of Liberia begins – came with the embroidery has been characterized by the with a group of youngsters (needlecraft) skill that is syllogism which injected influx of firmly embedded in the external influences that affected our playing soccer and yelling in national culture of Liberia. cultural tradition yet the continuity local English, b. The ancient Africa descendants and vitality of our culture must be of the indigenous people imperative because a country with a perfect representation of each • Leopard dance signifies a greedy tribe cultural heritage and tells and brutal chief or a bad leader a story of an event and the cause who do not listen to the plight for celebration, some of these of the people. dances includes: 3. • The moonlight dance is 4. Cuisine- rice has always been performed to signal the idea that the staple food in Liberia, every every Liberian has something tribe has different dishes that in common and thus should be they prefer but rice is general treated with respect and love and staple to Liberians. Dishes for each other, this dance is also most often in Liberia adumbrate performed during the celebration the tribe for instance: cassava of a great and successful harvest. leaf (vai) Palm butter (Kru • The harvest dance is and Grebo) Groundnut soup performed at different farming (Mandingo) GB (Gio and site when there is clearing of Mano) Torborgee (Lorma) ETC. trees, burning of bushes and planting of crops, this is a Written: Abdul R. Kiawu method of motivation for the farm workers. no cultural heritage is like a book without pages. Liberia is beatified with a distinct culture and has enjoyed a wide range cultural heritage including marriage, dance and cuisine. 1. Traditional marriage or customary marriage- a marriage custom which include a dowry payment to the family of the bride in the form of money or breaking of kola nut, this form of marriage is common in Liberia and allows the husband under traditional right marry more than women. 2. Dance- every tribe in Liberia has a unique style of cultural dance, some of the most popular dances are the Vai dance, Kpelle dance and Bassa dance. Each dance has a symbolic meaning that is was a broke college student so I started western coined name “Ankara” has wearing them at weddings outside of always been in my life. school events. Wearing my lappa suits From the early years when you tagged Lappa Lover at Liberian weddings felt comforting. along to Waterside market for ready I was home away from home. As the to wear skirt suits, tie dyes pant suits, years went by, the style changed... Leather bags and dyed leather sandals. Journey instead of traditional lappa suits, my I can still recall the bells, the hawking mother was now sending me dresses, of walking clothing racks and pushing hip and modern. A style evolution was and shoving as we made our way to the of Discovery taking place in Liberia as the tailors stalls. Christmas was the most crowded - attempted modern versions of lappa bells, radio blasting from wheelbarrows, styles. The resurgence of African prints always seem like each year you could continued in the diaspora - weddings, and Identity figure out if the Christmas was going street styles and catwalks. By 2010, to be “dry” (meaning hard economic I had made my first trip back home times) or not by number of people and came back with a suitcase full of in waterside. Bigger crowd meant new African clothing. By the time Christmas was good for all. However, I had Moved back home in 2013, I by Teenage years, my first wave of was wearing lappa styles consistently. rebellion against the lappa ensued. I then made a conscious decision to Watching music videos and TV series wear more African Clothing. Wearing promoted the cool American look. lappa has become a creative outlet. For From Tupac and bandanas, Aaliyah and me, this entails finding new ways to sagging pants, to TLC and big shirts. I show off lappa in a modern style and abandoned African prints for the cool or mixing prints with other Liberian look of jeans, jumpsuits, Timberlands, materials such as country cloth and and hot pants to the horror of my tie dyes; matching prints or mixing father, and plaid shirts all in a desperate them. I try to justify the cost aspects of attempt to imitate Aaliyah and TLC. I’d this “creativity” by focusing on how follow my friends and we’d rummage it supports small business. Leave it to through their older sisters’ closets, pull me to find a way to make it rights. out their jeans and shirts and head out Yet, it makes sense. Since the interest to high school events confident that in Lappa and wearing African styles we would not run into them. After increased, the local market has grown. High school, textiles stores in waterside Rom made to order to ready to wear, were our favorites - cotton prints, Monrovia streets are line up with new linen and polyester as we desperately shops selling readymade clothing and tried to get our tailors to make copies or lappa prints.