VOLUME XIV 1989 NUMBER 2 LIBERIAN STUDIES JOURNAL r 8 °W LIBERIA -8 °N 8 °N- MONSERRADO MARGIBI MARYLAND Geography Department 10 °W University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown 8oW 1 Published by THE LIBERIAN STUDIES ASSOCIATION, INC. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Cover map: compiled by William Kory, cartography work by Jodie Molnar; Geography Department, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor VOLUME XIV 1989 NUMBER 2 LIBERIAN STUDIES JOURNAL Editor D. Elwood Dunn The University of the South Associate Editor Similih M. Cordor Kennesaw College Book Review Editor Dalvan M. Coger Memphis State University EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Bertha B. Azango Lawrence B. Breitborde University of Liberia Beloit College Christopher Clapham Warren L. d'Azevedo Lancaster University University of Nevada Reno Henrique F. Tokpa Thomas E. Hayden Cuttington University College Africa Faith and Justice Network Svend E. Holsoe J. Gus Liebenow University of Delaware Indiana University Corann Okorodudu Glassboro State College Edited at the Department of Political Science, The University of the South PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor CONTENTS THE LIBERIAN ECONOMY ON APRIL 1980: SOME REFLECTIONS 1 by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf COGNITIVE ASPECTS OF AGRICULTURE AMONG THE KPELLE: KPELLE FARMING THROUGH KPELLE EYES 23 by John Gay "PACIFICATION" UNDER PRESSURE: A POLITICAL ECONOMY OF LIBERIAN INTERVENTION IN NIMBA 1912 -1918 ............ 44 by Martin Ford BLACK, CHRISTIAN REPUBLICANS: DELEGATES TO THE 1847 LIBERIAN CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION ........................ 64 by Carl Patrick Burrowes TRIBE AND CHIEFDOM ON THE WINDWARD COAST 90 by Warren L. d'Azevedo AN ANALYSIS OF ISRAELI REPENETRATION OF LIBERIA ........ 117 by George Klay Kieh, Jr. AFRICAN BIBLE COLLEGE IN YEKEPA, NIMBA COUNTY: FRIEND OR FOE? ............................................. ............................... 130 by Romeo Eldridge Phillips THE AMERICAN COLONIZATION SOCIETY AND THE ORIGIN OF UNDEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS IN LIBERIA IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ......................... ............................... 140 by Amos J. Beyan BOOK REVIEWS Belcher, Max, Svend E. Holsoe, Bernard L. Herman and Rodger R. Kingston, A Land and Life Remembered: Americo -Liberian Folk Architecture ......................................... ............................... 152 by Katherine Harris Burrowes, Carl Patrick, The Americo -Liberian Ruling Class and Other Myths: A Critique of Political Science in the Liberian Context .......................................... ............................... 155 by Richard A. Corby Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, Workers Rights Violations, Liberia: GSP Petition Before the U.S. Trade Representative ...... 158 by Mohamedu F. Jones Sawyer, Amos, Effective Immediately, Dictatorship in Liberia, 1980 -1986: A Personal Perspective ............. ............................... 162 by C. William Allen PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Stone, Ruth M., Dried Millet Breaking: Time, Words, and Song in the WOi Epic of the Kpelle ........................... ............................... 167 by Lester P. Monts Tarpeh, James Teah, Liberia Under Military Rule -Decrees of the People:'s Redemption Council and Interim National Assembly Governments: 1980-1986 ............................ ............................... 169 by Charles Hartwig RECENT PUBLICATIONS ...................................... ............................... 170 COMMENTS ............................... 171 NEWS AND NOTES ................................................. ............................... 175 DOCUMENTS ... ............................... 177 CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE ......................... ............................... 185 INDEX ............................... 186 111 II\ I I A referee journal that emphasizes the social sciences and humanities, the LIBERIAN STUDIES JOURNAL is a semiannual publication devoted to studies of Africa's oldest republic. The annual subscription rate is $25.00, $12.00 for students and $40.00 for institutions, and includes membership in the Liberian Studies Association, Inc. All manuscripts and related matters should be addressed to The Editor, Liberian Studies Journal, Department of Political Science, The University of the South, Sewanee, TN 37375. Subscriptions and other business matters should be directed to The Executive Secretary, Liberian Studies Association, P. O. Box 1043, Oak Park, Illionois 60304. The views expressed herein are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the Liberian Studies Association, Inc. Copyright 1989 by the Liberian Studies Association, Inc. ISSN 0024 1989 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor The Liberian Economy on April 12,1980: Some Reflections Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Introduction At the start of the 1980 decade, Liberia faced a Dickensian world: It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. The country was riding the crest of a wave of international interest and credibility. The high cost hosting of the Summit of the Organization of African Unity was a thing of the past. Discussions and negotiations were underway with potential investors in several sectors. An economic stabilization program was ready for implementation with support of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Export diversification by means of further promotion of the tree crops and integrated rural development programs was a key element of the program. The country had no payment arrears and required no use of IMF resources to support the stabilization program. National capacity for economic management was at an all time high. The difficulties which the country faced were equally pervasive. The world market prices for its main exports, iron ore and rubber, continued to face uncertainties. Determination of the use of resources generated by these exports remained in the hands of expatriates. The massive outflow of capital which followed the April 14, 1979 "rice riots" implied additional pressures on domestic and external accounts already strained by an overextended parastatal sector and a large external debt overhang. This generally difficult financial situation was made potentially worse by the political fermentation and dissent which were spreading throughout the country. On April 12, 1980, the Liberian military pre -empted the results of what could have represented the most challenging decade for the Liberian economy. By its putsch, the military ended one hundred forth -three years of settler- dominated civilian rule. The takeover brought great expectations. Many believed that indigenous rule would result in better allocation and distribution of resources and that this in turn would lead to improved welfare of the majority of the population. This optimism was not shared by all. In some circles, there was the view that the post coup political dynamics would prevent both the actions and the time required to transform an economy characterized for too long by dependency, Liberian Studies Journal, XIV, 2 (1989) 1 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 2 ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF fiscal irresponsibility and abdication of the responsibility for internal economic management. Moreover, as was the experience in several other countries, they believed that the coup -makers would prove to be no more than tyrants, bent only on enriching themselves and their cronies. What was the historical background to the situation of April 12, 1980? How did those historical events impact the performance of the economy during the Tubman (1944 -1971) and Tolbert (1971 -1980) years? What were the challenges for economic growth and development prospects on April 12, 1980? This paper will attempt to address these issues, using data and information from studies and reports by various individual scholars and institutions and by international organizations, particularly the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Background Liberia is a small country, richly endowed with natural resources including plentiful rainfall and a sparse population. Though never colonialized, and for decades one of Africa's two independent states,' Liberia has remained economically underdeveloped. Pre -1950 A Northwestern University team which conducted a survey of the Liberian economy in 1961/62 described early Liberian economic structure and performance thus :2 From the founding of the Republic in 1847 until the end of World War I the Government lacked sufficient resources or foreign loans to provide even the most basic services; little could be done to exploit the economic potential of the country. Without roads, communication facilities, or political security, the Liberian economy consisted of little more than a collection of poor and isolated farming and trading communities situated along the Atlantic coastline at Robertsport, Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, River Cess and Harper. Liberia began to experience the first tremors of economic change following the establishment of the Firestone Rubber Plantation at Harbel in 1926. Tribal workers were recruited