Liberia's constitutional negro clause under review

Introduction: The Liberian Constitution forbids people of none negro origins from acquiring citizenship and properties in Liberia. Here, three separate views from very outspoken women are presented below about the issue. Rima Merhi essay is culled from the Huffington Post, which accused the Liberian Constitution of blatant racism,  Ms. Pailey's piece was originally published by the FrontPage Africa, while Ms. Sayegh article originally appeared in the Liberian Journal.

The Face of America in Africa' Must End Constitutional Racism

Rima Merhi

Founded in 1822 to free the black slaves of America, the Liberian constitution makes it mandatory for citizens of Liberia to be black of African descent. I am one of many white children born in Liberia to non-African parents and denied nationality and citizenship rights due to the color of my skin and roots.

Liberian Journalists still hounded

Police chief, Chris Massaquoi

By ralph geeplay

Liberian journalists today are still facing the heavy hand of the law from the Liberian government in an era when press freedom is a heavily touted word in post war Liberia. The Press Union of Liberia (PUL) recently was forced to decry the manner in which a journalist was battered without due process, and incarcerated while another was languishing in jail.

In a statement it released to the public to express its displeasure the union said Liberia’s Police Inspector General affected an order on “Friday, October 12, 2012 after the journalist allegedly took his photograph on the ground of the Temple of Justice on Capitol Hill.” The Temple of Justice housed the Liberian Supreme Court.

Madcap Malema goes to Zimbabwe

ralph geeplay

Julius Malema

                     
Julius Malema, the madcap South African politician who is always in the news was in Zimbabwe this week, preaching the pro poor rhetoric and racial politics that saw him ostracized from the ruling African National Congress this year. Malema was in Harare to attend the wedding of the Zanu-pf Youth League president. In Malema’s delegation was the ANC Secretary General Sindiso Magaqa who was also suspended recently. Malema has been mad with the ANC for quite a while since his expulsion, with the current nationwide strikes in the country providing an opportunity as unhappy South Africans see their living standards decline since the ANC come to power. Reports say, he is exploiting the situation to his advantage.

Glory Days

Bai Tamia Johnson Moore was born in Dimeh, Liberia in 1916. Moore is perhaps Liberia's best known writer of the 20th century. Moore experimented with various genre of of writing during his life time including folklore, poetry, essay, crime, and the novel. Commonly called Bai T. Moore across Liberia, he is best remembered for the novelette "Murder in the Cassava Patch (1968), which was followed by  The Money Doubler (1976) and the well received poetry book, Ebony Dust (1962), which was republished in 2001. He remains an inspiration to many Liberian writers even today. Moore was also a public servant at the time of his death in 1988, at the Liberia's Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Glory Days which appears below was published in 1976, in the Ebony Dust. 

Africa Somalia's effort deserves plaudit

AU troops in Somalia

By: ralph geeplay

The African Union recent military offensive in Somalia, if anything, which saw troops taking full control of the Somali port city of Kismayo must be praised. By capturing the most important iron grip of the al-Shabaab Islamist group, and virtually beating them on the battlefield in Somalia, African has put a feather in the cap. It is a significant achievement for a continent that is always looking for international mediation and foreign boots to solve its problems. It is now known that the group is on the back foot and no longer formidable as they once were because of the extra ordinary military cooperation between the AU and Somali troops. It is moments like these that should make all Africans proud. But thanks must also go to the United States for providing training and military support to the African led effort.