Interesting History Of Liberia - Research Paper Example

? Analysis of Liberia's Sociological Systems of Overview of Liberia Liberia is a country located on the West Coat of Africa. It was founded in 1822 by freed men and women of color from America (Williams, 2002). This was an initiative that was carried out by the American Colonization Society (ACS) which involved Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe with the aim of resettling freed Black African slaves in their home continent. Liberia was declared an independent state in 1847 and it was a territory that included land which stretched over several territories inhabited by natives Africans. The class of Americo-Liberians and later Congoes (freed slaves from ships carrying illegal slaves from the Congo basin to the Americas after slavery was abolished in the 1800s) formed the ruling elite which as always been about 5% of the nation's population (Williams, 2002). With this trend, Liberia was developed with little regards for the native population who were seen as a lower class. The ruling elite of Americo-Liberians used their links with the United States to build a prosperous nation from the 1800s to the 20th Century. Liberia became a nation where there was economic growth without development. After a total of 133 years of Americo-Liberian control, little was done by way of providing education, infrastructure and social services for the masses of Liberia. They were kept in servitude as farmers and laborers whilst the Americo-Liberian ruling class accustomed themselves to world class wealth and luxury. In 1980, a group of junior army officers staged a coup d'etat that ousted the ruling elite. Sergeant Doe, who was the leader of the coup created a safe haven for his Krahn tribesmen and suppressed the interests of the other native Liberian tribes as well as the Americo-Liberian class. In his bid to enhance his tribe's interest, Sergeant Doe appointed incompetent leaders who mismanaged the economy and abused human rights. However, with US support for the Doe administration, it continued to remain in power until a Libyan supported guerrilla uprising began in 1989, led by Charles Taylor. The uprising was plagued by division and other complications that caused Liberia to plunge into civil war until 1997, where temporary peace was attained. However, after a period of military disturbances in the early 2000s, a new democratic government was formed in 2005 under the leadership of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. In the bid to rebuild Liberia, the Johnson-Sirleaf administration has put in place so many measures to ensure rapid development. In spite of all the efforts, the nation is still faced with harsh social problems that are preventing the government from achieving its stated aims and objectives. Social Issues in Liberia The main social problem with Liberia is the refugee and rebuilding crises. Numerous Liberians have lived their lives in exile in neighboring countries to escape the brutalities and killings of the war. This has caused most of them to lose their identity and have deprived a lot of them (particularly the younger once) the privilege of growing in a stable country. Most of these refugees and ex-refugees have lived very deprived lives and they have severe challenges integrating into the new democratic society that is being built. There are serious ethnic polarizations in Liberia. So many people identify themselves by their ethnic group before they consider their national identity. Since the war was fought on the basis of ethnic groupings, most people have sown seeds of enmity and hatred which stands in the way of social and cultural assimilation and the building of a national identity. This forms the basis for so many social problems and conflicts which stands in the way of co-existence and nation building. Many people in Liberia suffer from psychological problems like trauma whilst over 16% of Liberians are disabled (Dolo, 2007). Due to the large rates of disabilities and trauma, many people have problems mixing with people of the wider society. This therefore makes it socially challenging for such people to build normal lives for themselves and their families. The trauma has led to serious mental illnesses whilst the disabilities have also made it difficult for people to earn livelihoods. Liberia's unemployment rate is at a very high level. The rate raged from 75% during the civil war and 50% in the current dispensation (Global Investment & Business Center, 2010). This is because there is practically no infrastructure to build a thriving economy. Due to this, a lot of people have limited opportunities. Armed crime is also common in Liberia. There are a lot of robberies and inter-community violence that plagues the nation (Dolo, 2007) Illiteracy also stands at very high levels (over 30%). Schools and other social infrastructure like health facilities are virtually non-existent. People therefore have to live under very harsh conditions and in most cases, it is the women and children who suffer the most. The lack of jobs and other social infrastructure has led to a trend of poverty and hardships amongst the people in Liberia. This has affected the way Liberians live their lives on a daily basis. Most people have to literally survive on a day to day basis and over 75% of Liberians live on less than $1 a day. Sources of the Social Issues Whilst some of the social problems faced by Liberia can be traced to its post-war history, a vast majority of the social problems can be directly attributed to the civil war of the 1990s. The civil war in Liberia displaced over 1.5 million out of a total population of about 3 million (Moram, 2008). This therefore means that a lot of these refugees had to live their lives in different countries under very harsh conditions. Technically, most of the neighboring countries (Cote D'Ivoire, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Nigeria) are also poor countries. And with the fact that these refugees were given the lowest treatments and opportunities in these countries made them endure the harshest conditions imaginable. Also, the harsh economic conditions made it impossible for Liberian refugees to raise money in exile to fund their resettlement in Liberia. This has led to so many serious implications on the social structures of Liberians. Secondly, the ethnic tensions and the unequal development of Liberia can be attributed to the elitism that the founding of the nation brought. This is because the ruling class of Americo-Liberians sought their interest and did very little for the natives of the country. These natives became backward and this created some kind of enmity between them and the ruling class. This fueled the war and killing and now, it is fueling Liberians against each other. The killing and maiming of the war led to so much psychological imbalance, disabilities and the break up of families which ultimately led to the destruction of the social system. There are reports of children witnessing the torture, rape and killing of their parents and close family members (Williams, 2002). This led them to become traumatized and emotionally unstable. Also, the war injured and maimed a lot of people who have lost their livelihoods and human dignity. Additionally, the war destroyed the country's infrastructure base and retarded the progress of the nation. Looking at the changes that have occurred in the world since 1990, it is unimaginable to think of how backward Liberia has become since there was no entry of aid and development during the 15 years after the war began. This caused Liberia to become an island of retarded development and stagnation due to the war. This has impacted seriously on the normal lives of people. This is because, with the absence of social infrastructure, Liberians have to survive under very scarce health, educational and social resources. This leads to so much social disharmony which has led to serious problems of poverty, tribalism and mental and health problems. Armed and violent crime also exists because of the widespread availability of fire arms. These firearms were inherited from the wars and the presence of ex-combatants makes it a very common practice. On the other hand, the logistical challenges Liberia's military and police are facing makes it difficult for them to control these violent crimes. Solutions to the Social Problems The main solution to the Liberian problem is the building of social infrastructure and the return of Liberian refugees scattered around the world. This is the best way Liberia can catch up with the rest of the world and also built a thriving economy. The Johnson-Sirleaf government has put in place some measures to attain this and these measures have brought some levels of results. According to the IMF, the government is doing its best to build infrastructure like schools, hospitals and roads. This is aimed at attracting skilled people to move into the country to support in the rebuilding of the nation. Secondly, the Johnson-Sirleaf government set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2005 to hear cases of human right abuses that occurred during the war (Global Investment & Business Center, 2010). This has led to so may witnesses coming to testify against their oppressors and being given some kind of compensation and treatment. This solution is a very strong one that has sought to heal the wounds of the nation during the brutal era of civil war. Also, there is the need to attract skilled Liberians and other Africans in the Diaspora to come home to support the rebuilding of their nation. This will ensure that the necessary human resource base is pooled to help in the building of the nation so that it catches up with the rest of the world socially and economically. There is the need for aid and funds to be brought into Liberia from international sources to support the nation in its unique circumstances. This is because without funds, the rebuilding of the nation will be quite difficult and the economy will not be able to thrive to eliminate the difficulties that the people are going through. There is also the need for a conscious poverty reduction strategy that would be aimed at delivering the masses of Liberia from unemployment and poverty. This will be done by providing funding for individuals, particularly women to start ventures for the creation of a livelihood for themselves and their children. The prevalence of violent crime can also be solved by training and equipping Liberia's military and police to control the violence. This can be done by the confiscation of arms and the continuous monitoring and surveillance of problematic zones of the country. Also, a sustainable economy can be ensured if foreign aid is encouraged into Liberia. This can be done through the elimination of administrative costs and taxes and the creation of special economic zones for multinationals to establish businesses that will seek the welfare of the people. Liberia also needs to establish a strong tax collection system to ensure that the state coffers has sufficient funds to promote welfare activities. The main strategy for this is to set up a good tax administrative wing for the state so that funds would be generated on a sustainable basis for the development of the nation and its relevant departments and units. Feasibility of the Solutions Most of the requirements to solve the sociological problems of Liberia centers on funding and a strong leadership. There has been so many cases of corruption reported in Liberia in relation to mismanagement and embezzlement of international aid and state funds (IMF, 2009). However, the Johnson-Sirleaf administration has been bold enough to sack a lot of corrupt leaders and officials in high positions. Secondly, due to the serious infrastructural challenges that exist in Liberia, most Liberians have moved to other countries to seek greener pastures. Many young, energetic and skilled Liberians are resident in the United States and Canada and are spending their productive lives in those countries. They refuse to go back basically because there are fewer opportunities there. The issue of Liberians living in other countries is quite a disturbing one because nations and societies are only built on the basis of hard work by the productive population. However, due to the scars of Liberia's past, most people do not want to go back to Liberia and this really stands in the way of any long-term plan to rebuild the nation and its social infrastructure. Also, the ethnic problems and challenges that can be traced to the history of the country still subsists. Albeit unpronounced in this era, it has so much repercussions on any effort to move the country from its current social crises to a positive one where things work for the best of the citizens. The Johnson-Sirleaf administration has responded by establishing a broad base government that includes ministers from all the tribes and regions of Liberia. This ensures a balanced share of power and wealth thoughout the country. In spite of all these, the biggest challenge and problem with Liberia's effort to rebuild its social structures is the lack of funds. The nation's post-war economy is in shambles and due to that, most basic social needs of the people are forgone due to the need for survival. The lack of funds to make things better makes it impossible for people to get normal lives and this makes it quite difficult for the nation to get on track. In terms of leadership, the Johnson-Sirleaf administration has also done a lot to establish the right structures of the nation. However, with elections due this year, 2011, it is possible that there might be a change in government which can cause some of the rebuilding projects to be abandoned. This can have serious long-term implications on the nation and its social system. References Dolo, Emmanuel (2007) Ethnic Tensions in Liberia: National Crisis Africana Homestead Legacy. Global Investment & Business Center (2010) Liberia Export-Import Trend & Business Washington: International Business Publications International Monetary Fund (2009) Republic of Liberia Poverty Reduction Strategy New York: IMF Moram, M. H. (2008) Liberia: The Violence of Democracy University of Pennsylvania Press Williams, G. J. H. (2002) Liberia: The Heart of Atrocities: Accounts of Liberia's Civil War. Canada: Trafford Publishing Read More