Liberia

Liberia

Liberia: Africa and American Legacies

Liberia was “founded” as a colony of the United States in 1822 by freed slaves from the United States and the Caribbean in an area was already inhabited by various indigenous ethnic groups who had occupied the region for centuries.

Historically, the Liberian economy depended heavily on iron ore and rubber exports, foreign direct investment, as well as the export of its other natural resources, such as timber.

In 1847, the colony of freed slaves declared independence and founded the Republic of Liberia. In 1980, the government was overturned in a military coup, and from 1989 to 2005 Liberia was in a state of flux, witnessing two civil wars, the First Liberian Civil War (1989–1996) and the Second Liberian Civil War (1999–2003) that displaced hundreds of thousands of people and devastated the country's economy.

After the exile of Taylor, Gyude Bryant was appointed Chairman of the transitional government in late 2003. The November 8, 2005 presidential runoff election was won decisively by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, a Harvard-trained economist, who become the African Continent’s Frist female president.

After fourteen years of civil war, Liberia is now rebuilding. And Liberian refugees from all over the world are returning to Liberia to help in the rebuilding process. At the moment many people don’t have electricity and nearly three quarters of the population doesn’t have access to clean drinking water.