Hi Mr, Borh,
Thanks for the shedding light of historical insight on our beloved land. Yes
indeed, slaves built this vast ocean of wealth called America. The
exploitation of Liberia's natural resources by American companies also helped
built and
shape the modern world. Who's to blame? Liberian officials or the foreigners?
The answer boils down to nationalism under an effective and efficient
bureaucracy and authority.
The so-called Americo-Liberian ruled for 133 years without the remorse of
closing the gap of income disparity between the rural and the urban areas.
They failed to prioritize investment in human capital, infrastructure and the
domestic market. Power is centralized with the virtual ignorance of the law
that protects and promote the rights and priviledges of citizens.
However, it is important to get the grasp of the past before understanding
the present. The ex-slaves who formed Liberia suffered under extremed
circumstances of hard labor in America. Under such harsh conditions, the
ex-slaves were
psychologically ingrained with idealogy of slavery, so they could not desist
from such mentality, therefore they continued the same pattern in Liberia at
the expense of the indigenous population.
I usually argue with my colleagues that I have been an American citizen since
the cotton picking era in the south. My claim comes from the fact that my
great great grand father the late Lagia Redd was an ex-slave who helped enriched
southern white elites during the slavery era. That is the reason why I vow
never to claim American citizenship by paper work through the so-called INS
because
I am satisfied being a permanent legal resident with priviledges to get
education, housing and other basic life necessities. To stand in front of a
white-long
nose Anglo-Saxon judge to deny and scrape my self-hood of identity as a Liberian
is far-fetched. Liberia will recover some day with the right people and it is
incumbent upon us to make that change. Time is everything and under the right
circumstances positive things will happen. Let's keep the faith!
Alex Redd
Madison, WI
Alex L. Redd wrote:
> Slaves helped built America
> By: Dahn Borh
> Ladysmith, WI
> February 21, 2002
>
> Sadly, Liberian history is replete with similar occurences. The
> Americo-Liberian exported the same concept and principle. When under
> heavy
> pressure from the French and the British, the Liberian Government
> extended
> its influence into the hinterland under Arthur Barclay at the beginning
> of
> the last century, they saw "free" human resources. They coerced the
> natives
> to work for them for free. They carried loads over long distances for
> soldiers and government employees, while providing their own foods and
> medications. The natives were forced to tap rubbers (native trees) in
> the
> interior and carried the products down the coast without pay. The
> natives
> were forced to build motor roads with cutlasses, axes, diggers and
> shovels
> through the thick forest and hills of Liberia, without compensation.
> These
> abuses became open and glaring during the King administration. Natives
> were
> seized and sent to Fernando Po (now called Bioko and part of Equatorial
> Guinea) to work on Cocoa plantation while the Liberian Government
> received
> their wages. The league of Nations charged King and his Vice President,
>
> Allen Yancy, for slave labor and they both resigned in 1930.
>
> The most notorious and brutal of the government officials were District
> Commissioners George Dunbar of Sanniquellie and C. C. Dennis, Sr. of
> Tappeta, both in the former Central Province now called Nimba county.
> They
> forced the natives to carry their vehicles from Careysburgh (the highway
> at
> the time stopped in Careysburgh) to Sanniquellie and Tappeta
> respectively.
> When the vehicles got there, the natives built roads to use-all for
> free.
> Many died while constructing the roads.
>
> Despite King's resignation, forced labor continued in Liberia until
> William
> R. Tolbert outlawed it in 1972, 40 years later.
>
> Dahn Vonyon Borh
> N4103 WSH 27
> Ladysmith, WI 54848
> e-mail [log in to unmask]
> ph. 715-532-4363
>
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