Samenvatting
"This, Too, is Liberia" The above quote of the late Tom Kamara is emblematic for his writings and a characterization of the social, economic, and political landscape of his motherland. He fearlessly and objectively fought to expose the ills of the Liberian society. Tom was committed to promoting press freedom, social justice, and good governance in his beloved country and he did that even at the peril of his life. He wrote hundreds of articles in the New Democrat, the Liberian newspaper he founded in 1993, and in The Perspective, an online Liberian magazine, during his asylum in the Netherlands. This, Too, is Liberia contains a selection of his articles, with particular focus on Charles Taylor, the Liberian Civil Wars, the troubling relations between Liberia and the USA, the Samuel Doe and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf eras and the development of democracy in Liberia and other African countries.
"This, Too, is Liberia" The above quote of the late Tom Kamara is emblematic for his writings and a characterization of the social, economic, and political landscape of his motherland. He fearlessly and objectively fought to expose the ills of the Liberian society. Tom was committed to promoting press freedom, social justice, and good governance in his beloved country and he did that even at the peril of his life. He wrote hundreds of articles in the New Democrat, the Liberian newspaper he founded in 1993, and in The Perspective, an online Liberian magazine, during his asylum in the Netherlands. This, Too, is Liberia contains a selection of his articles, with particular focus on Charles Taylor, the Liberian Civil Wars, the troubling relations between Liberia and the USA, the Samuel Doe and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf eras and the development of democracy in Liberia and other African countries. T.K., as he was affectionally called, did not only articulate the plight of the ordinary Liberians but devoted his life to the search for realistic solutions to the problems confronting Liberia. Tom Kamara (1949-2012) was born in Lofa County, Liberia. He towered among the few famous journalists in Liberia. Though his critics viewed him as a controversial journalist, both his detractors and admirers undoubtedly respected his refusal to bend the truth and compromise his objectivity.
Inhoudsopgave
Contents Acknowledgements 1 Maps 6 1: Liberia, West Africa, Africa 6 2: National capital Monrovia, the 15 counties of Liberia and their capitals 7 3: Language and ethnic groups 8 Introduction Tom Kamara (1949-2012) 9 Section A: The Doe Era 1980-1990 20 1. Struggling Against The Sword 21 2. Liberian Officials Bicker Over Genesis of Horrors 25 Section B: The Taylor Era 1990 – 2003 31 3. Liberia's Scheduled Elections: Guns Do Not Heal 33 4. A Veil of Democracy 35 5. Liberia: Back to Square One 36 6. Who Should Dispose Of Arms 39 7. Shifting Alliances in Liberia's Theft and Plunder 41 8. Liberian Citizenship and Passport Up for Sale! 47 9. Poverty's Triumph over Democracy in Liberia 51 10. Can Jesse Jackson, Help Sierra Leone As He Links Sankoh to Mandela? 55 11. In Search of Enemies and Allies 59 12. Liberia's Persecuted and Rising Voices of Dissent 65 13. When the Means to an End are Convenient and then Feared 72 14. Meaningless UN Sanctions As Liberia is Pardoned 75 15. Pariahs, Sanctions, versus "Ordinary People” 78 16. Back to Arms and Anarchy 82 17. Liberia: The Emergence of a Criminal State 89 18. Living with Paranoia 95 19. Charles Taylor's Fatal Sierra Leone Dance 98 20. The Liberian Senate's Feuding "Criminals" 102 21. "No Belgrade Here" 106 22. Selling Deception 109 23. Curse of Mercenaries 113 24. Deceptions and Sanctions 117 25. Misinformation, Sanctions & Bedfellows 123 26. Harbingers of Truth & Reluctant Converts 127 27. In Allah’s Name or For The Almighty Dollar? 133 28. Cowardice Behind Samuel Doe’s Shield: S.K. Doe: Dead but still alive 137 29. The Menace of Disarming Rebels Without Arms 142 Section C: The Johnson Sirleaf Era 2006-2012 146 30. The Mortality of Charles Taylor 147 31. UN’s Trinity of Instability: Crime, Corruption & Violence 151 32. Now The Moral High Priests: The Different Sides of Morality 154 33. Here Comes The Shantytown Democracy In The Legislature 159 34. The Second –Term Curse Looks On 163 35. Selling Democracy As An Endangered Demon To The Poor 166 Section D: Liberia and the USA 171 36. The True Face of Jesse Jackson's Liberian Heroes 172 37. Messengers Carrying the Burdens of Bad News 176 38. Opting for Refuge over "Honour" 181 39. Praying and Celebrating Against Going Home 184 40. Visas, "Peanuts" and Sovereignty 186 41. Bush's Message to His "Bushmen" 191 42. Carter's Sad Liberia Goodbye 195 43. Where Jesse Jackson Sees Best 201 Section E: Miscellaneous Items 203 44. Africa, The Curse of History, and Europe's New "Benevolence" 203 45. Who Are Gaddafi's "Us" and Mandela's "World Policemen"? 208 46. Elections and Erosion of Stability in Africa 213 47. Rawlings Remembered 219 48. Kabila & The 'Kingdom of the Congo' 222 49. African Union or African Utopia? 227 50. Woes of the African Journalist 231 51. Non-Aligned Movement Dissolves in Nostalgia 236 52. Tough Times for Africans with Europe’s Far-right 238 53. In Search Of The Right & The Left of Liberian Politics 241 Section F: Reflections on Tom Kamara and his Work 245 A. Tom Kamara Dedicated his Life to Free Press and Democracy 245 B. Home and Exile: Remembering Tom Kamara's Life in the Netherlands 247 C. A Tribute to Thomas 'Tom' Saah Kamara 253 D. The New Democrat Halts Operations 260 Sources 262 List of Abbreviations 263 Index 264
Thuiswinkel Waarborg