History of Liberian Religions

Christianity  



The majority of Liberia’s modern-day population practices Christianity under several different denominations.  These denominations include Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, and more.[1]  Kwi is a style of worship of a particular Christian church which is marked by formality and decorum.  The term Kwi actually comes from the term Kpelle, meaning foreigner or civilized person.  When the Americo-Liberian settlers landed in Liberia during the 1800s, the indigenous population used the term to differentiate between them.  The Americo-Liberian Christians then adopted the term for themselves.[2]  

http://themediaproject.org/article/liberias-christians-push-christian-nation?page=full

While there is the “westernized” Kwi population, there is also the non-Kwi population.  The non-Kwi population is similar in that they also practice Christianity, but they are more buoyant with dancing, street processions, and colorful costumes.  They have their own prophets who interpret visions and even make spiritual amulets.[3]  Despite the differences, however, Christianity dominates the country of Liberia.  In fact, there is only approximately twelve to twenty percent that practice Islam and less than one percent that practice indigenous beliefs.[4]

 

Islam and Indigenous Beliefs

 



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Liberia

While Christianity dominates the population of Liberia there is still a small percentage that practice Islam and a minute amount that still practice indigenous beliefs.  Liberian Muslims have historically followed a relaxed and liberal form of Islam and it was integrated by the indigenous religions back in the sixteenth century.[5]  Indigenous beliefs still exist today, especially the practice of witchcraft.[6]

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Liberia

Impacts

Throughout history, Islam and Christianity alike have intermingled with the indigenous beliefs of Liberia and have created many different diverse cultures throughout the country.  While it is a controversial topic, religious tensions are existent but it also brings a sense of harmony to a country in their time of need.

For an example, one of the consequences of the civil wars in Liberia was the destruction of Mosques.  There were several gruesome and barbaric massacres committed near schools and places of worship.  The country seemed crippled with the skeletons of destroyed buildings raddled away by bullets holes.[7]  Bringing the end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003 was a group started by Christian and Islamic women alike, advocating a peace movement in which thousands of women mobilized efforts and even threatened a curse on the nation.[8]  With that said, one would have to argue that the impacts of both religions are quite significant throughout Liberia’s history.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_of_Liberia_Mass_Action_for_Peace

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[1] “Religion in Liberia”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Liberia.

[2] “Kwi”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwi_(Liberia).

[3] “The Christianity of Indigenous Africans”, http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1985/liberia_2_christianityofindigenousafricans.htm.

[4] “Religion in Liberia”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Liberia.

[5] “Islam in Liberia”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Liberia.

[6] “Liberia”, http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/liberia.

[7] “Islam in Liberia”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Liberia.

[8] “Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_of_Liberia_Mass_Action_for_Peace.

The Arts and Music as History in Liberia

The Power of Music



http://blog.liberiapastandpresent.org/?p=234

Music is one of the main highlights of Liberian culture, especially to the indigenous peoples. Not only is it played for entertainment purposes, but it is also played to educate listeners about Liberia’s history. The topics can range from culture and political problems to social problems and human rights. The drum is one of the primary musical instruments they use and the lyrical songs are sung in both the English language and in the indigenous languages.[1] Many Liberian tribes also employ “talking instruments” that tells stories when played.[2] In fact, many western African cultures use the “talking drum” in which the music created by the drum actually communicates a sentence without actually using words.[3] The “talking drum” mimics the tone, rhythm, intonation, and stress of human speech. The indigenous peoples of Liberia use the talking drum during different traditional activities and rituals such as religious rites, royal occasions, and even circumcisions.[4]





 



Symbolism in Liberia’s Flag
The Liberian flag has a five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper left hand corner and also consists of eleven horizontal red and white stripes. Liberia’s flag is actually modeled after the United States’ Stars and Stripes. Liberia’s flag, as a form of art, is entrenched is historical symbolism. The white star symbolizes the freedom that the ex-slaves were given after America relocated them to Africa. The blue square stands for the African mainland and, finally, the eleven stripes on the flag represent the eleven signatories of the Liberian Declaration of Independence.[5] This flag has a tremendous amount of cultural and historical significance. Liberia, as the “place for freedom”, was given by the American Colonization Society who acquired the land from local tribal chiefs in 1821 for freed African slaves in America. The colony declared itself an independent nation in 1847 and the flow of immigrants dwindled to nearly zero following the end of the American Civil War. These Americo-Liberians, as they were called, became the intellectual and ruling class of Liberia, modeling the government after that of the United States of America.[6]

http://blog.liberiapastandpresent.org/?p=234

[1] “Culture of Liberia”, Wikipedia, (accessed 22 January 2015, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Liberia).

[2] “Folk Music of Liberia”, Wikipedia, (accessed 22 January 2015, http://www.folkways.si.edu/folk-music-of-liberia/world/ album/smithosonian).

[3] “Music as Storytelling”, Liberty University, (accessed 22 January 2015).

[4] “The Talking Drum”, Stream Africa, (accessed 22 January 2015, http://streamafrica.com/culture/culture-of-africa/#).

[5] “Liberia Flag”, Maps of the World, (accessed 22 January 2015, http://www.mapsofworld.com/flags/leberia-flag.html).

[6] “Liberian Americans”, Countries and Their Cultures, (accessed 22 January 2015, http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Le-Pa/Liberian-Americans.html).

The Geography of Liberia

 

Liberia, officially known as the Republic of Liberia from 1847, is a country located in the Sub-Saharan region of West Africa. It borders the countries of Sierra Leone to the west, Guinea to the north, and Côte d’Ivoire to the east.  Its southern border offers a long coastline to the northern Atlantic Ocean.  Liberia's landscape is mostly flat, with rolling coastal plains, dense tropical rainforests, and then low mountains in the north.  The highest point within Liberia is Mount Wuteve with 1,440 meters above the sea level and the lowest point is at the sea level on the coast.  Liberia’s climate is tropical and humid.  Since it is near the equator, there is little temperature change throughout the year.[1]  Monrovia (6.3133°N, 10.8014°W) is Liberia’s capital city.  As the largest city and chief port, Monrovia is the cultural, political, and financial hub of the country.  It is also the host to founding historical sites and the Liberian National Museum.  Other areas of interest in Liberia are Lake Piso, Kpatawee Waterfalls, and the Sapo National Park.[2]

These geographical factors have helped and hindered Liberia at one point in time in history.  Due to the coastal geography of Monrovia, for example, freed African American slaves resettled there and became known as the Americo-Liberians.[3]  This, of course, caused friction with the indigenous African tribes because of the different traditions and cultures between the two groups.  Agriculture and food production has also been effected by Liberia’s geography.  While half of the land area consists of tropical forest, a little less than half of the land is arable.  Liberia is also diverse in cattle ranges and fresh water fishery resources.[4]  The geography and climate has also played an important role in regards to the presence and spread of diseases.  Since the area is tropical and humid, life-threatening diseases and/or viruses like malaria and Ebola flourish.

 

 

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[1] “Geography of Liberia”, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Liberia.

[2] “Liberia Map”, http://www.mapsofworld.com/liberia/.

[3]“Liberia”, http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Africaweb/snapshot/Liberia.htm.

[4] “Liberia”, http://www.fao.org/ag/agp/AGPC/doc/Counprof/Liberia/liberia.htm.