'Igo Twelve '

SCARLET AND BLACK

Friday. December 6, I951

 

Bardole: liberia Changing, Full of Contrasts

Liberia is a changing nation full of contrasts,
'ome violent, some strange, and always exciting. In
the capital, Monrovia, you can see the Ducor Palace,
which ranks with the best international hotels, and
ﬁle new presidential mansion, surely as beautiful
and modern as any executive mansion in the world.
But only a few blocks away is a residential area
where the crowded homes are mud huts with
thatched roofs, »

In the streets of Monrovia one can see the big
American cars and the small European cars moving
quickly past women balancing their baskets on their
heads, and as you travel uprcountry, the large
trucks roar by natives carrying heavy logs on their
heads, or buckets of latex rubber hanging from
yokes,

As one moves from the city to the hinterlands,
.nything that is common to the Western World is in
'harp contrast to the native customs,

Here on Cuttlngton campus the girls walking
to class in heels and in Western clothes pass
native women barefooted, wearing only a lappa,
and perhaps with a baby bound to her back.
.When the soccer team, which is as fine as those
In many American schools, wait in the locker
room before a game, their pro-game preparation
Is not a speech by the coach to “psych out“ his
players; but rather the application of “bush
medicine" to the game ball. This is “plenty
strong medicine" and will help them win the
game.

My houseboy is most interested in‘getting a pair
of long pants from America, but at the time of the
devil moon, he must finish work so that he can be
home before dark - otherwise the “black boys"
will get him and carry him off to the bush as human
sacrifice for the Leopard Society. These boys live in
'constant fear of this society, now outlawed, though
by no means nonexistent, It is strange to hear an
albhfrican congregation singing traditional Chris-
tian hymns, and at the same time watch others
whose belief is in the bush devil and his occult pow-
ers. One of the important accomplishments of the
missionaries has been to erase the many fears that
surround these people in practicing their pagan
faiths.

There is a great deal of criticism of the Liberian
government, Upon my arrival I was told of all the
corruption found in all branches. After a full day of
red tape at immigration which cost me $25 for the
"correct” visa, I was in full agreement with all that
I had heard. Now after a closer examination of the

circumstances, I think my judgment was too harsh.

While Liberia has been a free country for 116
years, it was only 20 years ago that it could really
start its growth. The first century was spent iight<
ing the warlike coastal tribes. Then it was the
French and English colonialists who threatened to
take her lands, pressing over Liberia’s boundaries,
shrinking the original size of the country by over
one-third,

If We probe the early history of the United
States, we find that before controls were estab-
lished, corruption was every bit as bad as that
found in Liberia today. It must be realized that
Liberia has never had the advantages of imper<
ialism. All of her neighbors have enjoyed help
from other countries in establishing a relatively
stable and advanced government. Liberia has
had no help. Only hindrance!

What about industry that is so important to a
country's economy? Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and
omer neighbors have all had help for fifty years or
more. Liberia has had to try to establish her own
industry, but it takes money to start, and there are
industrial revolutions that must be dealt with, The
industrial changes that took one hundred years in
the United States are taking only about twenty in
Liberia: Is there any wonder that there are prob-
lems? Edmund Burke would turn over in his grave.

The answer to Liberia's problem is the same as
it was in the United States -— education. But there
are problems in bringing the Liberians education
because their culture is so different from ours, and
because ”my already have an educational system
called the bush school. A tribal endeavor, often of
four year’s duration, that is offered in great secrecy
and designed to make the youngster a weliradjusted
member of the tribe.

The Western style grade school run by the
government is available through high school,
but actually in many villages it doesn’t extend
beyond fifth or sixth grade, Other than in Mons
rovia and a few large towns, all other education
is obtained in church mission schools. The grade
school offers little more than literacy education;
still this puts the school boys in a position far
above the masses of the people. Although they
feel themselves too good to do manual labor,
still they are really not qualified to hold any
other position. More education is needed, but
how should we give it to them, or can we give it
to them?

As the white man brings his schools, he will not

allow many practices of the bush schools, some-
times called “devil bush,” to continue. The whit.
man does not understand the importance of the bush
school, and after he destroys it, he offers nothing
to replace it. True, we teach reading and writing.
but very little about living in a culture, especially
the Liberian bush culture where most of these Stu-
dents will spend a large part of their lives.

0n the other hand, the bush school, PORO
for boys and SANDE roi- girls, educates th-
child how to live in his culture. For instance
there is a thorough sex education that far sur-
passes that offered by most Western societies. It
has been found in many areas of Africa that the
rate of illegitimate births is much higher among
the youth who have had no bush training.

If someone wishes to govern a people, how bet-
ter can he understand them than by having a similar
education? If Liberians are going to communicate
and trade with the world, however, they must also
have a western education. The white man will never
be an entirely successful educator of the Liberian,
He cannot understand their culture. We can only
send our best educators to educate the Liberian edu-
cators who can then relate the best we have to offer
to the best of their own culture.

It may be difficult for the tribal people to learn
Western ways and to think in Western modes of
thought, but it is impossible for the Western man to
gain a full enough insight into the Liberian culture
so that the educators can identify with the Liberian
culture, The Liberian culture is beyond the white
man’s reach mostly because the people will not com-
municate their culture willingly.

Cuttington students strive in every way to be
non-tribal. The dressy clothes that they wear to class
separates them from the tribal people. The men
wouldn’t think of going out to play soccer without
a shirt. Nudity/is associated with tribal life. Menial
labor is also avoided at all costs. The freshmen re-
fuse to wash their oWn glassware in the chemistry
lab. This is a job for a l‘small boy." A recent
“hardtimes dance” was a failure, Girls attended in
heels, and the fellows in ties, Wearing clothes that
might indicate hard times was not novel to them —
only a few years ago it was probably a reality!

Jay Bardolo

Ed. note: This article is the first of a two
part series written by Travel Scholar, Jay Bar-
dole. Bardole is currently teaching at Cuttington
College in Monrovia, Liberia.

 

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Guillermo Mendoza (biology)
will take part in the northwest-
ern regiOnal meeting of the
Division of Comparative En-
docrinology, American Society

Mendoza,

of Zoologlsts, to be held today
and tomorrow at the University
of Oregon, Eugene,

from Grinnell this semester for

Mendoza Gives Paper in Oregon;

work at the University of Cali-
fornia (Berkeley), will present
a paper entitled ”Sexual dimoﬁ
phism in Skiffia lermae, a vivi«
parous cyprinodont teleost from
Mexico.”

who is on leave

 

 

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On Jan, 10 he will give the
weekly seminar talk for the
entire zoology department at

the Berkeley campus, speak<
ing on “Problems of reproduc-
tion in Uhe Goodeidae, cyprino-
dont Leleosts from Mexico,"
Recently he took part in a two-
hour Fisheries Seminar ses<
sion.

The family will return to
Grinnell late in January.

“As A'dl'linrielulnecuxily,’ in. pirii.
amen! oiGlumtho olherdﬂvilnpped
in .msndmrni onto the constitution
allowing Nkrumnh': [overnmam to
place prim/tor: underdetuniionlor up
to Another 5 years Altar they hov-
ismd 5ryl‘df sentences. Some titan.
nilm MP: confessed their Naugnnnm
for flu n ylng ii pul them in mind
of the s that no on In souih
Alriu. Limit iii detention in South
Airl'oa: 90 rim.
Limlr o! deion-
lion in china.-
I years,"

In, ti. run-n! in...
.mmeunxrvnw,
am. to Dept. cu;
”D r. :5 5... Nut York
16,N.Y.,Iarolvunpy.

 

 

