Morning at sea; afternoon in Liberia
At sunrise the National Geographic Explorer was steaming northward on warm, calm, tropical seas. The shipboard activities of the day were punctuated by sightings of dolphins, sometimes distant, sometimes close.
By midafternoon we could see Monrovia, capitol of Liberia, behind a long stretch of beach. We tied up a couple of hours later. Aside from the usual stack of truck-sized shipping contains, some of which had been cleverly organized into an imposing security corral for the ship, there were dancers and drummer to celebrate our arrival. The yellow shipping containers made a fine stage backdrop for them.
There were two sets of dancers: women and men. Each dance told a story, although the entire story was never obvious to me. From the men I saw hunting and fighting. From the women it was all a bit more subtle, but I can be fairly obtuse!
We gathered at cocktails and we were informed and entertained by very good and very important speakers: His Excellency Joseph Boakai, Vice President of the Republic of Liberia; The Hon. Elizabeth Hoff, Deputy Minister for Information, Culture and Tourism; and Karl Albrecht, Chargé D’Affaires, US Embassy, Monrovia.
Every speaker welcomed us warmly. We were the largest group of tourists to the country since before their civil war ended nine years ago. But I do not think that the warmth was generated by the anticipation of a major new industry for Liberia. No, I think we are a sign that this country is healing and on the road to recovery… perhaps a sign that the future is not just about hope anymore, but rather it is about victory.
