Women's Liberation arrives in Liberia.
international |
gender and sexuality |
other press 
Wednesday January 31, 2007 15:07
by scorchio
Liberia is a strange place. It is (correct me if I'm wrong oh do) the only state which was established in the African continent by purchase rather than historical national process [Ethiopia], or colonisation [almost all of the continent] or by subsequent independence from the "metropoles".
The story of Liberia began with the emancipated afro-americans of the mid-19th century and the "black star" chartered by Marcus Garvey to establish a "homeland" which within the idealism of the subsequent DuBois would form the bulwark of a "pan-Africa".
Today Liberia seems remote from the utopia planned by its founders, it is a country associated with horrible tribal warfare & for decades was the playground of mercenaries. But its slow recovery may be helped by the arrival of the first women only contingent of UN peace-keeping troops
& following on from the wonderful performance of Indian Shilpa Shetty in celebrity Big Brother it's nice to see Indian women continue to carry the "Big Brother" flag of one world government.
Seriously though, Liberia is also the first African state to have a female President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. [ It is a peculiarity of Liberian geneology that almost everyone is a "Johnson" or related to one.]
this news :-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6316387.stm
profile of President Sirleaf
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4395978.stm
It is hoped that the Indian women's military contigent will encourage Liberian (& indeed all African) women to consider careers in the armed forces, UN, PSNI etc..,