Liberia' Never–Die Christians

1992 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 349-358
Author(s):  
Paul Gifford

In Monrovia, the capital of the West African state of Liberia, Richard K. Sleboe, a Kru tribesman from Sinoe County and previously a Jehovah's Witness, founded in June 1970 the Kingdom Assembly Church of Africa. This came to be popularly known as the ‘Never—Die Church’ from its most distinguishing belief, namely that a true believer will never physically die but will live on this earth forever.

1980 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miles D. Wolpin

Although the analysis which follows centres upon the West African state of Mali, much of what is said applies in varying measure to other examples of military state capitalism in Africa and elsewhere. Its importance is underscored by the fact that this is an increasingly common régime variant in the Third World. Similarly, domestic militarism has been transformed from an unusual occurrence to a phenomenon which evokes little more than a déjà vu response. Today nearly half of the governments of the ‘South’ are directly or indirectly dominated by the military, whereas three decades ago little more than 15 per cent could be so classified.


1999 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 431-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Harris

For the best part of seven years, an increasing number of warring factions fought a vicious civil war for control of the West African state of Liberia. In August 1996, the fourteenth peace accord led to presidential and parliamentary elections in July of the following year. Charles Taylor and his National Patriotic Party (NPP), formed out of the original invasion force, emerged victorious with a landslide 75 per cent of the vote. Given the international reputation of Taylor as a brutal warlord whose sole aim had never wavered from the capture of power in Monrovia, Taylor's across-the-board victory appears difficult to explain. Having concluded that, despite problems and allegations, the election did seem more free and fair than not, the article examines the factors that probably influenced the electorate's choices. The results of this research show an election heavily dependent on an uncertain security situation. However, it suggests that, although a former ‘warlord’ has been rewarded, the voting was a reasoned ploy by the electorate to maximise the possibility of improved living conditions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 101-114
Author(s):  
Susanne U Schultz

Drawing on eight months of ethnographic fieldwork in the West African state of Mali (2014–2016), this article delves into the local, national, and transnational effects of (externalized) European and North African deportation regimes and reactions to them by civil society actors and deportees themselves. This work aims to contribute to a better understanding of how geographical, physical, social, and psychological spaces are reshaped through interactions with bordering practices. Deportation generally takes the form of (il)legal, bureaucratic measures and violent interventions that are perceived as deeply unjust. They generate anger, alienation, and uncertainty among those deported and their families and associates. By seeking patterns in the accounts of social suffering in deportees’ narratives, the article seeks, empirically and analytically, to unravel multilevel bordering practices through examining localized, agentic forms of bordering power. The post-deportation context involves southern Mali, an area subject to dramatic desertification and loss of sustainable livelihoods.


2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-92
Author(s):  
Salaheldin Farah Attallah Bakhiet ◽  
David Becker ◽  
Huda Fadlall Ali Mohamed ◽  
Hamissou Arouna Abdoulaye ◽  
Salaheldin Abdelrahman Elrasheed Seed Ahmed ◽  
...  

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 219-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Law

The Memoirs of the Reign of Bossa Ahadee, King of Dahomy of Robert Norris, first published in 1789, is a history of the west African kingdom of Dahomey during the reign of Tegbesu (“Bossa”), dated by Norris to 1732-1774 (though the correct dates are now known to be 1740-1774). In addition to its separate publication in 1789, Norris' material was also included, in a revised form, in the more comprehensive History of Dahomy compiled by Archibald Dalzel, published in 1793. This second version incorporates numerous detailed alterations and elaborations, mainly stylistic but occasionally relating to matters of substance; according to the Editor of Dalzel's History, these revisions were the work of Norris himself, although he had died before the work was brought to publication. This incorporation of Norris' work into that of Dalzel has had the effect of diminishing his reputation and perceived importance, since his material has usually been cited through (and by implication attributed to) Dalzel, rather than directly under his own name. His Memoirs, however, clearly have immense historiographical significance, as the first serious attempt by a European to write the history of a west African state.In addition to its purely historiographical interest, Norris' work remains an important source for the history of eighteenth-century Dahomey. Its value as a historical source, however, is problematical. On the one hand, Norris, as a slave trader who had operated in Dahomey for several years, had claims to be an exceptionally well-informed observer of Dahomian affairs.


1972 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 470-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. Martin

In the course of a visit to Libya in 1964, the writer was informed by the Archivist at the Libyan Government Archives in Tripoli, Sayyid Muhammad al-Usta, of the existence of Ottoman documents in Istanbul concerning a sixteenth-century embassy to Turkey from the West African state of Bornu.


2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-169
Author(s):  
Dianna Bell

Muslims in the West African state of Mali usebaraji, which translates from Bambara as ‘divine reward’ or ‘recompense’, as a criterion for understanding proper religious practice. The concept also drives Muslims’ lifelong aim to acquire the unspecified amount of merit that God requires for a person to enter paradise. Drawing from life history and ethnographic research, this piece deepens understanding of West African Islam by exploring the Qur’anic basis ofbarajiand situates the concept as a form of value through which Muslims discern the complementary places of different ritual practices and daily choices in their lives. In order to understand the ways that Malian Muslims seek measurable units ofbarajito benefit both the living and the dead, this study also shows how kin earnbarajion one another’s behalf, especially through posthumous sacrifices. By doing so, the article highlights death as a process in which the acquisition ofbarajicontinues through kin and sacrifices, revealing West African Islam as embedded in daily social life and relations with one’s ancestors.


1996 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 395-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Ahmadu Sesay

The brutal civil war that engulfed Liberia, following Charles Taylor's invasion in December 1989, has left an indelible mark in the history of this West African state. The six-year old struggle led to the collapse of what was already an embattled economy; to the almost complete destruction of physical infrastructure built over a century and half of enterprise and oligarchic rule; to the killing, maiming, and displacement of more than 50 per cent of the country's estimated pre-war population of 2·5 million; and to an unprecedented regional initiative to help resolve the crisis. Five years after the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) intervened with a Cease-fire Monitoring Group (Ecomog), an agreement that was quickly hailed as the best chance for peace in Liberia was signed in August 1995 in the Nigeriancapital, Abuja.


1973 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 2463-2467 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. N. N. Adjetey

Ghana’s investment in a modern fishing industry includes fishing vessels of various ranges and sizes, costing over £25.6 million. There have also been heavy investments in infrastructure, such as the Tema fishing harbor, boatbuilding, cold storage, and repair and maintenance facilities. These investments were made to: improve the protein content of the Ghanaian diet; stop importation of frozen fish and fishery products; develop the skills of the fishing community; develop an export trade in fish.Efficient use of these investments has been hampered by various factors. Transition from a canoe to a sophisticated fishery of refrigerated trawlers and factory ships was too rapid. It was assumed that once the fishing industry was equipped with a modern fleet it would become self-supporting within a short time. But this was not the case because realization of this goal depended on: efficiency with which the fleet was operated, better handling and care of fish, better marketing and distribution methods, search for new grounds, and constant attention to conservation of stocks.Lack of finance made operation of the fleet difficult. Spare parts were not in adequate supply and at times vessels had to stop fishing for lack of them.Lack of local personnel led to dependence on alien captains, mates, engineers, and shore-based staff. The number of alien crew was high initially, but Ghanaians have gradually taken over key positions on the vessels.Ghana is the only West African state with a fleet of deep-sea trawlers. This situation and recent unilateral extensions of fishing limits by West African states have led to a new problem which might have far-reaching effects on the operation of the fleet.But Ghana’s attempt to participate in the exploitation and utilization of West African fishery resources should encourage other African states to similar efforts.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document