From what I can tell, Liberians are really into their music. We always have tapes playing in the car with pop songs from Sierra Leone and Ghana (occasionally there are religious songs too – usually just on Sundays), and the ringtones my colleagues have are completely catchy. It seems to bring our Liberian friends great joy when we demonstrate that we are enjoying the music. Singing along in the car often results in the volume being turned way up, and when someone’s phone rings and I start dancing in the office, I get a knowing smile from our secretary.
Every weekend I’ve been here we have ended up spending at least one night dancing. The Garden Café is where we found ourselves again last night. The place just gets packed with Liberians and westerners. There’s a live band on Fridays, but the selection can be mixed (“Let’s Get It On” isn’t super danceable, really). I ended up talking to the guy who was expressing his inner Barry White, and he’s a Liberian who has spent time in Gambia (many Liberians spent time in other countries during the war, either as refugees or with family). He was really excited when I told him that my dad and brother play the drums; he may have suggested getting a band together but I’m not sure I heard him correctly.
I am no authority on this, but I am guessing that with life not being the easiest over here, the constant presence of music and dancing provides a real outlet. It’s also a way for people who experienced 14 years of civil war to come together and connect.
Traditional dancing is also pretty popular, and last week we were treated to a performance by a dance troupe at an outdoor party. The men were good, but the women were really great – it didn’t hurt that they had these fun two-piece peach outfits and some body paint. When the dancers were finished, we all got down to some Akon (the Senegalese singer is super popular here) in outfits that were far less suited to the heat and humidity (jeans in Liberia = sweaty Betty).
Every weekend I’ve been here we have ended up spending at least one night dancing. The Garden Café is where we found ourselves again last night. The place just gets packed with Liberians and westerners. There’s a live band on Fridays, but the selection can be mixed (“Let’s Get It On” isn’t super danceable, really). I ended up talking to the guy who was expressing his inner Barry White, and he’s a Liberian who has spent time in Gambia (many Liberians spent time in other countries during the war, either as refugees or with family). He was really excited when I told him that my dad and brother play the drums; he may have suggested getting a band together but I’m not sure I heard him correctly.
I am no authority on this, but I am guessing that with life not being the easiest over here, the constant presence of music and dancing provides a real outlet. It’s also a way for people who experienced 14 years of civil war to come together and connect.
Traditional dancing is also pretty popular, and last week we were treated to a performance by a dance troupe at an outdoor party. The men were good, but the women were really great – it didn’t hurt that they had these fun two-piece peach outfits and some body paint. When the dancers were finished, we all got down to some Akon (the Senegalese singer is super popular here) in outfits that were far less suited to the heat and humidity (jeans in Liberia = sweaty Betty).
2 comments:
Korpu,
It's nice to get another perspective on African life. Sara and I just watched Blood Diamond recently about the conflict in Sierra Leone, and we talked about how there is a lot of violence/poverty that goes on in Africa, but the media and entertainment industry here in the US really only tell you about the bad parts, never the good things that happen there. We're enjoying reading the blog; thanks!
P.S. That was from Nate :)
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