Author Archives: Brooks Marmon

‘Washington Wanted Tolbert Out’: Why the OAU Chair Never Attended Zimbabwe’s Independence Celebration

In July 1979, President William R. Tolbert Jr. of Liberia basked in glory in a purpose-built conference hall on the banks of the St. Paul River, which for over a century had served as an important conduit for the country’s Americo-Liberian settlers to penetrate the interior of a land which had attracted black American settlers since 1822.

Liberian Foreign Minister C. Cecil Dennis’ Last Hours of Freedom

Cecil Dennis had made waves a few years earlier during July 4th celebrations at the U.S. Embassy when, as his brother notes, “he made very sharp remarks” criticizing the U.S.’ lack of support for Liberian development, comparing it unfavorably to the efforts of the British and French to support their West African colonies.

One-sided Publicity for New Biography of Sirleaf Illustrates Adichie’s ‘Danger of a Single Story’

If the publicity around Helene Cooper’s new book is a reliable indicator, one would be hard pressed to expect a biography that does anything but draw on the tried and true single story that paints Liberia as a land torn by violence, where accountability is a luxury, and in which there is little to celebrate except the novelty of its female chief executive.

OP-ED: What Happened in Vegas is What Happens in Liberia

Over the past week and a half, my social media feeds have been flooded with pictures and musings from Liberian journalists in the United States, primarily as a result of a meeting of the Association of Liberian Journalists in the United States.

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