Liberian Literary Magazine
history of those who lived in
the region before Liberia was
created.
My other book is Black
Christian Republican: The
Writings of Hilary Teage,
Founder
of
Liberia.
It
presents the never-beforetold story of Hilary Teage, a
newspaper editor, Baptist
pastor, successful merchant
and public servant. While
each of his achievements was
significant in itself, taken
together,
they
were
remarkable, especially for a
man who was born a slave.
In
the
words
of
a
contemporary, Teage made
the single greatest personal
contribution to the “framing
and establishment” of the
Republic of Liberia. Despite
little formal education, he
displayed a mastery of several
genres of writing and fields of
knowledge. To Liberians, who
are
recovering
from
a
devastating civil war that left
schools decimated, Teage
offers an inspiring example of
what
individuals
can
accomplish through discipline
and self-directed study.
What inspired you to write
this title or how did you
come up with the storyline?
I choose the title Between
the Kola Forest and the Salty
Sea because kola and sea salt
were two commodities that
first put the area now known
as Liberia on the map, so to
speak. These discoveries by
some of our earliest ancestors
attracted others to this
region.
The title Black Christian
Republicanism reflects the
core thinking of Hilary Teage.
January Issue 0115
Unlike
many
Liberian
intellectuals today, he did not
borrow his ideology from
elsewhere; he created it. His
ideas were not a hodge-podge
of scraps; they were tightly
integrated and coherent.
At a deeper level, my
historical works are a rebuttal
to the negative, neo-colonial
and divisive narrative that
dominates
Liberian
scholarship. That approach
has
proven
politically
beneficial to the intellectuals
who promote it, but it has
devastated our country.
My approach, which is more
holistic, is mainly inspired by
the Liberia I experienced as a
youth. My Bushrod Island
neighborhood in the 1950s
was what people today would
call
multi-cultural.
Our
nearest neighbor to the right
were relatives of opposition
leader Dihdwo Twe, then in
exile in Sierra Leone. To our
left was New Kru Town, the
largest nearby community.
Getting there involved a 15minute walk past a compound
of Vai-speaking Muslims, a
household headed by a Gola
father, an Ashanti family and
various others.
Hours
spent
with
neighborhood friends fishing
in Stockton Creek, hunting
birds with slingshots and
playing soccer led me to see
Liberia as a quilt woven from
many cultures. That insight
would deepen during my
years at St. Patrick’s High
School, which drew students
from all parts of Liberia and
diverse
economic
backgrounds.
Getting to St. Patrick’s, on
the opposite side of Monrovia,
required taking a “holeh,
14
holeh” bus, crowded with
fellow passengers from all
walks of life. My route
involved stops at Point Four,
Logan Town, Free Port, Clara
Town,
Vai
Town
and
Waterside Market, before
heading uptown to the fancy
shops, government offices
and cinemas on Broad Street.
Those years planted the seeds
that germinated into these
book.
My approach to history is
rooted in the view that ethnic
groups and polities are
dynamic, not frozen. It
assumes that relationships
between groups throughout
history are characterized, not
just by conflicts, but also by
cooperation too. The books
present, not only the history
of Liberians, but shows that
story in connection with the
rest of Africa and larger
trends in the world.
Is there anything else you
would like readers to know
about your books?
Writing my two upcoming
books took over 20 years of
extensive research and tens
of thousands of dollars spent
on
books,
travel
and
photocopying of research
materials. I am now at a
critical stage that requires
the entire “village” to get
these books across the finish
line.
Beginning in mid-January, I
will launch a campaign
through the Kickstarter.com
website to raise funds for
getting both books printed.
Please support the campaign.
Every donation counts. If you
make the lowest donation, it
will cost the same as