Liberian Literary Magazine
5) Christopher J. Nippy, First
Secretary Political and Consular
Affairs, Embassy of the Republic
of Liberia, Washington, DC:
Between the Kola Forest and the
Salty Sea encapsulates factual
historical information as never
before penned. Its primary thrust
is “educational,” in addition to
the historical insights it offers on
the people of Liberia, the once
Pepper Coast. I recommend its
use by scholars, given the up to
date
information
contained
therein. In the context of the
aforesaid it is suggested for use
by professors and students at
higher institutions of learning;
teachers and students at junior
and senior high levels; and
teachers of elementary students
up to grade six. It is an excellent
work which provides profound
knowledge about the people of
area now known as Liberia.
6) Dr. Robtel N. Paley, Author
and Scholar: Between the Kola
Forest & the Salty Sea packs a
heavy punch! Its strength lies in
the narratives derived from
volumes of archival material,
primary and second sources. The
language is accessible throughout
and lyrical/poetic in many
instances. The histories you
convey
are
beautifully
interwoven, and you argue
convincingly that pre-settler
Liberia was a by-product of
broader political, economic,
social,
and
ecological
developments.
7) Dr. Dawn Cooper-Barnes,
Executive Director, Coca-Cola
Institute
for
Innovation/Alexander
B.
Cummings Learning Center, A.
M. E. University: With Between
the Kola Forest and the Salty
Sea Dr. Burrowes has filled a
significant void in the known
history of the West African
Promoting Liberian literature, Arts and Culture
nation of Liberia. Ironically,
because of the rigorous and
thorough nature of this work
which combs various sources
from archaeology, linguistics,
and anthropology, Burrowes
makes the case that indeed most
nations are undoubtedly formed
by the migration patterns of
diverse peoples with various
social, religious and economic
motivations. This seminal work
suggests that in forging a national
identity people should understand
their
ancient
past
and
acknowledge the choices that
their ancestors made in becoming
a part of a community within their
eventual homeland. For a
country still recovering from
violent civil conflict this may be
the greatest contribution a
historian can offer. This is a must
read not only for academics and
scholars worldwide; it is a story
that the Liberian people need to
hear.
8) Max
Bankole
Jarrett,
Member of the Advisory Board
of Africa 2.0 and Former
Presenter
and
Senior
Producer/Broadcast Journalist at
BBC World Service: Prof. Carl
Patrick Burrowes has written a
masterpiece. This is the book I
have been looking for most of my
life. I salute him and commend
him for this most seminal
contribution to the literature. Yet
this is more than just an important
contribution to the academy.
Prof. Burrowes's comprehensive
history is the most significant
contribution to the Liberian
national and Pan-Africanist
dialogue in a generation or two. I
would not be leaning towards
hyperbole if I classify this
immediately with the literary
contributions of my hero E.W
Blyden. Why? Because finally,
through this book we have a
deeply researched and cogently
17
argued narrative that through a
very “longue duree” approach
that situates the political,
economic history, societal and
cultural dynamics of the peoples
and places in the area that has
become the modern day polity of
“Liberia” within the times series
context and realities of the rest of
the region.
Burrowes has shown us all,
Liberians, our fellow Africans
and
non-regionals
the
connectivity
between
the
dynamics of events within the
Liberian space and Africa as a
whole. He has shown us the
ocean, when for too long we have
only seen the waves before us. In
that regard, it is also a deeply
political and transformative
contribution to our discourse on
how Liberia is to progress, based
on a fuller knowledge of the
forces that have manifested over
the past 400 plus years in what
has since 1822 become the
modern republican polity.
This is not just history. It is my
story, it is our story. It is a book
that must be taught in
universities, schools, at Liberia’s
foreign service training centre
and further afield. This matters
today more than ever before
because, as the great Southern
American scribe William Faulker
once wrote: “The past is never
dead. It's not even past.”