Category Archives: Liberian History

163rd Independence Anniversary Invites To Reflect And Celebrate

Posted on 24 July 2010 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

On July 26, Liberia and Liberians worldwide celebrate the 163rd anniversary of the independence of Africa’s oldest republic. On this occasion, two questions come to my mind. First, what explains that Liberia has managed to exist for over 160 years? … Continue reading →

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Gus Kouwenhoven on trial again – Dutch Supreme Court orders

Posted on 20 April 2010 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

Two years ago – on March 10, 2008 – I commented on the acquittal of Gus Kouwenhoven, also known as Guus van Kouwenhoven, a Dutch timber trader and business partner of Charles Taylor, accused of illegal arms trade for his … Continue reading →

Posted in Charles Taylor, Civil War(s) Liberia, Gus Kouwenhoven, Guus Kouwenhoven, Liberia, Liberian History | Leave a comment

April 12, 1980 – 2010

Posted on 11 April 2010 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

I can’t help but think of April 12, 1980 when the anniversary of Samuel Doe’s bloody coup d’état approaches. I happened to be in Monrovia on that historic day, en route to Burkina Faso, then still called Upper Volta, where … Continue reading →

Posted in 'April 12', Charles Taylor, Civil War(s) Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Famous Liberians, Liberia, Liberian Economy, Liberian History, Samuel Kanyon Doe | Leave a comment

‘This Child Will be Great’ – Some reflections

Posted on 4 May 2009 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

Wow. What a book! What a woman! What a life! I just finished reading Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s autobiography, ‘This Child Will be Great. Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa’s First Woman President’ (HarperCollinsPublishers, 2009). The book amazes, the book … Continue reading →

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From the ‘rice riots’ to the Special Court for Sierra Leone

Posted on 13 April 2009 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

Thirty years ago the ‘rice riots’ were the beginning of the end of the Administration of President William Tolbert (1971 – 80). April 14, 1979 – ‘The day Monrovia stood still’, as described by the late Albert Porte, one of … Continue reading →

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A glimse of Liberia in the 1950s

Posted on 18 January 2009 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

A good friend of mine sent me an interesting link to a 1958 movie of the visit of Prince Bernard of the Netherlands, the Prince Consort of Queen Juliana, to Liberia. The short movie, made for the Dutch National News … Continue reading →

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Liberia: A Visit Through Books

Posted on 15 December 2008 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

Two weeks ago I wrote about Matilda Newport – myth or reality, facts and fiction – and another previous post was on three Liberian women, Elma Shaw, Helene Cooper and Diana Taylor, who wrote three remarkable books on Africa’s oldest … Continue reading →

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Matilda Newport (1822) and the civil war

Posted on 1 December 2008 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

Today, December 1, I had to think of Matilda Newport, a Liberian heroine. Generations of Liberians of all walks of life and every possible background have grown up with ‘Matilda Newport’. For over a century, December 1 was celebrated as … Continue reading →

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Nine Blogs and Three Books – The True Liberian Spirit

Posted on 20 October 2008 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

The civil war left more than 200,000 peope dead and made many more victims: wounded or disabled people, child-soldiers, orphans, who had to restart their lives, often struggling with a trauma caused by unforgettable cruelties. When President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf … Continue reading →

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“Did you know that….?” – My favorite facts and trivia on Liberia

Posted on 15 September 2008 by Dr. Fred P.M. van der Kraaij

I love facts. My favorite slogan is “Facts first, opinions later.” I also love factoids and trivia. Many are known ‘facts’, some may surprise. The entire list is a weird collection. Some ‘facts’ are fun-facts or useless knowledge, some ‘facts’ … Continue reading →

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