New team member

Calvin Bella the insightful young man who has an excerpt from his interview posted here has agreed to become a member of the team. He is currently a history student at Concordia University right here in Saint Paul Minnesota. Calvin will be using his training as a historian and his extensive knowledge of Liberia as the research coordinator for this project. We are very lucky to have someone as skilled and as intelligent as Calvin on the team

Elitha Bing-Tucker talks about how the war affected her

Elitha Bing-Tucker talks about the war and how she feels the war
affected Liberians. Full disclosure, she is my aunt.

Ten more questions

After talking to some people I realized that a lot of the young people that I interviewed never lived in Liberia, so I decided to create ten more questions.
Here they are:

1) Where did you grow up?
2) Did you grow up with or around other Liberians?
3) What did you learn about Liberia growing up?
4) Is it important for you to stay connected to Liberian culture?
5) What do you remember seeing or hearing about the war?
6) How do you think the war affected the youth of Liberia?
7) What advice would you give to young Liberians moving to the united states?
8) Do you see yourself ever visiting or moving to Liberia?
9) What do you see as the future for Liberian youth?
10) There are communities of Liberians all over the world but they are not well connected. Is it important to foster those connections and how do we accomplish that goal.

If anyone else has questions that they would like to ask please submit them. I promise you that they will be asked.

A very insightful response from Calvin Bella about the Liberian Diaspora

Calvin Bella is a student at Concordia University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He is a very insightful person and I am glad that he was able to take part in this project.

Ten Questions

Here are the ten questions that I will be asking everyone. If you know anyone interested in being interviewed please let me know and send them a link to this blog. We have about four weeks from this post to schedule everyone.

1) Where were you born?
2) Where were/are your parents from?
3) What was Liberia like when you were growing up?
4) When you were growing up in Liberia what did you think that your future would be?
5) What are you best memories of growing up in Liberia?
6) What was the hardest thing to adjust to in your new country?
7) What do you remember about the war?
8) How did the war effect you?
9) What do you see as the future for Liberia?
10)What advice would you give to future Liberian generations?

From the Philadelphia Folklore Project

A short documentary of Zaye Tete being interviewed.

Documnentaries: Thank You West Africa :: Philadelphia Folklore Project (PFP)

A beautiful song from Zaye Tete

YouTube - Liberia Zaye Tete

Origins

A story about the origins of the Bassa people.

Ad-Bassa-nia - "Basaa Migrations From Abassania"

Loma Syllabary

The Loma syllabary was invented during the 1930s by Wido Zobo of Boneketa, Liberia. It was used among the Loma people, mainly for personal correspondence, during the 1930s and 1940s but is no longer used having been replaced by the Latin alphabet.

Loma syllabary

Kpelle Syllabary

The Kpelle syllabary was invented during the 1930s by Chief Gbili of Sanoyea, Liberia.

Kpelle syllabary

Mende Syllabary

The Mende syllabary was invented in 1921 by Kisimi Kamara (ca. 1890-1962) of Sierra Leone. Seeing how the British managed to take over his country, Kisimi concluded that their power was partly a result of their literacy. He decided to give his own people that ability. Kisimi claimed he was inspired in a dream to create the Mende syllabary, which he called Ki-ka-ku. During the 1920s and 1930s he run a school in Potoru to teach Ki-ka-ku. The syllabary became a popular method of keeping records and writing letters.

Mende syllabary, pronunciationa and language

AfricanColours :: Your Guide To Contemporary African Art

Artist portfolios on the African Colours website.

AfricanColours :: Your Guide To Contemporary African Art - Fine Artist

Sea Breeze Art Gallery

Sea Breeze also has an art gallery.

Liberia Sea Breeze Art Gallery - Powered by Doteasy.com

David Wolobah

The website of David Wolobah a Liberian painter.

David Wolobah – Liberian Artist

Sando Moore

Liberian photographer Sando Moore.

Sando Moore – Photographer

Liberian artist's work showcased at Emporium Center

Showcase of work by Franz Massaquoi, Knoxville based Liberian painter.

Knoxville.com | Liberian artist's work showcased at Emporium Center : Events : Knoxville.com

Leslie Lumeh: painting from the heart - CNN.com

Liberian painter Leslie Lumeh is interviewed by CNN.Here is a link to his artwork.

Leslie Lumeh: painting from the heart - CNN.com

Sea Breeze Journal of Contemporary Liberian Writings

Sea breeze is a great resource for contemporary Liberian writing.


About The Journal : Sea Breeze Journal of Contemporary Liberian Writings

Law student in Liberia has a link to some interesting artwork

Just doing a search, I found a law student currently working in Monrovia who has images of local artwork.

Liberia Journal

Young Liberian painters

Here is a selection of work from young Liberian painters that I found on flicker.

The Vai syllabary

The Vai language which is spoken by ethnic groups in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea; also has a written component.

Here and here are a couple of links to more information/

The Bassa writing system

The Bassa tribe originate from western libera and have developed their own writing system.

Artist loosing eyesight

This is an article about a Liberian artist and traditional musicologist who has traveled the whole country learning how to create and play the instruments of the various ethnic groups. Tragically, he is suffering from glaucoma but cannot afford the treatment.

Wunkirmian feast spoon

These ceremonial feast ladles and spoons were given to the most hospitable woman in the village. This website has some more information about the history and regional differences.

Dan Masks

This website provides some examples of masks created by the Dan (pronounced Dahn) peoples of Liberia, Western Ivory Coast and Southern Guinea. It is sad that so many links that I find to African art especially masks always seem to be hawking it for sale. Part of why I started this blog was because of lack of really good reputable information about Liberian art.

Liberian independence day celebration

A celebration of our independence day July 26th. I like these images because it shows our dance and our music which form part of the foundation of our culture. I also like the fact that war hasn't completely destroyed the bonds between the different cultural groups.

Welcome

Hello all, My name is Sonkarlay Vaye and I am a graphic designer. I am originally from Monrovia, Liberia but now I reside in the United States. I set up this blog as a way to collect information about Liberian arts and culture. The final result of all of this will be a documentary consisting of interviews of Liberians currently living in Minnesota and their memories of the country they left. I hope that this documentary can serve as a time capsule for future generations and give them an idea of who we are as Liberians.

Thanks for visiting,

Sonkarlay Vaye