Culture and Geography

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Liberia was established as a place to send freed African-American slaves. On 26 July 1847, the settlers declared Liberia to be independent from the USA. Liberia’s tumultuous past can be traced to April 1980 when Master Sergeant Samuel Doe led a coup and later, in 1985, held a sham election to maintain his power. After two decades of war, conflict and restrictions imposed on the country, Liberia had a transitional government in 2003.

Each individual ethnic group has managed to preserve its musical tradition. The Vai people hand down tribal customs and traditions to the young in secret society meetings. Most of the songs consist of calls and answers and are accompanied by a drum. Liberians are very sociable; handshaking, followed by a finger snap is the traditional way to greet people.

Liberia borders Sierra Leone, Guinea Republic and Cote d’Ivoire, in Africa. Facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps and river-deposited sandbars. The land rises towards inland from the narrow coastal plain up to a plateau and further to highlands covered in rainforests in the south and leafy forests in the north.