Requiem for Liberia
With a broom on her shoulder, Blah Freeman,sister-in-law of the late Joseph F.A. Tellewoyan performs the dance for her late brother-in-law in Detroit, Michigan, on October 5, 2002. Observing in the background is our sister, Ellen-Tellewoyan Dennis, and Esther Tellewoyan the wife of F.A. Tellewoyan. It is a common belief among indigenous Liberians that unless thses ceremonies are performed the dead will not rest in eternal peace with our forefathers.
This website is dedicated to the hundreds of thousands of Liberians who either perished or suffered the afflictions of the horrific Liberian-civil war of 1989-1996. This site is especially dedicated to four of my dearest brothers and sister[Solomon, Andrew, Quiwu, Gertrude, Sarah Tellewoyan] who perished in the conflict. It is also dedicated to two of my beloved-twin uncles, Zubar and Zubaryea Koryan; my stepfather, Lavia Johnson; and many close relatives who were slaughtered. To Solomon Tellewoyan, who was taken away by rebels and summarily executed, I remember you as a ten year old, assuming the role of a father figure over us, while our daddy was away on business; I recollect you using your shirt to wipe away my tears when I wept as a child; I remember your generosity to my children when you visited us; and I recall you taking control of the funeral of my son, when he died. You will always be remembered; and may your soul rest in perpetual peace. To Andrew Tellewoyan, who was summarily executed by rebels in Voinjama: I recollect the good times we had during our childhood days in Voinjama. There were times when we looked at each other, eyeball to eyeball, and just laughed hysterically at nothing--some things that children do! I especially remember when you gave me your entire one-month salary, to help me support my children, when I was unemployed. We were so close. How can I repay you now? May your soul rest in infinite peace. To my hearing-impaired brother, Quiwu Tellewoyan, who was mortally shot in the back by ECOMOG troops, because he did not hear the command to stop. I thank you for protecting my children during the civil war. May your soul rest in constant peace.
To my twin uncles: first, Zubar Koryan, who was beheaded on his farm in Kalaerzia, Lofa County, by rebels, and Zubaryea Koryan, who died from an infected hemorrhoid in the war ravaged city of Monrovia, I thank both of you ("emmama, eseh") as we say in Lorma, our mother tongue, for playing a pivotal role in my early education. Within the spirit of Lorma tradition, you treated me and took care of me, as if I was your own son. May your souls rest in everlasting peace. To my stepfather, Lavia Johnson, who died because he could not get his diabetic medication, thank you for sharing your life with my mother all these years. We will all miss you. May your soul rest in peace.
To all our aged and blind relatives, who were left behind in the village of "Kazar", Lofa County, and were later slaughtered by the rebels, the Tellewoyan family is sorry that they could not come to your rescue. We know that our forefathers and mothers have met you and have consoled your hearts. May our God receive your souls.
To all the visitors on this web site who have little or no knowledge of the Liberian-civil war, I invite you to visit the page on the civil war. For never in the annals of Liberian-internecine conflict, has so much blood been shed by so many innocent civilians; never in the history of national upheaval, has so much mayhem been inflicted on so much public and private property; and no war in Liberia's past, has dislocated so many innocent people, as the Liberian civil war of 1990-1996. Total anarchy consumed the nation, which culminated into the death of over 200,000 men, women and children---mostly innocent civilians; another 600,000 Liberians became refugees in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Gambia and Nigeria; over 800,000 people were displaced; and just about every family in Liberia suffered from the ravages of this ugly war.
Within the spirit of Lorma-Liberian tradition, the ethnic group that I come from, the indigenous Liberian dancers on this page symbolize the feast for the dead. In indigenous Liberian society, there is usually massive weeping and wailing for the dead; however, once the dead is buried, a major feast is held for those who have departed into the other world to be with their ancestors. During this celebration, a cattle is slaughtered; dancers celebrate; and in accordance to Lorma tradition, a local comedian even walks around telling jokes about those who have gone beyond. Its an incredible experience, when weeping turns to laughter, and when those who remain in this fragile world are comforted with the hope that there is life after death.
To the international community--the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Amnesty International, the United Nations, the International Red Cross, the United States, and other international humanitarian organizations--thank you, or as we say in Lorma, "EMMAMA, ESA" for all the assistance that you bestowed on the Liberian people during this bloody conflict. We now ask you to move one step further, and set up an international tribunal, just as you did in Bosnia, and Rwanda, in the Tutsi-Hutu conflict, and investigate war crimes committed against the Liberian people during the Liberian civil war. Calling for justice is neither vengeance nor vice; but sweeping under the rug, the mass murders committed against the Liberian people is infamy.
I designed this website to help educate the rest of the world about the history, economy, culture, diet, and the way of life of the Liberian people. Additionally, my motivation for designing this site is to bring to the attention of the world, the plight of the Liberian people, brought on by seven years of a horrific civil war which claimed over 10 percent of the population, decimated the economy, and wreck the infrastructure.
Despite the limited information contain on this website, I hope that your visit here, and your journey on other Liberian web pages, will enrich your knowledge about the Liberian people. Thank you.
To Liberians who visit this site: I was inspired to design this website to both educate Liberians about our heritage, and to expose the crimes committed against our people since the formation of the Liberian state. The role of our governments in the murder, torture, illegal imprisonment, and intimidation of our people, (a kind of "Gulag Archipelago," ) should be exposed and instill in the collective consciousness of our people, so that even if such evils are not averted, they can at least be abated to a level consistent with our rights as human beings.
To obtain your copy please call toll free at:1-888-795-4274 or 215-923-4686, or write, Xlibris Coporation, 436 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pa, 19113. Xlibris delivers by UPS, consequently, PO boxes are not accepted. To order online, please go to: Order Book Online
Land & Economy of Liberia
People
Food
History &Government of Liberia
The Liberian-Civil War
A day in the life of an indigenous-Liberian village.
Home Page
AMISTAD
Experiences of Liberians Studying and Working Overseas
Other web sites related to Liberia:
Current News from Liberia, presented by "STAR RADIO." STAR RADIO is an independent radio station in Liberia, which is managed by Swiss NGO Foundation Hirondelle, and financed by the United States Agency for International Development, through the International Foundation for Elections Systems. The station began transmitting news since July 15, 1997 on FM 104 MHz in English, Liberian English, French, Bassa, Dey, Gbande, Gola, Grebo, Lorma, Kissi, Kpelle, Khran, Kru, Manndingo, Mano, and Vai.
British Broadcasting Service:--Focus on Africa.
Amnesty International: Documents on the Liberian -Civil War
Liberian Embassy: Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
Cuttington University College.
Liberian Connection.
Africa Online "chat room":Liberia
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