I have been slack to keep up with my days here, mostly because things started to blend together in workshops and work but today was different. Today was Liberia’s Independence Day. Technically July 26th is the date but because it fell on a Sunday the festivities were today (Monday). I’ll start with today and work […]
Read more "Many days and many thoughts"Eddoes – a wide leaf that is eaten in Ghana, the root is eaten in LiberiaPalava sauceCabbage and palm cabbageCollardsTomatoes – “bulbs”=cherry tomatoesPotato leaf – they eat the leaf here! Didn’t know you could do that…Fever leaf – semi-bitter, used to release bowls (the liquid that comes out of it being mashed) and break a […]
Read more "Plants: (Yes, I’m blogging about plants because some have asked, and they’re different here)"It means bright woman, or light skinned woman. M, with the GAP team gave it to me. I’m very proud and honored to have a Kpelleh (pronounced Bellay)* name. It’s prounounced Nya (like an n in Spanish) – poo. When people say it, it sounds like Nyampu but I don’t think there’s an M in […]
Read more "My name is Nyapu"7-17 – 7-19 Went to the forest again last weekend. Heard there were elephants in the area but have yet to see any. There was another peacebuilding meeting. Yes, Matt, the put the sign up, I took a picture for you. Did I negatively affect the process? Sitting in the meeting, overheated and dehydrated, I […]
Read more "Last weekend – Goyala, Voinjama and Zar-Zar"Both males and females are circumcised in traditional Liberian culture, during the Poro and the Sande initiation rites. Basically these schools (referred to as “bush schools) are the traditional way of educating youth on everything from cooking to participating in local governance. The Poro is for the boys and the Sande is for the girls, […]
Read more "The Poro and the Sande (and violence?)"This is one point that I’ve found I cannot and will not budge for cultural relativism. It’s a question of quality of life as well as health and individual autonomy. To take away someone’s sexual pleasure simply because of their gender is to deny them something that is inherent to all people. It is a […]
Read more "Speaking of FGM…"Was the second week of the adult literacy facilitators workshop. We talked about female circumcision and I learned more about the Poro and the Sande (they aren’t as secretive as other anthropologists suggest, outsiders just aren’t welcome to the ceremonies or compound, and even then, I think I could attend the graduation ceremonies if I […]
Read more "This week (July 12 – 17)"How much of my role in Liberia is to change cultural norms? I’m an anthropologist, right? But I believe there is a role of an outsider to ask why certain things are done and if there is no good answer, to continue asking why. For instance, women do the rice farming here (the staple food […]
Read more "Which leads me to another rant."I have been helping to facilitate and write the report of the adult literacy facilitators workshop. I talked about human rights today and bored and confused my audience. Many of the participants live in rural communities and all of them are from the interior. I’ve found that the longer a Liberian lives in the interior, […]
Read more "Updates on DELTA and my part"But still a white woman. Difficult to pull off, I know. The nurses who I chatted with weeks ago called me a Liberian Lady after I managed to mimic their dance moves with some success, and with my dance partner, I played the part quite well. I also bought two lappas, and was then corrected […]
Read more "A Liberian Lady now"
Ally Krupar 