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01/11/2025

|Liberia 🇱🇷| November Timeline at a Glance….

* November 06, 2025 — [First Thursday in November] National Thanksgiving Day: a national holiday in Liberia. It was established by the Legislature in 1883.
A day for the nation to give thanks for peace, protection, and providence.

* November 10, 1828 — Death of Rev. Lott Carey died, though not a birthday, his death is noted on 10 November: he was an African-American missionary leader in early Liberia. Carey Street in Monrovia is named in memory of him.

* November 11, 1952 —Reginald GoodRidge's birthday: Politician who served as Minister of Culture, Information & Tourism in Liberia and was press secretary under President Charles Taylor.

* November 11, 2022 — National Census Day: The government declared 11 November 2022 as Census Day for the national population and housing census.

* November 12, 1985 — Coup attempt by Thomas Quiwonkpa against Samuel Doe’s government. This marked a critical moment in Liberia’s political instability; the coup attempt failed and led to reprisals and deeper unrest.

* November 13, 2014 — State of emergency was announced lifted. During the Ebola virus disease outbreak in Liberia: by 5 November the country had 6,525 cases and 2,697 deaths. A critically important public-health milestone; the decline in transmission was a turning point in the crisis.

* November 20 — World Children’s: On 20 November 2024, Liberia celebrated World Children’s Day with a school-based event focusing on “Listening to the Future”.

* November 29 — William V. S. Tubman’s birthday, declared a national holiday. Tubman was Liberia’s longest-serving president (1944-1971) and is celebrated for his “Open Door” & “National Unification” policies.

* November 29, 1882 — Abayomi Wilfrid Karnga's birthday: A Liberian historian, educator, politician and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

* November 29, 1989 — Korte Dorbor Bazzie aka "Kobazzie" birthday: Liberian singer & songwriter; active in youth empowerment and social issues through his music.

* November 30, 1944 — Joseph Nyuma Boakai Sr. Birthday: Politician serving as President of Liberia since January 2024.

30/10/2025

29/10/2025

|Liberia 🇱🇷| Oct 29 — Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's Birthday 🎊

EJS Profile:
Full Name: Ellen Eugenia Johnson Sirleaf
Date of Birth: October 29, 1938
Place of Birth: Monrovia, Liberia
Nationality: Liberian
Occupation: Politician, Economist, Author
Famous For: First elected female President in Africa

* Early Life and Education:

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was born in Monrovia to a mixed heritage family. Her father, Jahmale Carney Johnson, was the first indigenous Liberian to sit in the national legislature, while her mother, Martha Dunbar Johnson, was of Gola and German descent.

Sirleaf attended the College of West Africa in Monrovia before traveling to the United States in the early 1960s. She studied at Madison Business College and later earned a Bachelor’s degree in Accountin from the University of Colorado. She went on to obtain a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in 1971.

* Early Career:

Upon returning to Liberia, Johnson Sirleaf began working at the Liberian Ministry of Finance, where she quickly rose through the ranks due to her strong economic skills.

In 1979, she served as Minister of Finance under President William Tolbert, where she implemented policies to stabilize the economy. However, after the 1980 military coup led by Samuel Doe, she went into exile due to her opposition to the new regime.

During her years abroad, she held senior positions at major international institutions, including:
World Bank
Citibank
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

* Political Struggles and Imprisonment:

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf returned to Liberia several times to engage in politics. She ran for office and often spoke against dictatorship and corruption. Her political activism led to her imprisonment twice under Samuel Doe’s regime. Despite these hardships, she remained steadfast in her advocacy for democracy and good governance.

* Rise to the Presidency:

After years of civil war, Liberia held democratic elections in 2005. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf ran as the candidate for the Unity Party and won, defeating former football star George Weah.

On January 16, 2006, she was inaugurated as the 24th President of Liberia, making her the first woman ever elected as a head of state in Africa.

* Presidency (2006–2018):

During her two terms (2006–2018), President Sirleaf focused on:
- Rebuilding Liberia’s war-torn economy
- Promoting peace and national reconciliation
- Attracting foreign investment
- Fighting corruption and empowering women

Her administration worked closely with international partners to rebuild infrastructure, improve education, and restore credibility to Liberia’s government.

She also led the country through the 2014 Ebola epidemic, coordinating national and international responses that eventually curbed the outbreak.

* Awards and Recognition:

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has received numerous honors for her leadership and humanitarian work, including:

1. Nobel Peace Prize (2011) – shared with Leymah Gbowee (Liberia) and Tawakkol Karman (Yemen) for promoting women’s rights and peacebuilding.

2. Presidential Medal of Freedom (U.S.)

3. Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development

4. Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership (2017)

* Post-Presidency Activities:

After leaving office in 2018, Sirleaf continued to advocate for democracy, women’s leadership, and development in Africa. She founded the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development, which mentors and empowers young African women leaders.

* Publications:

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf authored several books, including her acclaimed memoir:

"This Child Will Be Great: Memoir of a Remarkable Life by Africa’s First Woman President" (2009) – a personal and political account of her journey and Liberia’s transformation.

* Legacy:

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is celebrated as a trailblazer for women in leadership, a symbol of resilience, and a voice for democracy and good governance in Africa. Her presidency marked a turning point for Liberia after years of war and instability, and her global influence continues to inspire new generations of African leaders.

Happy Birthday Ma'am 😘🎊🎂

29/10/2025

|Liberia 🇱🇷| The Cape Mesurado lighthouse (often called Mamba Point Light or Cape Mesurado Light) sits on the north-western point of Cape Mesurado in Monrovia (Mamba Point). It has been a coastal navigation aid since the 19th century and is closely tied to Monrovia’s maritime history.
However, the Cape Mesurado was a major coastal landmark long before formal lights were installed when US/Portuguese ships began sailing the area.
Some historical records and imagery suggest an early masonry light/structure in the region by the 1830s; accounts also mention attacks and unrest in the 1830s connected to clashes around the settlement and trading posts at the cape. Different sources indicate that there was an early lighthouse standing in the 1830s, and at least one account refers to incidents around 1836–1838.

* The commonly cited date for the established lighthouse on Cape Mesurado is mid-19th century, sources most frequently indicate 1855 as the year a formal light was set up. Over time the original square masonry/light-house images have given way to the later smaller tower structures visible in 20th-century.

The light is located atop the hill at Mamba Point (the northwest point of the cape). Historic postcards and photographs show an earlier square masonry tower and later cylindrical/shorter towers; modern photographs (and satellite imagery) show the site partly hidden by trees and buildings as you can see in the above image.

The light has not been reliably active in recent years. Reports from lighthouse registries and maritime notices indicate the light was “temporarily extinguished” in the 2000s–2010s, and the Liberian authorities have at times sought funds or assistance to restore/reactivate it. Site access and tower condition have been described as uncertain in recent notes.

Cape Mesurado is the promontory where the American-colonist settlement that became Monrovia was established (1822). The lighthouse therefore sits on ground that is central both to Liberia’s founding history and to the navigation of one of West Africa’s key coastal ports. Historic images of Monrovia often use the lighthouse/Mamba Point as a viewpoint.

28/10/2025

|Liberia 🇱🇷| The Grand Bassa Lighthouse, sometimes called the Grand Bassa Point Light, stood near the coastal city of Buchanan, the capital of Grand Bassa County.
It was strategically positioned on Grand Bassa Point, a rocky headland that extends into the Atlantic Ocean, an area vital for guiding ships entering and leaving the port of Buchanan.

The lighthouse station at Grand Bassa Point was established around 1906, during a period when Liberia was expanding its coastal navigation infrastructure to aid maritime trade.

Buchanan was already one of Liberia’s main ports for the export of commodities such as timber and iron ore, making a lighthouse necessary for safe navigation.

The light served as a navigational aid for vessels traveling along Liberia’s central coast, particularly those approaching the busy Buchanan harbor and passing near the reefs and coastal shoals of Grand Bassa Point.

The original structure was described as a 10-meter (33-ft) masonry tower, unpainted and cylindrical, built using local materials to withstand coastal weather.

In the 20th century, a 24-meter (79-foot) steel skeletal tower, painted in yellow and orange horizontal bands, was reportedly erected to replace the old masonry light.

Its focal height was approximately 29 meters (95 feet), and it displayed a white or red light, depending on the direction faced — a common feature of modern navigational lights to signal safe versus hazardous approaches.

By the early 2000s, Liberia’s lighthouse system had suffered major neglect due to civil unrest and lack of maintenance.
In 2008, the Liberian Maritime Authority reported that the Grand Bassa Lighthouse “no longer exists” and would need to be rebuilt.

The Grand Bassa Lighthouse is remembered as part of Liberia’s maritime heritage, symbolizing the country’s early efforts to build coastal navigation aids without colonial administration.
It served mariners for nearly a century and played a role in the economic development of Buchanan, once one of West Africa’s most active export ports.
Although no longer operational, the lighthouse remains part of local historical memory and is occasionally mentioned in discussions about restoring Liberia’s coastal infrastructure.

28/10/2025