Wilton Sankawulo Sr. Liberian-American Relations: Past, Present, and Future CELEBRATION OF LIBERIA'S 160TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY Symposium on Liberia-US Relations in collaboration with the Library of Congress Library of Congress Tuesday, July 24, 2007 Your Excellency Charles A. Minor, Liberia's Ambassador to the United States, other officials of the Embassy of Liberia in the United States, officials of the Government of the United States here present, officials of the Library of Congress, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen: It gives me great pleasure to participate in today's program commemorating the hundred-and-sixtieth independence anniversary of our country. Liberia's Independence Day has always been a special occasion for me because it coincides with my birthday. On a serious note, I thank Almighty God for saving my life and granting me the privilege and honor of taking part in celebrating our freedom here in Washington DC. The last phase of our civil war was so devastating that it almost claimed my life. I thank the President of the United States, His Excellency George W. Bush, whose intervention brought an end to it, saving many lives, and for granting refuge to thousands of our people. I am also grateful for his government's support to our president, her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first elected female president, as she tries to put together the bits and pieces of what remains of our country after decades of warfare. I thank the Library of Congress for jointly sponsoring this program with our embassy. The involvement of this great source of knowledge in celebrating our independence is symbolic of the fact that only intelligence--not war--can bring practical and lasting solutions to our many problems. Last but not least, I thank Ambassador Minor for extending me an invitation to participate in this program. The theme for this year's Independence Day celebrations in this great country could have not been more appropriate, Liberian- American Relations: Past, Present, and Future. From the very beginnings of the Liberian state, her relations with America have been on an even keel. They may have had their ups and downs, like all other relations, but Liberians have never been in doubt that there is no substitute for America's moral and material support for their survival and progress, and I daresay Americans too have never been in doubt that in Liberia they have a trusted friend on the continent of Africa and the world stage. Indeed, Liberians consider themselves Americans, not by virtue of birth or nationality but by the evolution of their country from America, by their adoption of American culture, and by their love for America. We consider America our mother country. The cause of this love relation between the two peoples derives from the fact that Liberia was founded by African-Americans in collaboration with their African brothers and sisters at the beginnings of the 19 century as an asylum for black people of African descent. Although many of them had won their freedom from slavery, our brothers and sisters still suffered the yoke of segregation in the land of their birth because of their color. They felt that they would find freedom, security, and progress by returning to the land of their origin. With the patronage of the American government and influential Americans such as President James Monroe, America's fifth president after whom our country's capital Monrovia is named; Andrew Jackson, Frances Scott Key, Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, and Bushrod Washington (nephew of President George Washington), they embarked on a voyage that led to the creation of the first African republic on the western bulge of Africa. They took with them the American civilization, which we cherish. In fact, it seemed as if they wanted to export America to Africa: We have our Harrisburg, our Maryland, our Careysburg, our West Point, our White Plains, and our Buchanan. Our constitution is exactly the same as that of the United States; our flag is like the American flag with the exception that it has only one star. English is our national language; Christianity is the prevailing religious affiliation of Liberia; many American Churches do not only maintain branches in Liberia, they also maintain clinics, hospitals, and schools, all of which are patterned after those in America. Many Liberians including myself received their education from American missionaries. The average Liberian believes that their education is never complete until they attend some American institution of learning. The list could continue indefinitely but suffice it to say that we are proud of our American heritage in the same way we are proud of our African heritage. We believe that for all future generations our ties with America will always be cordial, friendly, and strong. Two questions have always surfaced regarding the Liberian experiment in freedom: First, if Liberia was founded as an asylum for black people, why have we been fighting among ourselves, the recent civil war being a case in point? Second, why should Liberia be among the poorest nations on earth although she maintains special ties with the richest and most powerful nation on earth? I will attempt to answer the second question first. I do not think Liberia's economic problems are due to lack of American support. Money alone cannot build a nation. Building a nation has never been easy for even those who have the knowledge and the requisite material resources. Yes, we need all the financial assistance we can get from America. However, to build that social order that is truly responsive to our needs and aspirations, we need to take measures that can address the prerequisites of nation-building: They include establishing an identity; promoting effective communication; and putting our country first in every situation. These noble objectives are attainable chiefly through commitment and dedication to hard work and the effective use of resources that are available to the people. We are fortunate to have the American example as a blueprint to emulate. Establishing an identity means examining the totality of our experience--not only what one group of people has done but the experience of all the people--to discover the beliefs and values it contains, refining them where necessary, and making them a component of our daily life. This is vitally important for maintaining our self-respect, confidence, and unity of purpose, which are essential for the building of a nation that represents the dreams and aspirations of our ancestors. The beginning of this exercise is recording, analyzing, and assessing our history and cultural heritage to identify factors that unite us and use them for nation-building. In addition to English, we should select an indigenous Liberian language for communication as some of our sister states have done. We should teach such a language in our schools; it will help substantially unite us, improve the learning process, and restore our confidence. If we study our folklore, our culture, and our art, we will realize that peace and unity are core factors in our philosophy of life, but they have been obscured by political and technical problems. We have been engaged in self-destructive conflicts largely because circumstances divorced us from our roots. I believe that we can maintain our characteristics and still modernize as the people of Ghana, Japan, and South Korea have done. To achieve true unity of purpose and destiny, we should conduct universal education to break down once and for all the communication barrier that continues to mar our relationship with fear and suspicion. To this end, we should build enough schools in all parts of the country, train more teachers, and, above all, make education pay. We also need to build viable road, radio, and television networks to keep us in constant touch with one another. Putting our country first means subordinating our personal interests to the national interest. In the final analysis, nobody's interest is well served once the national interest is ignored. Liberia will never be safe or secure as long as a few of us are wealthy while the vast majority of us are poor and dispossessed. Finally, we should love one another. Love is a key to the building of what President Tolbert called "a wholesome functioning society." Neither money nor legislation can make people love one another. I am not talking about being in love with each other. Being in love is a voluntary surrender of your personal interests and freedom to someone else. I am talking about the love that derives from realizing that the fate of one person in a society is inextricably tied to the fates of all members of that society. I mean respecting the rights of your fellow citizens, treating them as you would have them treat you, giving to "A" what belongs to "A" and giving to "B" what belongs to "B." I mean helping your fellow citizens to rise when they fall, rejoicing with them when they rejoice, and weeping with them when they weep. The mass killings that took place in our country during the civil war, show that we need to love one another more. I was dismayed to see Liberian soldiers killing Liberian people; neighbors betraying one another and looting each other's properties. Now we come to the first question: Why have we been fighting among ourselves? The occasional skirmishes that characterized relations among us mainly derived from lack of communication, as I said earlier. There was a time when each tribal group considered its enclave a nation. The intrusion of anyone from some other tribe into that enclave almost amounted to invasion. Many of these tribes, therefore, considered their repatriated brothers and sisters as invaders. Having been separated from each other by thousands of miles and hundreds of years, they found it difficult to understand each other and accept their common heritage. These problems are birth pains of the evolution of the Liberian nation. I am happy that Liberians have always risen above their conflicts and stuck together to prove that Africans—or black people for that matter—are capable of self-rule. Liberia served as an inspiration and instrument for the wind of independence that swept over Africa during the sixties. She has always championed the cause of freedom and justice in Africa and the world. There is every hope that she will emerge from her crisis to reclaim once again her rightful place in world community even better than before. What can Liberia and America do to make their relations more meaningful and dynamic? I believe that the ball is largely in the Liberian court. From my limited understanding of Americans, if you fall, they help you stand up, but they expect you to walk for yourself. Presently we are fallen; we need America's help to stand up. If we shine, America will shine because we are America's best friends in Africa. We declared war on Nazi Germany because it declared war on America. We permitted America to use Liberian territory to conduct part of her military excursion in North Africa during the Second World War. Thousands of our citizens are contributing their skills to build America. We will be a greater asset to America if we stand on our feet. What we need urgently are enough roads and electricity to attract investors who will build factories and business enterprises that will provide jobs for our people. At present the level of unemployment in Liberia is more than 80%. If our people go to work they will not have time to go to war. Such an infrastructure does not have to be built free of charge. Liberia is blessed with abundant natural wealth that can be exploited to repay whatever funds are used for this construction. Liberia is rich in iron ore, gold, diamond, timber, and the like. We are also rich in rainfall that can facilitate viable agricultural enterprises. The special relations between Liberia and America should be reflected in certain privileges both Americans and Liberians enjoy in each other's countries. I take the liberty to use this forum to appeal to the American government to permit Liberians to come to America without undue restrictions to live and even work here to support themselves and some of their relatives back home. Further, the government of America should encourage investors to establish industries and business enterprises in Liberia that can absorb a substantial percentage of our unemployed. This will reduce the necessity for their coming to America. Liberians are a hardworking people, but they lack adequate job opportunities. By helping them help themselves, the problem of abject poverty which plagues them will be arrested considerably. I also take the liberty to appeal to our brothers and sisters, the African-Americans, to come to Liberia's aid. They founded Liberia. Therefore, they are obliged to help develop it, not merely by handing cash to Liberians, though we need plenty of cash, but by investing in Liberia, by creating business partnerships with Liberians; by supporting our educational, medical, and industrial enterprises; and by migrating to Liberia in large numbers. Some of their dreams should take them to Africa, the land of their origin, to help develop that rich continent which belongs to them as much as to us. Developing Africa is one way in which Africans and people of African descent can affirm and defend their humanity and their claim to that great continent. We can do it because we have the human and material resources. Americans too should have the privilege to go to our country without undue restrictions to live and do business with us. When I said that the ball to make our ties with America more meaningful and dynamic is in our court, it is because we need to create a peaceful and stable environment that can encourage other nations to help us and invest in our economy. Nobody will help build a nation that is constantly on a war footing, for what they build today will certainly be destroyed tomorrow. Let us learn from our past mistakes and chart a new course for the development of our country. No human institution is perfect, but repeating the same mistakes from generation to generation is indefensible. Let us pass on to our children a heritage they can be proud of--a heritage they can build upon. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe that the beginning of this endeavor is courageously examining the instruments that govern the nation and symbolize her aspirations, and removing from them those provisions that are divisive and deterrent to progress. Insurgents can use them as an excuse to cause confusion and instability among us. For example, our declaration of independence states, "We the people of Liberia were originally inhabitants of the United States of North America." This excludes the indigenous people who constitute more than 95% of the population. In fact, the statement is not historically accurate because our brothers and sisters originally came from Africa and only returned there to reclaim their heritage. In the same instrument, West Africa is referred to as "a barbarous coast." I believe that Africans may be undeveloped but they are not barbarians. Given the opportunity, they are capable of refinement like people anywhere. In our national anthem, the black race is referred to as a "race benighted." I believe that black people are not benighted; they are undaunted, which means they are fearless, brave, and strong. It is our heritage of courage that led to the founding of our great country. The national seal of the republic states, "The love of liberty brought us here." What about those who were already there? This statement should be revised to read simply, "Love, Liberty, Justice," to represent the motivations that inspired our ancestors, both natives and repatriates, to found our dear country. Another matter that is even more serious is the provision in our constitution that only black people may become citizens of Liberia and own real property. I believe that citizenship should not be granted to people on the basis of the color of their skin but on the basis of the "content of their character," as Dr. King put it. What we should do is make laws protecting the interests of everybody so that one citizen will not take advantage of another. There are many African countries in which white people are citizens, making great contributions to the development of those countries. Ladies and gentlemen, segregating white people is as bad as segregating black people--or any people, for that matter, on the basis of their color. Another priority we should take seriously is putting Liberians in control of their economy. Regardless of how much assistance we get from America or from any other developed country, we will never develop if our economy is left exclusively in the hands of other nationals. We should compete with them by being enterprising--we should make them our partners in progress in the true sense, as we often say. Next, our administration of justice should be beyond repute. Our wages and salaries, for example, should be restructured to enable us to survive on our earnings. After working all our productive years, we should be pensioned upon retirement. There are two reasons for the Liberian brain drain: Most skilled workers neither get the necessary equipment nor the compensation to which they are entitled when serving their country. Secondly, once they retire from active duty, they are often forgotten, except those with political weight and connections. You have to be a politician to get a decent income from the job you do or a pension at retirement. Consequently, corruption has become endemic in our society. Finally, we should encourage our people to cultivate within them the burning desire to improve the quality of their life. As President Tolbert taught us, we should not wait for others to do for us what we can and ought to do for ourselves. We should regard other people's help as a supplement to, not as a substitute for, our own efforts and initiatives. In fact, others will help us only if they see that we are determined to help ourselves. In addition, we should be impatient for progress by not waiting for tomorrow to do what we can do today. If we take these and other measures that are amenable to progress, not only America, but also many other industrial nations of the world will become our partners in progress. Long live Liberian-American relations. May these relations rise to unsuspected heights of achievements to ensure prosperity for our two countries and peoples. I thank you. Copyright © Wilton Sankawulo Sr. Wilton Sankawulo