Harsh and successful demontrations have been reported recently from Liberia’s women. Were they informed and constructiv or are they dominated by social-media-recklessness?
How Liberia’s Soldiers‘ Wives Overthrow the Minister of Defense
February 15, 2024, 3:34 p.m. (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
The transfer of power to the new government has been successful (elections in Oct. 2023), but the Minister of Defence is forced to resign after persistent protests. He seems to have made the wrong enemies.
By Paul Munzinger, Cape Town (translated and shortened)
Opposition to Johnson came from within his own ranks. But it was not the officers who led the mutiny against the minister, it was their wives. Over the weekend, they organized nationwide protests and blocked important traffic arteries in the country of five million inhabitants on the Atlantic, such as the highway to the airport in the capital Monrovia. The women had taken the country hostage, a newspaper wrote Pictures show simple but apparently effective roadblocks made of car tires, wooden boards and plastic chairs. Liberian media reported traffic jams that were so long that some drivers left their cars to continue on foot. The annual celebration in honor of the army has been canceled. The women, one newspaper wrote, had taken the country hostage for a day. They reportedly had pots and pans with them to cook on the spot and not have to leave their posts.
The protests against Prince Charles Johnson III had already begun before his appointment, but had not been able to prevent them. As a result, the demonstrators demanded his removal and proceeded to blockade. The list of allegations against Johnson is long, relating to his time as chief of staff between 2018 and 2024. Among other things, he is accused of autocratic administration and corruption. … After two decades of murderous civil war and a devastating Ebola epidemic, Liberia had recently made positive headlines due to a peaceful transfer of power. Boakai won last year’s presidential election against incumbent George Weah, who immediately acknowledged his defeat despite a historically close result. On Tuesday, Boakai appointed Johnson’s successor, a former brigadier general named Geraldine George. This is the first time in Liberia’s history that a woman has headed the Ministry of Defence.
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I think, there is more to meet the eye
The women complaint that their husbands were not well treated while Johnson staired the AFL (Armed Forces of Liberia) as chief of staff. And as defence minister things will go from bad to worse. They complained of army benefits, health insurance, housing among others. With such pressure he was asked to resign. Wives of Liberian soldiers/AFL set up roadblocks near the capital Monrovia and elsewhere in the country. This forced Boakai (the president) to cancel planned National Army Day celebrations on Monday. This appears first of its kind. The women were placing multiple grievances – low salaries, pensions, lack of social security, electricity shortages, poor housing facilities, corruption within the armed forces, etc. .
They also demanded the defense minister’s resignation blaming for a reduction in the salaries of Liberian soldiers returning from peace missions in Mali.
The first roadblock was assembled on Saturday on the outskirts of Monrovia near the Edward Binyah Kessely barracks on the road leading to the international airport. Others followed on Sunday February 11 and Monday 12 February respectively.
I think, there is more to meet the eye. JCK, Monrovia. FSTS
More people have started to accept compexity
Social media allows people to communicate directly in real-time. Messengers are involved when spontaneous gatherings and protests are organized.
For many participants in ralleys and demonstrations, this feels like real democracy. It’s easy to feel right when you’re part of a large crowd.
In 2011, a broad wave of protests dubbed the Arab Spring swept the countries of North Africa and the Middle East. Since the fall of 2014, the right-wing racist mob has been marching through East German cities under the name Pegida. Even a political party in the German Bundestag joined the vicious insults against the government, war refugees and migrants. On January 6, 2021, Donald Trump, who had just been voted out of office, encouraged his supporters to storm the Capitol. In mid-2020, extensive desinformation-campaigns began on Telegram. The Bavarian Prime Minister was the first to push for schools to be closed because of the pandemic – after all, all other federal states followed suit. After the failure of the Sputnik vaccine, Russian propaganda increased and, at the same time, more and more people no longer felt well represented in the public media.
Anyone who spread fake news (bots and people) insulted the reputable press as a „lying press“. This spoilt our citizenship until 25.11.2023. This day investigative journalists were undercover at a meeting of ultra-right-Identitarians. Citizens were shocked by names of participants and topics. Although our constitution (Grundgesetz) obliges every state organ to protect the dignity of all human beings, it was claimed that Germany could only be saved from its downfall if millions of people were expelled.
Now we are all on the streets defending democracy.
Democracy is a matter of being informed, a matter of goodwill, interest and tolerance. Democracy is about the future, individual rights, and compensation and protection for the weaker members of society.
Democracy is the rule of law – but not the rule of the street. Democracy is not what the people, the bots and trolls are doing on TicToc, Telegram and other platforms. It’s a question of creativity and solidarity and decisions which will help all. Interests of everyone count.
Liberia’s women once ended the war. The civil movement from the street helped to create parliament and first steps to future. 20 years leater women are on the street to change personal of government and succeed.
It’s wonderful and scary at the same time.
AS, Germering, FSTS-GL
Some Tourist-Information for those who do not yet know, that it is worth to love reality and adapt your dreams to it.
Global Learning means factfulness. But nevertheless we accept all the grey and pink areas in our mindsets. We love literature for the embedded information. We do gardening because we know that mankind is part of nature. We love spirituality but keep ourselves away from violence and discrimination.
Learn from Julius K.Kanubah, the Liberiaprojekt in Munich and in Monrovia and listen to the famous story teller, teacher and author Michael Jentzsch.
Why do we attend school?
We want to become a doctor, an entrepeneur, a banker, we want to be at any place, said to be a jumping board into a pool of richness and happyness. Really, do you want to continue such a long time in boring school-room-settings while pempering your unrealistic dreams? Did you ever think about using your lifetime for education? Is there anyone in your life who might profit from your instructions? Do you learn for life? And what do you take home to your parents and grandparents to make them love education?
What is education?
Liberian schools pretty randomly offer good education. Good education is not so much expected, when there is no food at home, no silent space for homework, always noisy background and a lot to work on to get the bucks for elemetary stuff.
Voice of the Voiceless the platform for self organized education-programs, is part of the Liberiaprojekt. All the mentorschip program is about:
…. offering „skills to young people. These skills can be taken to there homes, future and even in their schools. The skills are tye and dye, klorax making, soap making, make up, interior decoration, catering, computer, tailoring, public speaking, creative writing – such as poetry, drama and prose – hair braiding, cucette, cultural dance and agriculture. All these just for our generation because the future of our nation depends on the present progress of it’s youth. The Voice of the Voiceless.„