Top Liberian Diplomat Releases latest Book in Liberia at Tubman University

H.E. Olubanke King-Akerele has re-leased her latest book for the first time in Liberia and held a signing ceremony at the William V. S. Tubman Universi-ty’s Speakers’ Bureau in Tubman Town, Harper, Maryland County. Her latest book entitled, “The ‘Growing’ of Africa’s Emergent Leadership” was re-leased on Wednesday, March 26, 2014 with administrators, faculty, staff, and students as well as the Mayors of Plee-bo and Harper, and TU’s Presidential Fellow, Dr. Diane Adams, in attend-ance.

In the presentation of her book, H.E. King-Akerele said the focus of her new-est book is “instructive” in nature while demonstrating the value and impact of leadership development programs. The book which presents a documentation of various programs of leadership devel-opment over time in several African countries and their impact as well as profiles of some of Africa’s “Emergent” leaders, is a magnum opus for enhancing on-going capacity build-ing efforts in Africa; focusing on em-powering Africa’s Leadership, as well as “How” of so doing. In addition, Hon.

King-Akerele stated that through the profiles, she was able to provide a prospective on skills-set and exper-tise of Africa’s Emergent leadership and how they are contributing to the continent’s development.

Making a summary of her book, the Author said part one of her book covered programs dating back to 1992/93 in Mauritius when her interest was first sparked among high school youth and university undergraduates; to Zambia which saw the further development of the Otto Essien Young professionals Training program; to Senegal, un-der the UNDP/UNESCO’s Africa-wide initiative, Foundations of Afri-ca’s Future Leadership, (2003-2005). The second part she further said presents programs in post-conflict Liberia and Sierra Leone, while in the third part are related programs to those described in parts one, and two and draws lessons showing possible linkages with the concept Growing Africa’s “Emergent” Leader-ship Initiative. The fourth part presents profiles of Africa’s “Emergent” Leadership both of the continent and the Diaspora and lastly, the fifth part presents the way forward with lessons for “Growing” Africa’s Emergent Leadership.

Meanwhile, at the signing ceremo-ny, Hon. King-Akerele donated four copies of a chapter of her newest book to the University’s Library, while proceeds from the sales of her newest book released and signed at the ceremony will go to the for-mation of the Liberian Institute for

Growing Patriotism club to be founded at TU, and sales of her book “Women’s Leadership in Post Conflict Liberia: My Jour-ney”, will support the Gender and Development Center at the University.

H.E. King-Akerele is a former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Liberia. She is also former Minister of Com-merce and Industry. Prior to her public service, she was engaged for 24 years in interna-tional development at senior levels in the United Nations system. Her recent publica-tions include, “Women‘s Leader-ship in Post Conflict Liberia: My Journey”, as well as another that she co-authored with Kojo Boafa Asiedu, “Accelerating Africa’s Integration through Micro-regionalism: The Case of Zambia-Malawi-Mozambique Growth Triangle and Its Impact.” “The ‘Growing’ of Africa’s Emergent Leadership” was firstly launched in Zambia in March 2014.

The Speakers’ Bureau is an interactive forum organized by the Department of Public & Media Relations within the Division of Institutional Ad-vancement with the aim of bringing to the University qualified speakers with a mes-sage of relevance to provoke a positive change.

Inside This Issue

Top Liberian Diplomat Releases

latest Book a Tubman University

George Beats Karly in SGA Presiden-

tial Elections

TU Holds One-day Awareness Work-

shop on Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever.

Women Empowerment through

Entrepreneurship

Pictorial

TUSDI Embarks on a Campus Wide

Tree Planting Project

TU Students Reduce Hardship on East

Harper Students

Transforming Liberian Education

Through Science Education

A Day in a Life Time & Job Readiness

Program

Students Say-so

Cape Palmas, An Alluring Paradise

for Tourism

Volume II, Issue 7

Transformation for Worthy Service

H.E. Olubanke King-Akerele

Adolphus George has won an unassailable victory in the Student Government Association (SGA) elections held on May 2,

2014, the Director of Student Club and Activities, Mr. Thomas Williams says.

With all votes counted, the SGA Elections Commission has announced Adolpus George as winner of the presidential elections. A total of four hundred and twenty-three students cast their votes for the presidency thereby reflecting two hundred forty-five votes in favor of Adolphus George constituting 57.91% as one hundred seventy-eight votes were cast in favor of Steven M. Karly amounting to 42.08%, declaring George as winner. Four hundred and twenty votes were cast for the vice presidency and student representatives to the University Council respec-tively. According to our correspondent, two hundred twenty-eight votes were cast in support of Henry Karim amounting to 53.90% while one hundred ninety-two votes were cast for Peter Dossen constituting 45.39% declaring Henry Karim as winner. For the position of SRC, two hundred fifteen votes were cast for Lloyd C. Thomson constituting 50.82%, and two hundred five votes were cast in favor of Kwazaye Wameker amounting to 48.46% declaring Lloyd C. Thompson a winner. Our correspondent also added that students contesting the positions for General Secretary, Financial Secretary, College Repre-sentatives did not have competitors therefore were voted on white ballot. They include: Rosetta Blanyon–General Secretary, Jonathan Kerkulah- Financial Secretary, T. Emmanuel Johnson- Representative of the College of Education, Thomas Skinner- Representative of the Agriculture & Food Sciences, Richard Allison- Representative of the College Health Sciences, and Zacha-riah Jalloh- Representative of the College of Engineering & Technology. Meanwhile, the electoral process did not have contest-ants for the position of representative for the College of Management and Public Administration as well as freshman, sopho-more, and senior classes.

The late structuring of the elections commission, the final exams, and the lack of transportation to get students on campus to participate in the voting process are some of the factors responsible for the low turnout of voters. According to the University’s fact sheet, enrollment for academic year 2013-14 is at 807.The newly elected leadership of the SGA will be inducted into office at the beginning of the 2014-15 academic year in September.

Page 2

George Beats Karly in SGA Presidential Elections

Poll workers and candidates’ observers reconciling the ballots at a polling station.

Page 3

Volume II, Issue 7

In the wake of the outbreak of the Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever outbreak in North Western Liberia, the College

of Health Sciences (CHS) held a one day awareness workshop for faculty, staff and students of the University .

The workshop which was held on April 9, 2014 was facilitated by Dr. Tabeh L. Freeman and Associate Prof.

Philip D. Davis of the College of Health Sciences.

Making a clinical presentation on the Ebola Fever, Dr. Freeman said “Ebola is caused by the Ebola virus and

outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90%.” He further explained that the virus is introduced into the

human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected

animals, handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found

ill or dead. He continued, “Ebola then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with

infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secre-

tions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated

with such fluids. Burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased per-

son can also play a role in the transmission of Ebola.”

Speaking of signs and symptoms of the virus, Dr. Freeman said that once affected, a person may experience a

fever up to 40 degrees centigrade, extreme fatigue, muscle and joint pain, headache-especially frontal headache,

hiccups (and hiccups in this case are a very bad sign.). This, he said is followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash,

impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.

For the availability of treatment, Assoc. Prof. Philip D. Davis revealed that there is no vaccine for the Ebola

Virus. According to him severely ill patients require intensive supportive care such as oral rehydration with

solutions containing electrolytes or intravenous fluids. “If an outbreak is suspected, the premises should be

quarantined immediately. Culling of infected animals, with close supervision of burial or incineration of car-

casses, may be necessary to reduce the risk of animal-to-human transmission,” Assoc. Prof. Davis said.

In case of an Ebola outbreak in a community, he cautioned participants to take preventive measures by regular-

ly washing their hands with soap and water and to chlorinate water for disinfection after visiting patients in

hospital, as well as after taking care of patients at home. He pointed out that people who have died from Ebola

should be promptly and safely buried. The facilitators urged participants to sensitize others who may not know

about the virus as there is no cure.

The world Health organization (WHO) said that as of March 29, 2014, seven clinical samples from adults from

Foya District in North Western Liberia were tested. Two of those samples were tested positive for Ebola virus,

confirming for the first time cases of Ebola in the country.

TU Holds one-day awareness on Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever

Dr. Tabeh L. Freeman

Assoc. Prof. Philip D. Davis

The Women Empowerment through Entrepreneurship Project in Grand Cavalla, funded by MEASUAGOON and imple-

mented by the William V.S. Tubman University (TU) has started the skill training of 78 villagers in laundry soap making,

raffia mat weaving, natural tie and dyeing, and jewelry. Speaking to TU Times, Mr. Henry Woart of the Division of Aca-

demic Affairs and Village Level Coordinator revealed that in the beginning, a total of 9 persons were trained in soap. The

trainees tested their newly acquired skills by training an additional 11 persons which brings the number of participants who

have been introduced to laundry soap making to 20. So far, the new product has been introduced for sale in the village.

However, feedbacks received so far suggests that an improvement needs to be made using a new recipe. Mrs. Olusola Olu-

wakemi Dawoda, chief Laboratory Technologist of TU said that preparation of the new product requires fragrance and

coloring.

For skills training in raffia weaving, Mr. Woart said a total of 15 participants comprising of 13 males and 2 females have

been trained and the ages range from 12-23 years old with junior high school education. The natural tie and dye skill train-

ing seems to be the most tedious, but fascinatingly appealing of all the skills yet introduced for the training in Grand Caval-

la. Although tie and dye skill training using synthetic substance was introduced in Cavalla before, this new approach of

sourcing most of the needed dye materials from plants abundant in the surrounding environment is a new enhancing inno-

vation and originality, Mr. Woart said. The advantage of abundant dye materials in the surrounding environment in Caval-

la makes it the best choice option of convenience for financially vulnerable rural entrepreneurs. Consequently, a total of 25

participants were trained.

According to Mr. Woart, a total of 18 participants were trained in jewelry making. The participants were trained in design-

ing beads, stringing beads, and closing a necklace with clasps and crimp.

Meanwhile, the project has created a Child Care Center. The Child Care Center was established to enable trainees who are

mostly breast-feeding mothers to fully participate in the training.

The project is a part of the University’s Grand Cavalla Village Integrated Development Program that envisages Grand Ca-

valla to become a model agro-industrial village. It is a holistic people-centered development that aims to empower the village

to undertake initiative and address social, economic, political, and environmental problems and build the village to a com-

mon goal- societal transformation.

Page 4

Women Empowerment through Entrepreneurship TU- MEASUAGOO Partnership Empowers Women of Grand Cavalla

Page 5

Volume II, Issue 7

Pictorial view of the Project

Photos: courtesy of Prof. Iona Thomas-Connor

Prof. Thomas-Connor joins trainees in raffia making

A trainer & trainees making raffia bags Sourcing needed dye materials from plants & kola nuts

VPAA Dr. Carbajosa helps out during training

Raffia bags, belts, & wallets on display at the AES Cafeteria VPIA Rev. Townsend purchasing beads & Necklace

Page 6

On Friday April 18, 2014,Tubman University Students Development Initiative (TUSDI) embarked

on a campus-wide tree planting exercise. The 500 trees (Acacia Magium) at a market value of US

$5,000.00, were donated by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC-SEL), and transported to campus

by CARITAS Cape Palmas at no cost to the organization. Speaking to TU Times the President of

the volunteer movement said the planting of the trees will provide shade and beautify the land-

scape of the University campus. “The main purpose for planting the tree is to combat climate

change” , Prince Morris said.

He further described the organization as a non-political, non-profit campus-based organization that

promotes green environment and sustainable development. “As Tubman University seeks to pro-

vide quality educational experiences that will transform the lives of individual for worthy services,

TUSDI’s Mission is to mobilize and motivate students to participate in meaningful developmental

initiatives as the need arises,” Prince Morris concluded.

Speaking at tree planting ceremony, TU’s President, Dr. Elizabeth Davis-Russell, lauded the ef-

forts of the organization and encouraged the students to study hard for higher academic achieve-

ment. The first tree was planted by Dr. Davis-Russell.

In December last year, the organization launched a massive painting exercise to give the campus a

face-lift for Christmas The organization was established in 2010 and its membership is opened to

all students of the University.

.

TUSDI EMBARKS ON A CAMPUS WIDE TREE PLANTING PROJECT

“As we strive to

achieve higher educa-tion, let us commit

ourselves to volunteer-ism that will lead us to becoming true leaders to build our country

Liberia “,

Mr. Prince Morris

Dr. Davis-Russell Planting a Tree TUSDI members posing for a photograph

Mr. Prince Morris

Page 7

Volume II, Issue 7

The Government’s policy of free and compulsory education for all Liberian children is alleged to be faced with many challenges. One such challenge is the inadequate seating capacity for students at many public schools in Maryland County. It is against this background that 33 students of the College of Education at the William V.S. Tubman Uni-versity, led by their Lecturer, Osman Brima Moigua recently presented ten desks with benches attached at cost of $300.00USD to the East Harper Junior High School in Harper City.

Presenting the items on behalf of the TU students, Mr. Moigua said after accessing the school, he and his students found out that most of the students were sitting on the floor and therefore decided to buttress government’s efforts by donating the desks and benches.

Receiving the donation on behalf of the East Harper Junior High School, the County Education Officer for Maryland, Mr. Nathaniel Johnson admitted that the children were sitting on the floor, which according to him, affects the teach-ing and learning process. He then thanked Mr. Moigua and his students for the kind gesture and called upon others to do the same.

It can be recorded that few years ago, the Government of Liberia reintroduced the compulsory education for public schools in the country. This initiative is aimed at reducing the financial burdens of parents and guardians at the early age of their children, thereby encouraging high enrollment.

TU STUDENTS REDUCE HARDSHIP ON EAST HARPER STUDENTS

By: Amos F. Gibson

Mr. Moigua and Students making the donation Students sitting on the floor at the East Harper School

1.Introduction

If what concerns us today is

that we face challenges to our

rights as citizens, our rights as a

free people or free thinkers in a

free society then my paper here

would focus on the humanities

and their place in the academy.

But that is not what is at stake.

What is at stake, instead, is the

education of our children and

the apparent malaise which has

crept into our classrooms and

our educational system. The

malaise concerns our collective

failure to find the best ways

and methods to school our

children. Lest we miss the

point, the concern is not about

teaching math and science at

the expense of language arts,

history and the other liberal

arts subjects. Rather, the con-

cern is about how best to re-

form primary and secondary

school education, especially

where society has been leaning

toward greater mechanization

of both government and indus-

try.

Consider, for instance, a teach-

er in the Harper or Pleebo

school district who is interested

in teaching science with the

latest methods and insights.

This teacher may be interested

in teaching science as inquiry

or as hypothesis generation and

so forth. She probably has the

latest books on the subject or

she was at a conference where

this subject was broached and

is now interested in giving the

subject a try. What could we do as

philosophers of science (not just

government) to help this teacher

put her ideas into practice? What

practical relevance would philoso-

phy of science or the different ac-

counts of scientific inquiry and

hypothesis generation have for this

teacher?

Consider also the case of a teacher

whose class is discussing the extinc-

tion of certain animal and plant

species. His students want to know

why these animals and plants disap-

peared from the forest. He re-

sponds that although several theo-

ries have been advanced, no one

account is completely adequate,

and that the question has yet to be

answered satisfactorily. But this

does not address the students’ con-

cern, which is, an explanation of a

certain fact, the disappearance of

certain animal and plant species

from the forest. What standards

would the explanation have to meet

in order to be satisfactory? Do all

scientific explanations need to meet

the same standards in order to be

satisfactory?

These are some of the issues that lie

at the intersection of philosophy of

science and science education. In

part, my paper addresses how phi-

losophers of science and science

educators might explain this con-

nection.

In the case of the first teacher, my

particular interest would be to clari-

fy how one might think about scien-

tific inquiry (or hypothesis genera-

tion, and so forth) and the difficul-

ties associated with it. I would

also want to leave her with new

ideas and insights about teaching

science as inquiry or as hypothesis

generation. Keep in mind that

students want us to move science

education from the “boring” col-

umn to the “interesting” column.

Like science, philosophy is a high-

ly specialized and demanding

field. Together, the task becomes

doubly demanding. It is small

wonder then that science educa-

tors are, by and large, not too

concerned with philosophy of

science—not to mention the philo-

sophical literature on science. But

this lack of awareness is not lim-

ited to science educators. Philoso-

phers of science, generally speak-

ing, may have some ideas about

the relevance of philosophy of

science to science education. Un-

fortunately, they too have made

very little effort to appreciate not

just the relevance but also the

practical uses of the philosophy of

science for science education.

How do we get beyond this appar-

ent impasse?

I do not believe that the task is an easy one. And, I certainly don’t believe it can be done with a sin-gle paper or presentation. What I hope to accomplish, however, is that we will begin to pay close attention to the issue of science education and scientific inquiry and to do so in a manner that will attract the attention of science educators who care about making science education not just a prior-ity in Liberian schools but also an interesting and rewarding experi-ence for school children.

Reforming Liberian Education Through Science Education By :Elliot Wreh-Wilson, PhD

Page 8

Elliot Wreh–Wilson, PhD

Dean, College of Arts &

Sciences

2. Reading, Writing, Arithmetic vs. Science and

Science Education

Although much has been written about how best

to educate our children -- and we do have hun-

dreds of theories on best approaches to teaching

at both primary and secondary levels -- it is per-

haps useful to separate these theories into two

broad categories.

Proponents of the first category say we must

begin primary education with emphasis on

“Reading, Writing and Arithmetic.” I was raised

on this system. Let’s call it the traditional system.

It was thought that this would facilitate literacy

in young people who would then use that

knowledge base to venture into other more de-

manding and more specialized areas like biology,

chemistry, physics, calculus, and trigonometry.

Proponents of the second category want us to

begin with science and science education primar-

ily because science has a way of letting children

become active learners. The concern here is that

the first category encourages passivity in chil-

dren, where the teacher—not the child—becomes

the center of attention in the classroom, while

the child stays a passive learner. Putting the

distinction somewhat crudely, we can say that

the first places undue attention on the teacher

while the second seeks to focus attention on the

child who has been entrusted to the supervision

of the teacher. There is indeed a big difference

between being a facilitator and being the center

of attention in the classroom. So, a teacher can

be a facilitator without being the center of atten-

tion in the classroom. Although proponents of

the second way do differ on exactly how we

focus attention on children, they do agree, how-

ever, that teachers can be facilitators without

being the center of attention in the classroom.

This role, they say, must be reserved for stu-

dents. What is becoming increasingly clear to

educators, therefore, is that we are likely to

achieve best results when we allow children to

rely on their natural capacities, i.e., hearing,

seeing, smelling, tasting, touching, and even

moving to learn, to explore, to think, to analyze,

and to assemble things, thoughts, and ideas. The

goal: to give children the freedom to explore

their space, their surroundings, their environ-

ment, and to develop their individual abilities as

well.

Let me add here that whatever theory we choose,

its adequacy will depend not on whether you or

I proposed it, whether a government official or

the Khan Academy proposed it, (Khan Academy

is the leading online tutoring group for all sub-

jects and categories of students). Rather, its ade-

quacy will depend on the results which that

theory will produce. If we can see today’s educa-

tion theories this way, then irrespective of the

historical significance of all other theories, we

will say that a theory is good precisely because it

brings about certain desirable results. This is

where science education comes in, and this is

the main thesis of my essay. I think we can con-

tinue to focus on reading, writing, and arithme-

tic. But we can add science to the mix, especially

at the elementary level where I believe we can

make the most impact and thus obtain the best

results.

3. The Object of Science

All science, and by implication the goal of sci-

ence revolves around the acquisition of

knowledge. Such knowledge could be about

scientific facts, scientific terminology, scientific

conventions, scientific theories, methods of

scientific inquiry, and so forth. Whatever the

case, the goal of such knowledge is to train the

human mind to view all experience as a product

of thought. As we know, the word ‘knowledge’

has various connotations. Take the root “know,”

which has various senses: To know may connote

familiarity with something, as in “I know Paul.”

In this case, ‘know’ suggests mere recognition of

Paul, but nothing more about Paul.

There is also a skills component to the word

‘know’, as in I know how to use a computer.

‘Know’ here suggests the possession of a definite

skill, namely, using a computer. There is no

indication that the possessor of the particular

skill knows anything about making or repairing

computers. And, of course, ‘know’ also refers to

propositional knowledge, as when I say:

“John knows that seven is greater than

five.” Here, the concern is not about famili-

arity or the possession of a skill, but rather

that John understands the meaning of a

certain statement or proposition.

In epistemology – the science of knowledge

– knowledge implies that we know a certain

fact to be true, that we have good reason to

believe that the fact, which is expressed in

the form of a statement or proposition is

indeed true. Based on the third sense,

therefore, we can adduce that a student

knows a certain fact when that student

understands that fact—meaning, that the

student not only knows the fact to be the

case, but that she can also provide evidence

that she remembers, recognizes and is able

to rely on her understanding of that fact to

deduce or invent other facts that were not

previously known to her. Here, understand-

ing implies that we can explain some fact or

facts. More importantly, it means that we

know how the known fact fits in with other

facts and concerns.

Take the case of a pregnant woman I met recently. She approached me to say she had a problem, and that she wanted me to give her $300.00LD. When I asked what the money was for…she replied that her pastor had told her she was in danger of losing her baby because a “bad person” had tied the baby up in the womb. To untie the baby, the pastor prescribed “holy oil,” and that would cost her $300LD. So, I asked if she had talked to a doctor. She said no. when I asked why not, she replied that the pastor has done this before, and she believed his word. Only the holy oil could save her baby from danger. I agreed to give her the $300LD but on the condition that she would also see a doctor. She agreed. Of course, her baby is safe. But, why would a mother consult a pastor about the health of her unborn child rather than consult a physician? This is where scientific educa-tion also comes in.

Watch out for part two in our

next edition

Page 9

Volume 1, Issue 1

Page 10

Volume II, Issue 7

The Office of Career Planning & Placement success-fully held its first Day in the Life Career and Job Readiness program. The Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs & Tourism, Hon. Lewis G. Brown, II. served as Key Note Speaker. The Theme for this event was “Our Career and Future; what lies Ahead and Beyond,” which was intended to motivate and inspire all students includ-ing prospective graduates as they move on to intern-ship and other experiential learning opportunities, and employment. Hon. Brown connected with the students by telling his personal story. He told the students not to worry about where they were coming from but where they are going. Adding ,“you must be determined and hardworking and you will be assured that the sky will be the limit to what you can achieve.” Speaking earlier, the Director of Career Planning & Placement, Mr. Benoni Tarr Grimes said he is com-mitted to ensuring that his office operates with best practices and international standards.

Mr. Grimes said the overall goal of this event was to pre-pare and equip the prospective graduates and students with the skills to search for, and land a job following their graduation. Hon. Brown was the third of high profiled individuals that have visited the University to address career aware-ness events. In November 2013, the Office of Career Plan-ning & Placement hosted Hon. Richelieu A Williams, Director General of the Liberia Aviation Authority for the launching of the Senior Job Readiness Program. Hon. Augustine Ngafuan, Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke at the First Annual Career Fair held in February 2014.

A DAY IN A LIFE TIME & JOB READINESS PROGRAM

Students Say-so

On behalf of my mom, I extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Rev. Rita Townsend for her tire-less support rendered me throughout the period of my bachelor degree study. My goal of graduating in four years time couldn’t have been achieved without her sponsorship. The support rendered me for my bachelor education will not only benefit me and my family but also Libe-ria at large. The scholarship has transformed my life from a high school graduate to now a University graduate. This has also impacted my life into a reasonable and critical thinker today. Thank you the Right Rev. and not the Wrong One!!

I take this opportunity to extend a special thanks and appreciation to my parents, Mr. Ebenezer Tealeh and Mrs. Christiana Tealeh for their love, support, encouragement and motivation during my study at TU. Without their support, my dream of earning a degree in Agriculture would had not been realized. Many thanks also to Prof. Abubakar Yaradua and Dean Theresa Ferolino, PhD for their academic assistance during my educational sojourn at TU. Let me lastly convey my thanks and appreciation to all my friends and family members for their many contributions to my success. My motto: Determination + Concentration + Hard work = BSc in Agriculture

Name: Leroy G.Tealeh

Field of Study: Agriculture Name: Omega T. Allison

Field of Study: Economics

Min. Brown poses with TU’s President, Staff , Faculty as well as

Local Government Officials, UN Staff

Cape Palmas, An Alluring Paradise for Tourism A Ripe Venture for Investment

By: Solo Otto Gaye

hometowns of "Americo-

Liberians", descendants of

freed slaves from the State of

Maryland, United States of

America who settled in Libe-

ria. Harper is also the birth

place of William V.S. Tub-

man, president of Liberia be-

tween 1944 and 1971. There

are many houses built with

"African- American" influence,

old architectural styled church-

es reminiscent of the early

20th century, and historical

statues or monuments to dis-

cover.

Rising incongruously from lush vegetation on a steep slope above sea level is a histor-ical monument which was erected in 1957 in honor of the centennial of admission of the state of Maryland in Afri-ca, formally a colony of Mary-land Colonization Society (USA) and briefly, an inde-pendent nation, into Liberia as its fifth county in 1857. Shaped like an obelisk with an open pavilion in the center containing two statues (A Grebo Chief & a Free Slave) locked in an embrace, the monument embodies nine-teenth century events, from African repatriation to nation-building. By the early 1850s, Harper was

a small, yet thriving, harbor

town. The colonists construct-

ed a tower on the top of Cape

Palmas, and they imported a

lighthouse mechanism from

England, the beams of which

could be seen by sailors 20

miles out at sea. Today this

light house still stands in Har-

per. Getting to Harper is a

thirteen (13) hour drive from

the capital Monrovia. Though

commercial flights have not

been introduced yet, the city

still maintains a small airport

that could be used by private

or chattered aircrafts. Several

boats have already started mov-

ing between Harper and Mon-

rovia. The city maintains a

number of guest houses, mo-

tels and even individual homes

that provide a possible base for

tourism.

Cape Palmas alone can boast of several lovely beaches and lakes. The beach at Rock Town, 3 Kilo-meters from Har-per is found at the mouth of a huge, green lagoon where allu-vial waters rush in and out daily. Bathers can ride seven foot-high waves unto shore or plunge into the warm lagoon as kids somersault and tumble in the nearby surf. At Fish Town, the beach is more pro-tected from rough surf and bathers can wade out in clear waters for over 100 meters. A venture too can leave one on the "Dead Island" where cof-fins of Grebo chiefs, elders and high priests are piled on

Are you in search for a place to have a short vacation? Then an alluring paradise in South-eastern Liberia awaits you. Hiking, biking, safari, fishing, rafting, boating, sun bathing; beaches lined with coconut trees could give you peace and a better access to Harper (Cape Palmas). These are just few that mark Harper as a new and key destination for tourism. Harper is indeed a new para-dise where investors in the tourism industry can invest in order to display undiscovered incredible beaches, high plains savanna, lagoons, rivers, lakes and islands. Though active tourism has not

started yet, many people have

already placed the city on their

tourism map for much needed

relaxation and rest. In recent

times, the city has witnessed

an increase in foreign guests

curious to relax on oceanfront

beaches with access to "stress

out reduction" regime of swim-

ming, boating, joking, fishing

and good sea food. “If tourism

catches on, it could bring

more money to those who are

first to invest here”, says a lo-

cal businessman who is inter-

ested in investing his money in

the Harper tourism industry.

Besides its natural beauty, Har-

per is a historical destination,

especially for African-

Americans. It is considered to

be one of the traditional

“Harper is indeed a

new paradise where

investors in the

tourism industry can

invest in order to

display undiscovered

incredible beaches,

high plains savanna,

lagoons, rivers, lakes

and islands.”

Page 11

Solo Otto Gaye

Harper Lighthouse

Lake Shepherd is another lovely place to fish, boat, and swim. The lake which is approximately 7 kilo-meter long is divided from the roar-ing Atlantic Ocean by a green sliver of land with coconut trees and a sandy beach. Located on the lake is a floating market where locals living at the upper part of Lake Shepherd bring fresh coconuts, cassava, and vegetables for sale, a scene that could be compared to that of the floating market in Thailand. There are myriad opportunities to fish in Cape Palmas, from the Cavalla to

Hoffman Rivers, where a small group of fisher-men using dug-out wooden boats ply the Atlantic Ocean. Lobsters, swordfish, crayfish, dolphins, manatees and other marine species are abounding in the under-fished waters of Harper. Arguably, the most exciting event to witness is certainly the traditional war dance and funerals with "talking coffins". Across the Hoffman River in Big-town, a Harper suburb, traditionally occupied by the Grebos is most often a scene of traditional "false burials. It is an annual event to celebrate and remember the spirits of the dead. Traditional mask performers carrying cutlasses,

mortal pestles and fanners dance to drums.

"Docler", as it is often called is

performed during the death of a

high priest, elder or when request-

ed.

Dancers are decorated with chalk

and charcoal applied to their tor-

sos and faces. Some wear head

gear with cow horns and cutlasses

in one hand and a cow tail in an-

other. The performers dance in a

circle while a "Clown" entertains

onlookers with jokes and stories.

Page 12

Volume II, Issue 7

A partial view of St. Mark Episcopal Church A view of one of the beautiful beaches in Cape Palmas

A partial view of Cape Palmas The Centennial Monument

Photos: Courtesy of Rev. Rita Townsend

Transformation for Worthy Service

William V.S. Tubman University History & Facts

Chartered: 14 September 2009

Vision: TU aspires to be a center of quality and excellence

Mission: Provide quality educational experiences that transform the lives

of individuals for worthy service

TU has 6 Colleges:

Agriculture & Food Sciences

Arts & Sciences

Education

Engineering &Technology

Health Sciences

Management & Public Administration

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Thursday, June 19,2014

TU Times Newsletter

For inquiries, comments or suggestions, please contact:

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Division for Institutional Advancement

William V. S. Tubman University

Email: rtownsend@tubmanu.edu.lr sgaye@tubmanu.edu.lr publicrelations@tubmanu.edu.lr

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