Development of infrastructure is non existent or at a pace which has no imagined future.

I wrote this line thinking about how snail paced or non existent development is in Liberia. With upcoming elections, Liberia is again going through some comical and absurd motion of electing the most low caliber politicians to power to keep up the most idiotic pretence of Democracy. The UN, NGOs, colonisers or as you say , donors,  and observers will applaud Democracy and Peace. Journalists will descend and same tired narrative will be regurgitated. Even the critical pieces are tired tropes: land rights, corruption, war crimes and lack of justice, and that Africa's first female President has such a rotten legacy in terms of protecting women. I have always felt I'm witness to a circus and 20 years later, it's still entertaining me.  

Canadians and Nazis

Canada is everywhere. 

Trudeau's plane can’t take off from Delhi. 

They accuse India of assassinating a Sikh separatist. Not that India or any state is not capable of political assassination. But the irony that a colonial state like Canada is putting on airs of defending brown people. 

Many members of my Pakistani Ahamdi family have migrated to Canada  and, can't stop gushing about 'socialist' social services, the humanity, order, opportunities for class mobility, and freedoms. 

One of my responses to the elation is my hope that as a minimum , I hope they are all secularists and have taken off their nationalism and hatred of Hindus. And, they have taken shelter on a land stolen so many times. 

And now, we have Canadians saluting a Nazi in their Parliament: Canadian Parliament gives WWII Nazi standing ovation. 

I feel we have to constantly unveil the face of the West and show them the mirror in a grotesque charade. They want their real faces hidden behind the facade of liberal democracy. We have to keep unveiling them. 

Ironically, in this absurd theatre, they keep unveiling and disrobing Muslim women and all people. 

See the reactions : 

Vijay Prashad 

Pawel Wargan: 

LEC and infrastructure and Neo liberal peace and democracy in Liberia

You know I've written so much about our experiences with electricity in Liberia. Service improves in the rainy season because the hydro dams are full. But "load shedding" is the norm in the dry season. Overall things have improved but power theft, mismanagement rule the day. Here are my recent observations in the midst of our burnt transformer and having no light since Sunday 7 PM which I shared on Facebook : 

19 September:

The transformer got burnt on Sunday and we don't have LEC power since then. Questions: how often are  maintenance and routine checks conducted? What is the quality of hardware/infrastructure  that LEC has? Why does it regularly catch fire? 

My friend's Facebook comment:

Call 4500 and tell them what is ongoing. The team is different than the usual. LEC is in trusted hands now...

21 September:

I called this # and someone answered on the hotline. They said issues are resolved in 5 working days. We still had to double check with management. A bigger transformer was installed yesterday but has to be " energised. " Waiting for that. Not bad!

22 September:  

So the transformer was replaced but still not on and they can't get the "materials" from the warehouse. No clue when. The 4500 line is good but they connect one with engineers when you ask when is light going to come back on. Chasing engineers should not be handled by customers. I spoke to a manager who said these transformers should last for 25 years but last only for a few months!!! Too much load! The snail pace of infrastructure/social services delivery after 20 years of Neo liberal democratic peace!

My friend's Facebook comment:

I believe the problem within your community is power theft. Because when many people stealing current it is difficult to regulate the current to the required users and thus making the transformer to last less longer. You will have to endure it. As long as they have replaced the transformer it will come on. Don't know when but you should be patient. In most communities that power theft is high transformers usually don't last long. We had that situation in our community and luckily we were part of the EU Power Project area and subsequently got connect entirely (even shacks were given current). Due to that we barely face problem with such issue unless LEC is having a major problem. It can be resolved if LEC provides all consumers within your community with meters and require them to pay bills for usage. Ours was paid for by EU all we have to do is to pay for our usage.

Me:

The same bribery issue. The hotline connects us to other persons in the LEC who demand bribes. Theft by public is an outcome of little to no improvement. LEC has never been managed well. It's part of post war system of no accountability of highest public officials insidious corruption small "budgetary support" from colonisers small empty development projects meant for money channeled back out to private firms International expert salaries etc big Neo liberal resource extraction without Development and change. I am glad you are seeing some positive service but the pace is snail slow.

PS. We are without LEC for almost a week. We have purchased at least $ 150 of fuel for back up generator in a week while we spend about US $ 100 or  US $ 120 in a month in the rainy season for about 400+ units. 

"Can't we just drone this guy?"

 

How the ocean looks like after 3 days of non stop rain

The imperialists will spend billions to destroy a nation

 

The bond between rain and chai and pakoray

It's been raining non stop since Friday. 

Haresh made chakor "Sindhi" parathas. 

Kavita says he cheated by using a square plate to make them chakor. 

This sentence could not have existed 100 or 200 years ago.

The Sindhi parathas were full of fried onions. They could  have been fluffier. 

The "UN blue" aesthetic that still "adorns" Mamba Point

Why are lights on in the middle of the day?

 Why are lights on in the middle of the day? Is electricity free?

On the Libyan floods

 

Sights and sounds of Waterside

I’ve passed this shop a few times on Newport Street and noticed artisans working. I was quite excited to see such a place. Today I stepped in on my way to Waterside. The handbags are beautiful. I mentioned a similar shop on Front Street from years ago until they told me they are the same! The landlord wanted the shop back so they had to vacate. They were away in Guinea until they re-located here. 

The tall chap is Ibrahim. All these artisans are from Guinea, as are countless taxi / keke drivers, shop keepers, and tailors. 

The bags range from US $ 50 to US $ 120.00.

Although it's not been raining, it was a cloudy overcast day. Waterside is dense and louder than usual because of all the mini loud speakers every seller has. 

$ 250 LD

Love this shot 

The clothes which wind up in Africa ...

I can't find an article on 'clothes dumping' in Liberia but it is in epic proportions in Ghana. 

 See: 100 tonnes of clothing from the west discarded every day in Accra. 

The EU has laws which ensure that producers are responsible for waste which is what dumping of fast fashion represents although only France applies that to textiles. Is this problem acute in Africa because clothes are not being made locally? In Liberia, there aren’t any textile factories and markets like Waterside fill this and almost every consumer needs. 

What is the correlation between local production and import of cheap fast fashion? 

Kavita looks serious but she got a couple of tops, a pair of leather slippers, a Snoopy pair of shorts and erasable pens.  

Hand made leather slippers in a sea of imported plastic ones. Kavita got a pair for US $ 10.00

Beautiful country cloth 

Guess what this is? Nigerian guava. No jokes on how much bigger they are than 

the local ones. Sold single for 150 LD which is almost a US $1.

View of Waterside from the Bridge on the Randall Street intersection 

Keke ride 

Napoleon being refused entry to Hell

Saw this post on Twitter or X as is now called. 

Napoleon being refused entry to Hell, Isaac Cruikshank, ca. 1805

Ideology-free politics

Looks like electioneering is in full swing. There were "corner meetings" opposite each other on Carey Street. 

Unity Party is calling itself the Rescue Team implying the current regime is a disaster. 

Politics in Liberia is completely ideology and idea free. And, is it really democracy? When nothing really works and there is so much "negative peace?" 

I was watching Ashir Azeem on TCM (Does Pakistan's Constitution Need to Be Changed?) and his statement that jamhoor (democracy) is meaningless if people can't even eat was a good reminder. At this time when Liberia is going into its third post war elections, its clear this system isn’t really developing the country, let alone eradicating poverty and hunger. 

I asked my housekeeper Catherine who she was going to vote for and, she said she wasn’t going to stand in the sun for someone who wouldn’t do anything for her. 

Where is the structured and organised critique in Liberia ? Non existent. 

Also saw a contortionist and a magician. I gave both of them money but then a guy started begging me with the usual "I'm hungry." I brushed him off but he kept following me. I went to a money changer close to Diana Hotel. He came over and said " You did well for me." I burst into anger. 

I also popped into a shop to buy a phone charger. The shopkeeper is from Nigeria. I asked him why he came to Liberia and he said he can earn US Dollars here and, to teach Liberians how to do business. I asked him how he gets his goods and he said there's a charter flight that comes in every week! 

See our pix: