Friends of Liberia
Jane Martins Inauguration Report
"Presented below is a first-hand report of the inauguration activities for President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The report is written by FOL Board Member, Dr. Jane Martin. A distinguished historian, Dr. Martin spent many years in Liberia including being head of the Fulbright Program there and was an invited guest for the inauguration."
Monrovia, Liberia January 17, 2006
Dear Friends –
This is just to let you know that I am here and having an amazing time.
All of Liberia is celebrating and if you were here you too would be singing
and dancing. Yesterday was the culmination of celebrations with the
inauguration of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as President of Liberia 
but the
whole weekend including Monday has been full of rejoicing. So here
goes. . .
On Saturday, the Ministry of Gender and Development had a full day program – a
Women’s Interactive Forum on the theme “Women Uniting for
Change: In Unity, There is Strength”. I arrived in time to help
Liberian friends put up ribbons and banners, and women kept coming through
the first few hours. There were women from many different African countries
as well as from Liberia. A major group – the women from Sierra
Leone arrived around 11 having spent long long hours in a caravan. Since
there is no direct road from Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown to
Monrovia next door in Liberia, they had to travel up country taking 9
hours at one point to go 86 miles and arriving at last at the Mano River
Bridge, which the authorities at first refused them the right to cross.
But at last the crossing 
was approved and they arrived at last in Monrovia
at 3 am. When they got to the conference hall, they entered dancing and
singing, dressed in special white green and red stenciled cloth that
celebrated MARWOPNET, (the Mano River Union Women’s Peace Network)
the organization of women peacemakers from Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.
The program was serious as well as joyful. Elizabeth Wren of the Finnish Parliament who had been at one time the Minister of Defense (which she linked with gender), and who had worked for a year with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on an important study of women in conflict for the United Nations, stepped in to give a fine introduction to the occasion when Gertrude Mongolia of the African Union parliament was unable to come. Excellent sessions followed on women in politics, on women’s roles in peace and security, on women’s health and economic empowerment, with presenters from organizations of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and the US and many additional comments from audience members. Ellen herself came to us in mid afternoon and finally the luncheon which had been forgotten in the midst of the talk was served at about 6 pm at night. . . and we still had a lot to talk about!
The next afternoon women also took center stage but first came the Thanksgiving Service at the United Methodist Church. This was the first of the big occasions of the inauguration. We got there by 9:30 for an 11:00 service with our invitations in hand. Already the church was filling up – everyone in their finery, including many bright colored taffeta headdresses that can obscure the view of rows of spectators! Definitely a venue where folks came to “to see and be seen”. This church was first built in 1822 when the first settlers came to Liberia from the United States. It has been renewed but still on the same foundation and the large chandelier at the front, was given to the church by the first President, J.J. Roberts in the mid 19th century.
By the time the service started (at 11 promptly), the church was absolutely
jammed, everyone cramming to see who was who and to catch a glimpse of
the president elect and her many family members (including a number of
grandchildren) as they arrived. 
The service was full of hymns, anthems
and prayers, a sermon on “A New Heart for the Nation”.
And even the Hallelujah Chorus at the end. Afterward, we swarmed the
streets (where no cars were allowed and which was carefully monitored
by the police and security). Many hugs, and kisses on three cheeks by
old friends newly seen.
Then came a Pre-Inaugural Women’s Luncheon and Media event at the stadium in the middle of town. The day was wonderfully bright, the green stadium grounds were edged in white tables and chairs and a special open tent set up for Madam Ellen and the distinguished guests, with other adjoining tables. General Babingida, former head of state of Nigeria, and his wife Maryann arrived with a group of dancers, and there were many Liberian special dancing groups. Miatta Fahnbulleh – a widely known Liberian singer - entertained, but the high points came after Ellen spoke and after all the women in politics were honored. That was when we all rose spontaneously from our seats, spread our arms, joined hands, and danced – women from every different country singing “Men in the front, women in the back, now women in front, men in the back, men and women side by side together”. Ellen came and shook many hands including ours before she left. We all went home energized.
Monday the inauguration began at 11:00 a.m. but we had to be seated
by 10 and so we went by 9! The ceremony was held at the Capitol, outside
in the sun, but we got seats right not far down the decorative corridors
that were on each side of the broad walk from the street in front of
the executive 
mansion up to the building itself. We had excellent views
of all the dignitaries as they made their entrances – President
Mbeki from South Africa with his contingent, Laura Bush and Condi with
their entourage and the presidents of Sierra Leone, Guinea, Mali, Niger,
Togo, Senegal, General Obasanjo from Nigeria, Blaise Compaore from Burkina
Faso. Leaders also came from, Ireland, Lebanon, Finland and Canada, and
there were presidential representatives from many other countries.
The occasion included some interesting elements including the convening of an extraordinary session of the transitional legislature (formed at the end of the war as a part of the peace treaty) and their self-dissolution. People cheered, expressing their pleasure at this formal dissolution of a government that had been inactive, self-serving, and corrupt.
After the oaths of office were administered to the new President and Vice President, President Johnson Sirleaf gave a fine inaugural address. Right away she declared that the political campaign was over and that the skills of all people, all who ran for office and did not win – all were needed to build a new Liberia. She welcomed a strong and loyal opposition and she laid out the issues that her administration will tackle in the next 100 or 150 days, including the development of the infrastructure, the needs for healing and reconciliation, strengthening education and helping citizens get a start, especially the youth. She declared war on “open eyed corruption” and everyone cheered. She pledged to bring government closer to the people. And of course at the end of her talk she spoke to and about women – the women of Liberia, the women of Africa, the women of the world. She expressed her deep gratitude to the women who had stood with her, defended her and prayed for her. She vowed that her administration would work to empower women in all areas of ”our national life”.
After the ceremony, we all walked over to the executive mansion and had a party on the back lawn near the sea – with white tents, fine food and good company from all over. And the day was not finished. Later Jeanette and I went to a charity ball, lots of people, again much fine dressing, finger food and drinks and good music.
You may be tired of reading by now but I should at least give you a sense of Monrovia at the end of times of war. The city is absolutely stuffed with people. The streets are full of shops whose insides are revealed to your gaze – tools, jars and cans of food on shelves, jeans stretched on the wall for you to choose, women walking with pans of bananas, papayas, pineapples on head or at their feet as they rest.
Most of the terrible messes along the streets were cleaned up before
the inauguration weekend. And every building had its front painted white
with lots of different trims, with fences and poles, and doors and windows.
The weather by the way has been marvelous – sunny and bright though
of course sooo 
humid that you welcome an air conditioner. But remember
that all electricity in the city is provided by generators since the
hydroelectric plant was destroyed during the war. Lights are thus a great
privilege. And so too water. And throughout the city and the country,
one finds the United Nations peacekeepers. – 15,000 of them to
whom Liberians are deeply grateful. Whenever there are prayers the peacekeepers
are included.
Before I end this letter I must remark on the newspapers. We have one regular paper in Scranton now. But here in Monrovia this past week and more, I have read at least 13 newspapers – most between 8 and 12 pages and not all are dailies. There is The Daily Observer *(the best), The Analyst, The Inquirer, The National Chronicle, The News, The Informer, The Liberian Express, The New Democrat. Though often repetitive, they are all lively and there are lots of different opinions! I hear that during the election period in October and November there were 30 papers. And this in a country where literacy rates are low.
This will give you a small taste for what is going on in this West African city and country.
Warmly, Jane