The Quest to Apply New Varnish To Liberia’s Image

Liberia Travel and Life Magazine

Monrovia, Liberia - It’s difficult to look at Liberia Travel and Life magazine and not be intrigued by the idea of touring Monrovia and the breadth of this country. It’s a glossy magazine with alluring photos of eye-catching models in African-influenced fashions, captivating visions of pristine beaches and close ups of bright “country cloth,” the colorful fabric that is woven in Liberia. The magazine celebrates the wide array of goods sold at the busy marketplaces in the city, the rolling mountains of the country’s Nimba region and the stunning waves along the Atlantic at Robertsport, an area gaining attention as a world-class surfing destination.

It is a magazine that has taken on — in its nearly three-year lifespan — a task to which its owners and a growing number of business leaders here are fervently committing themselves: The development of Liberia’s image as a destination ripe for tourism, with its own blend of charm, fascination and magnificence.

It is not the simplest prospect, to say the least. More than anything, Liberia’s reputation in recent years has been shaped by images of bloody civil war, an exodus of capital and brain power coupled with a decrepit infrastructure and a level of poverty that would rival the poorest Third World quarter. America’s State Department, in its travel warnings, urges United States citizens to “plan proposed travel to Liberia carefully and to exercise caution,” adding that “basic services (e.g., public power, water and sewage, landline phones) are either limited or unavailable.” In short, it is hardly the place one might readily associate with, say, luxurious spas, stylish restaurants or trend-setting fashions.

Hesta Baker Pearson

And yet, presenting that image is precisely the aim of many here, most notably Hesta Baker-Pearson, the publisher of Liberia Travel and Life. “For the outside world, it’s important that the image of Liberia be changed. I want the world to see what we have here; that there’s more here than war,” Ms. Baker-Pearson said. Liberia, she said, is a country that for nearly two decades “experienced so much in terms of war, poverty and changes in government. I’m sure to many it looked like a country that would never stopped fighting. The country began to develop a highly negative reputation around the world. Many Liberians began to lose hope for our country, like change would never come.”

After nearly 15 years of civil war, conditions did indeed begin to settle down. And Ms. Baker-Pearson, who was born here but moved to Texas after the 1980 coup that toppled the Liberian government, made the decision to return to her homeland with her family. She decided that she would use her experiences working for newspapers and business publications in Texas and Atlanta to help create and highlight an enhanced image of Liberia. And so, her magazine presents a vivid picture of a handsome, picturesque and quaint Liberia, with fashion photo shoots at beaches and in forests. Even the magazine’s ads reflect an upbeat image of travel, art and fashion. The magazine carries ads from Brussels Airlines, Ecobank and local hotels and clothing boutiques sandwiched between articles about “11 Men of Style” in Liberia, the country’s pigmy hippos and a guide to dining in Liberia. The magazine is doing well, she said, “we’re certainly not in the red.” In fact, her company, Baker Pearson Communications Inc., recently started a new publication: Business Liberia Magazine.

“People need to see Africa, the real Africa, for what it really is,” Mr. Baker-Pearson said. “There is beauty here, there is fashion here and there is culture here. It’s important for us to feel pride in ourselves and it’s important for the outside world to look at us as a continent that is part of the 21st Century.”

Others, too, insist that Liberia is gradually, but steadily, developing its tourism infrastructure.

“I think there is certainly reason for optimism about the outlook of the tourism industry here,” said Ronald Stilting, the general manager of the RLJ Kendeja Resort and Villas and the president of the recently-formed Tourism Association of Liberia. “You see development and progress happening here now that makes it clear that the country is heading in the right direction in terms of tourism. If things continue the way they are going now, Liberia can become a strong destination for tourism and for West African conference travel.”

As evidence, Mr. Stilting points to the development of two hotel projects in the coming year or so, most notably the renovation of the once-elegant Ducor Hotel on the top of Monrovia’s Broad Street. The Ducor is being refurbished by the LAFICO, the Libyan Arabian Foreign Investment Company (the hotel was once a showplace of Liberia but was ransacked and looted by rebels during the way). Another soon-to-be completed project is the opening of a hotel adjacent to the Samuel K. Dow Stadium. They join a number of hotels that have opened in the last three or four years, including the Royal Hotel, the Cape Hotel, the Mamba Point Hotel and Mr. Stilting’s own RLJ, the upscale property opened by the company operated by Robert L. Johnson, the American businessman. “And we certainly expect others to develop,” Mr. Stilting said.

Menipakei Dumoe

It’s also now easier for tourism to develop, Mr. Stilting and others here insist, because of the turnaround at the airport, which for years sat in disrepair and even shut down for a while. Now, Monrovia’s Roberts International Airport, with its small, bare-bones terminal, is served by several airlines, including Brussels Airlines, Kenya Airways, Virgin Nigeria, Ethiopia Airlines, Royal Air Maroc and other regional carriers. And they provide vital links for business travelers and others to get here from Europe, the Middle East and North America.

“Liberia is opening up and it has a lot to offer that people simply don’t know about,” said Menipakei Dumoe, the founder and chief executive of Wow Liberia, a company that offers tour packages that include Monrovia and Liberia’s landmark regions. “We have incredible rain forests here, beautiful hiking destinations, we have the Nimba Mountain, which is offer a breathtaking view of Liberia, Guinea and the Ivory Coast. “

Mr. Dumoe added that, despite the years of civil conflict, Liberia is in need of rediscovery by international travelers. “It’s important for people to become acquainted with the real Liberia,” he said. “They don’t know about the party atmosphere here. Liberians are a hospitable and fun loving people with a rich musical tradition. There is so much here. We just have to get the word out.”

By Jonathan P. Hicks