Liberian customs and taboos

The Republic of Liberia, referred to as Liberia for short, is also known as "Africa's Natural Rubber Kingdom","Africa's Gate","Merchant Shipping Kingdom", and "Grain Coast." It is a small country located in western Africa, bordering Guinea to the north, Sierra Leone to the northwest, Cote d'Ivoire to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest. It covers an area of only 111369 square kilometers and has a population of only about 4.3 million (2013). However, in 1899, this name, and its national motto,"Love and Freedom Bring Us Here", resounded throughout Africa. This is because in the early 19th century, after the end of the Civil War in the United States, black slaves in the south were freed and planned to move to the area now called Liberia. Therefore, the name of the country has the meaning of "liberty" and "liberated."

In that crazy era when the colonial empire cut all the African melons, there were only three independent countries left in the entire African continent. Apart from the vast and long-standing Egypt and Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia), there was only Liberia, which was only a short 52-year-old West African Republic at that time. It is extremely ironic that the founder of this imported republic that has never been colonized is still an American non-governmental organization. The name of this organization is very "colonial"-The Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color of America.

Although Liberia is one of the world's least developed countries announced by the United Nations, it is rich in mineral resources, forest resources, land and water conservancy resources. The main mineral resources are iron ore (as of 2014, proven reserves exceed 10 billion tons), as well as rich mineral deposits such as diamonds, gold, bauxite, copper, lead, manganese, zinc, nickel, rutile and kyanite.

Liberia is divided into 15 counties. The main cities are Monrovia, Buchanan, Harper, Robertsport, Greenville, Voinjama, Sanniquellie, Zwedru, Tubmanburg, Kakata, Cestos City, Fish Town, Barclayville, Gbarnga, and Bopolu.

Among them, Monrovia is the capital of Liberia and the capital of Montserrado County. Located on Cape Mesurado and BushRhode Island on the Atlantic coast of western Africa, it occupies the estuary of the Sao Paulo River. It is an important gateway to the sea in West Africa and the closest port city in Africa to the South American continent.

There are many types of houses in Liberia, including round houses, octagonal houses, oval houses or rectangular houses. In large cities and administrative, commercial, and transportation centers, there are mainly rectangular houses with iron roofs, some of which are multi-storey, some are single-storey, and most of them are two-story buildings. Such houses are generally brick walls and concrete floors.

In sub-Saharan African countries, people's traditional foods are tapioca paste, millet porridge and roasted corn. From Guinea to Cameroon, coastal areas including Liberia, residents often eat "fruit". In addition, some families have their own food taboos, which must not be broken.

Due to the hot weather, people's clothes are relatively simple. Most of the descendants of black immigrants in the United States wear straight suits. They especially like top hats, walking sticks, cigars and other things, and they are full of gentlemen. The local indigenous people, on the other hand, completely maintain their own way of life and wear their own costumes, showing their primitive simplicity and simplicity.

There are 16 tribes in Liberia, the larger ones are Keppel, Basa, Dan, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Loma, Gola, Mandingo, Bell and black descendants who migrated from the southern United States in the 19th century. All tribes in Liberia believe that there is a God who created everything. They each prayed to God, but there were no special services. Christianity has had a great influence on Liberia, and the country's constitution stipulates that Liberia is a Christian Republic. The official language is English, and the larger ethnic groups have their own languages. The languages of the Wai and Basa tribes have written languages.

Liberians are hospitable. When people meet for the first time, they always have to say a few small words and greet each other before they can talk about business. When Liberians generally meet guests, people often use a handshake ceremony and call men Mr. and women Mrs., Ms., and Miss. When there are special guests, the thumbs, index fingers and middle fingers of both sides often wrap around each other and make a sound after the normal handshake. When meeting relatives and friends, it is customary to give hugging gifts, and when meeting women, you can also give face-to-face gifts.

Liberia has a strong traditional African culture. When important guests come to visit, local tribal chiefs will come forward to welcome them and arrange dance performances. For guests who are about to leave, Liberians often present traditional gowns and award them the title of honorary chief to express their gratitude and wishes.