West Africa
Monrovia
Liberia
Africa's first republic, on the Atlantic.
The culture
Why we bridge here
Liberia is the oldest republic in Africa, founded by freed African Americans, and its capital Monrovia is named for a US president. It is a small coastal capital with heavy history, generous people and Atlantic surf on its doorstep.
Monrovia is a capital of return: freed slaves and their descendants shaped the country's politics, its English, and the way people cook and greet one another. Liberian English and the local languages are warm and direct, and the food — palm butter, jollof, fufu, cassava leaf — is West African at its most comforting.
Experience
What you'll do
- Providence Island
- Liberian National Museum
- Waterside Market
- Atlantic beach day at ELWA
- Ducor Hill views
After dark
Nightlife
- Live Liberian hipco and gospel
- Beachfront bars in Sinkor
The bridge
Teaching sessions with your hosts
- Liberian history from settlement to republic
- Liberian English and local languages
- Palm butter and West African cooking