
Liberia's American Shadow
05/19/20 • 36 min
1 Listener
Quite often – and misleadingly, Liberia is referred to as one of the only two African countries that were not colonised. Whilst Liberia was not carved up by Europeans in the Scramble for Africa, the country was actually founded by the American colonisation society, and many freed black Americans were sent to live in Liberia, despite living in America for generations. These black Americans and their descendants ended up controlling and colonising indigenous Liberians for over 100 years.
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg
Warm Nights by Lakey Inspired: https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired/...
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Sources for further reading:
Articles:
A Brief History of the African Country of Liberia
The Library of Congress - African American Mosaic Exhibition
How a Movement to Send Freed Slaves to Africa Created Liberia
Settlement of Liberia and Mexico-Liberian Rule
Photos of Cabinet Ministers lined up for Execution after a Coup debate in Liberia
Murder and mayhem in Liberia: What America wrought in the country America created
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Quite often – and misleadingly, Liberia is referred to as one of the only two African countries that were not colonised. Whilst Liberia was not carved up by Europeans in the Scramble for Africa, the country was actually founded by the American colonisation society, and many freed black Americans were sent to live in Liberia, despite living in America for generations. These black Americans and their descendants ended up controlling and colonising indigenous Liberians for over 100 years.
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg
Warm Nights by Lakey Inspired: https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired/...
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Sources for further reading:
Articles:
A Brief History of the African Country of Liberia
The Library of Congress - African American Mosaic Exhibition
How a Movement to Send Freed Slaves to Africa Created Liberia
Settlement of Liberia and Mexico-Liberian Rule
Photos of Cabinet Ministers lined up for Execution after a Coup debate in Liberia
Murder and mayhem in Liberia: What America wrought in the country America created
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Previous Episode

Mugabe's fall from grace
Robert Gabriel Mugabe led Zimbabwe for almost four decades, and within that period he went from being a hero who helped free his country from colonial rule to an authoritarian who did whatever it took to stay in power. In this episode, we discuss the rise and subsequent fall of this Zimbabwean leader.
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg
Warm Nights by Lakey Inspired: https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired/...
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Sources for further reading:
- Documentary: Zimbabwe Countdown
- Book: Two weeks in November by Douglas Rogers
- Journal: Zimbabwe's success story in education and health; will it weather economic structural adjustment?
Online sources:
- How Mugabe became Africa's fallen angel
- From breadbasket to basket case (The Economist)
- Robert Mugabe brutally squandered the ‘jewel’ of Zimbabwe – his rule was a bitter lesson for South Africa (The Independent)
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Next Episode

Wangari, Kenya's mother
Wangari Maathai was a distinguished environmentalist born in Kenya during British colonial rule. As a well-educated black woman, she used her knowledge and experience to educate and mobilise others in her community to fight for change, but faced numerous challenges: from discrimination at work to threats from the Kenyan government. Her determination and fearlessness never waned as she continued to fight for the environment, human rights and democracy in Kenya. In 2004, she became the first black African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Music provided by Free Vibes: https://goo.gl/NkGhTg
Warm Nights by Lakey Inspired: https://soundcloud.com/lakeyinspired/...
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Artwork by Margo Designs: https://margosdesigns.myportfolio.com/
Sources for further reading:
- Film: Taking root - the vision of Wangari Maathai http://takingrootfilm.com/earth-day-2020/
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ibibio
- https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/the-kikuyu-community-of-kenya%C2%A0-national-museums-of-kenya/0QIS6HqkIjAUIQ?hl=en
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wangari-Maathai
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