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The Need for Alternative Media in Liberia
By Nvasekie N. Konneh
On any given day when you buy newspapers in Monrovia, the headlines are always political. The headline is not considered strong and attractive enough if it is not about politics. When you listen to the radio, not much is different except the fact that radio stations can play music, and sometimes shares jokes but 99% of the time the music they play is non-Liberian. Except for foreign news, musical, or movies, the TV stations are no different either.
You can hardly see any original Liberian programming on TV except political speeches of politicians either running for elected offices or commenting on political issues in the country. Go to any intellectual forum anywhere else around town or on school campuses the scenario is just the same. When you talk about any other subject besides politics, some may look at you as if you are talking about different world. If it is your first time coming to Liberia and you look to the media to see where are the exciting places to visit as tourists, you will certainly be disappointed.
The media here is completely dominated by politics. When you talk to most people in the press the usual answer is that they print the news their readers want. On one occasion, this question was post to Philip Wisseh of the Inquirer Newspaper while being interviewed on radio. He said exactly as said above, that they in the media focus much on politic because, “that’s what our readers want.”
In other countries, it is the media that sets the trends for the readers. But in Liberia the media practitioners will tell you they only publish what their readers want. This may be due to the shortcoming on the part of the media professional or may be the readers are not aware that people in the media are not given them all the relevant information of developments that are taking place in their environments.
While it is true that politic controls our day to day activity and by nature we are all political animals so to speak, when it becomes the only thing that matters in our daily discussion in the media and public forum, then it becomes unhealthy for society. A society is healthy and progressive when there is diversity of creative ideas being exchanged through the media.
Most time when you listen to people on the radio, or when you read opinions pieces published in the newspapers, you hear more complain about poverty but no innovative idea how to eradicate it. Not much you can hear from the speakers or writers how we can overcome poverty and realize dreams of success individually and collectively in Liberia. Politicians will talk about all the problems in the country but the only solution they offer is that “make me representative, make me senator, or make me president, then the problem will be solved.”
The reality is that no manna will fall from the sky. There is no easy solution to our problems and we will be living in fool’s paradise when we think any government will come to erase all the problems affecting us as a nation. Yes, government will do its part, but the people must also find creative solutions to some of the problems instead of sitting down on their hands and expecting that either this government or some future government will take care of all the problems. We may wish that things happen that way but the reality is that this will not happen so easily. The question is can we have a smart government that will create the enabling environment that will unleash the Liberian people’s creative energy towards a 20st Century development? One way of doing this is to allow the Liberian creative industry to flourish to the fullest.
It is against this background we conceived the idea of the Uptown Review Magazine with the determination to expand Liberian conversation beyond politic to include other matters that will inspire us to get up and do something every day that will get us somewhere. For us that will be promoting Liberian arts and culture. That will be talking about Liberian fashion models, writers, musicians, chefs, entrepreneurs, bankers. With the Uptown Review Magazine, we want to talk about hot trend setters whose ability to overcome difficulty and succeed against all odds must be celebrated.
And when we profile politicians, we will like to bring to light those aspects of their lives that will inspire us. Our young people need lot of motivation and the heroic acts of others who have overcome difficulty to find success can others, particularly the young people who are the future of the nation.
How much do we know about our politicians besides the fact that they are running for public offices and when they get there what they promise to do? What are the personal challenges these politicians have overcome to be where they are today? How much they understand and appreciate of the Liberian culture? We don’t know much about them in such a way. So if we have to profile politicians, we will definitely talk about other things that matter in life beyond politics. Which Liberian books they have read? Which Liberian music they listen to? Which popular spots in town they visit? Do they follow popular trends in the world of arts and culture? As they travel around the world, what difference do they see between what is happening in other countries and Liberia in terms of showing respect and appreciation for our culture and tradition?
As part of the process of expanding our national conversation, let’s talk about diversity of cultures and traditions of the sixteen ethnic groupings so that we can appreciate and celebrate each other instead of antagonizing each other because of cultural differences. This will contribute immensely to building peace among the diverse group of people in the same country. Let’s talk about the experience of ordinary people doing extra-ordinary thing to survive in Liberia despite difficulty of living in the post war country. We could also talk about the success stories of individuals and organizations who have defied poverty to achieve success. Let’s talk about all those things that inspire us to follow up with our dreams and aspirations in life.
All of these forming parts of our national conversation can only make us better informed citizens with greater appreciation for our country and its national values. Such will build strong sense of nationalism among Liberians. So many people watch Oprah Winfrey Show just to arm themselves with enough ammunition of hope against all odds. That makes it able to draw millions of viewers around the world. Innovative addition such as these are desperately needed in Liberia at this time. This is the kind of idea that is behind the founding of the Uptown Review magazine.
Since we started publishing the Uptown Review magazine, we have featured the renowned Liberian scholar and social activist, Dr. H. Boima Fahnbulleh. When we featured Dr. Fahnbulleh on the cover of our first edition, it is not his position as the National Security Advisor to the President of the Republic of Liberia that draw our attention. We were not moved by his politics. Our interest was his creativity of as an author of a brilliant historical fiction, “Behind God’s Back.” We had an extensive interview with him about his novel and the states of literature in the Liberian society. Our next cover personality was the 2010-2011 winner of Miss Liberia Beauty Pageant, Monica Subrimanhi. What came after that was the famous Liberian comedian, Kekura Kamara popularly known as Malawala Balawala. We have also featured Liberian super model and actress Muna Pelham.
This kind of media coverage has been considered by many in Liberia to be very innovative and groundbreaking. For most people, this is just outside the box. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly among the women and young people across the board. For most of these young people who don’t read the regular political newspapers, the Uptown Review is a welcome alternative. For many young, talented and creative minds, the Uptown Review is a platform to unleash their vast creative energy.
About the Author: Nvasekie N. Konneh is a poet and writer and nine years veteran of the US Navy. Nvasekie Konneh is the author of a book of poetry, "Going to War for America," about his experiences of surviving the Liberian civil war and time served in the US military. He’s currently the publisher of the Uptown Review Magazine in Monrovia, Liberia which covers Liberian arts, culture and tourism. He can be reached 267 407 5735 in the US or 011 231 657 0507 in Liberia or you can email him @ KonnLove@aol.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Knvasekie@yahoo.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .