A Huge Congregation of Liberians: Did They Get The Memo?

The President of the Republic of Liberia, Her Excellency Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, declared State-of-Emergency in the country for 90 days. The Liberian Congress approved it as one way of trying to manage and control the spread of the ebola virus in Liberia

She imposed an initial curfew from 9pm to 6am but it has been changed. It’s now from 11pm to 6am. It is expected to keep people out of the streets and night clubs where the virus could easily be spread. This attempt is also to totally capture the attention and unflinching support of the people in the fight against ebola.

President Sirleaf also asked the people and residents of Liberia not to congregate in large numbers in one place at the same time. Because, the ebola virus spreads through bodily fluid that could be generated, discharged and transmitted when too many people congregate in one place at the same time.

But like most humans would do the world over, some Liberians and residents continue to break the President’s Orders deliberately or otherwise.

Here are some of the things they do in violation to the President’s Orders and common sense:

At night, during the curfew hours, night clubs are jam-packed with people merry making and having a “ball.” In the day, most beaches are jam-packed to overflow. You find people eating and drinking alcohol.

Prostitution at this point hits the ceiling!

Adulterers hold hands and kiss in street corners and beaches.  They return to their various homes and somehow, their significant others and innocent families get contaminated.

In the streets, people elbow each other fighting for commercial vehicles to get to their various homes. There are anti-ebola guidelines dictating “no touching.” But in this process, people rub and touch each other’s sweaty bodies.

And there’s the video clubs situation. It is one of the most popular entertainment places in the country. During European ballgames, the clubs get overcrowded and people are profusely drenched in sweat touching, rubbing and sneezing in such a confined space at the same time.

The deaths rate in the country is astronomical and mark an unspeakable horror that demands some level of control and support on the side of both the Government and people. But orders or no orders, state-of-emergency or no state-of-emergency, a lot of Liberians don’t even give a darn what the problems are! They are doing just their own thing. It’s “business as usual.”

The New Democrat Newspaper describes this situation best - “This, too, is Liberia.”

Simply put, we in Liberia really do things differently from others around the world. Probably because of the cliché that God made three people in the world - the Black man, white man and the Liberian man. Conditional upon that is the saying that there are three ways of doing things in this world: The right way, the wrong way and the Liberian way!

Yesterday, Saturday, October 4, 2014, was a case in point.

Closed to 1000+ people, mostly Moslems, swallowed The Mamba Point Beach environment. Maybe it happened all over beaches in Monrovia. But because I saw it myself in Mamba Point. And so I will stick to what I saw and know. Moslem gathered on the Mamba Point Beaches.

Why?

Because they say this is “Abraham Day” set aside annually by Moslems around the world! So 99% of them gathered to observe this tradition. So whether ebola was killing people or not, nothing could stop them from observing the tradition. But all the same, the celebration came with an ultimate price – a young Moslem was found dead the next morning lying between the Beach and Mamba Point streets!

My impression.

When I first glanced at such an unimaginable number of people converging at one place at the same time during this ebola crisis, I knew it was in violation of the President’s Orders. I had no other alternative but to ask myself whether or not they got the memo.

So I said, “Self?” And “self” says, “Yes!” I said, “Did these people get the memo?” And “self” says "What memo?” Evidently, “Self” probably didn’t get the memo too. So I said, “The State-of-Emergency!” Then “Self” in response said, “O that one! Hey, your guess is good as mine!”

I couldn’t but ask, “Is it me or people just don’t get it; ebola is real and it surely kills and continues to kill tens and tens of Liberians and residents. While then is this multitude of people out here drinking and merrymaking?”

Evidently, the nation is completely on the verge of internal and self-destruction because of our attitude and mentality that is seemingly letting us down in the vicious hands of the ebola virus. 

I am T. Gbuo-Mle Bedell; speaking and working on the ground in Liberia, social justice advocate and victim of police brutality.