A no-holds-barred speech by a gritty orator at Liberia\u2019s 177th Independence Day celebration has generated a possible diplomatic row with the country\u2019s biggest ally since independence\u2014the United States of America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Robtel Pailey<\/a> dissected the history of Africa\u2019s \u201coldest modern Republic\u201d and lamented what she believes to be an illusive, unproductive relationship with some of Liberia\u2019s biggest allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her speech angered some, with others, particularly the US representatives at the event, staging a walkout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like many independent countries, Liberia gained independence from the American Colonization Society (ACS) in 1847 and has since harnessed bilateral and multilateral relations with other countries and foreign partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the countries Liberians often mentioned as their traditional ally is the United States of America. Both countries have benefitted since Liberia obtained independence 177 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the celebration marking Liberia\u2019s 177th Independence Day on July 26, 2024, in Monrovia, Dr Robtel Pailey<\/a>, an academic activist and author, made a controversial oration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She spoke on \u201cA Radical Approach To Re-imagining Liberia,\u201d which is part of the national theme \u201cBuilding A New Liberia For All Liberians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Picks from the orator<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In her speech<\/a>, Dr Parley reflected on Liberia\u2019s bond and dark days and how the country dared to be sovereign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just a few paragraphs into the speech, Dr Parley, an Assistant Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), said, “Liberia has mortgaged its resources to the highest bidder, placing profit before people and planet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She further stated that the nearly two-century-old country\u2019s negotiations of land ownership, political participation, identity, and belonging yielded both productive and destructive outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The activist academic and author said dignity must define Liberia, calling on the country to focus on building people as it does with building institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her reference to the U.S. as an \u201coutsized influence in our transitional justice process\u201d may have damaged the smooth diplomatic relationship between the two countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe must forge new strategic partnerships based on mutual benefit and disabuse ourselves of the notion that we have a \u2018special relationship\u2019 with America. Truth be told, this so-called \u2018special relationship\u2019 only exists in our imagination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLest we forget, the United States was one of the last countries to recognise our independence. Lest we forget that the United States has taken more from us than it has given. Lest we forget, the United States will always serve its own interests above all else,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once we accept these truths, we will appreciate that a re-imagined Liberia can never be anyone\u2019s \u201cstepchild.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, in a shocking scene at the 177th Independence Day celebration, representatives from the U.S. Embassy near Monrovia led by its Charge d\u2019Affaires (CDA) Catherine Rodriguez, walked out of the event, saying the oration was a \u201cdivisive rhetoric.\u201d The embassy responded minutes after the delegation\u2019s action, explaining why the CDA left the celebration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The organisation said, \u201cThe United States has a long history of providing foreign assistance, amounting to at least $163 million annually, separate from the U.S. government\u2019s contributions to several international organisations that also provide aid to the Liberian people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNumerous U.S. foundations, private American citizens, and nongovernmental organisations are dedicated to uplifting the Liberian people,\u201d the Embassy added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhile the orator is entitled to freedom of speech, the CDA chose to exercise its right not to listen to such remarks,\u201d the US Embassy’s statement concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Addressing journalists minutes after the Independence programme, Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah stated that orators express their personal opinions and do not speak for the government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat she said was her view. We should respect the orator for her view in the spirit of respecting freedom of expression.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reacting to the boycott, Representative Moima Mensah<\/a> called the U.S. government to recall Charge d\u2019Affaires (CDA) Rodriguez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Bong district #6 lawmaker, the CDA\u2019s action was a gross disrespect to Liberia\u2019s president, Joseph Boakai, heads of state from other countries present, and other government officials of Liberia, including Liberians themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJust because this lady reminded us how much we have always put America first, it is time to think about ourselves. Did she lie?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She threatened to bring the issue before the plenary and demand an explanation if President Boakai did not immediately declare the United States Charg\u00e9 d\u2019Affaires Catherine Rodriguez persona non grata for her actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For his part, Political Commentator Henry Costa<\/a> said<\/a> America is not responsible for Liberia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe ought to be ashamed of ourselves as a country of 177 years of existence for blaming America for our backward, wretched and poor state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are a rich nation managed poorly by our leaders, and that\u2019s why we are extremely poor\u2014and not because America withheld billions in aid to us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn fact, it has poured billions into this country,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A no-holds-barred speech by a gritty orator at Liberia\u2019s 177th Independence Day celebration has generated a possible diplomatic row with the country\u2019s biggest ally since independence\u2014the United States of America. Dr Robtel Pailey dissected the history of Africa\u2019s \u201coldest modern Republic\u201d and lamented what she believes to be an illusive, unproductive relationship with some of Liberia\u2019s biggest allies. Her speech angered some, with others, particularly the US representatives at the event, staging a walkout. Background Like many independent countries, Liberia gained independence from the American Colonization Society (ACS) in 1847 and has since harnessed bilateral and multilateral relations with other countries and foreign partners. One of the countries Liberians often mentioned as their traditional ally is the United States of America. Both countries have benefitted since Liberia obtained independence 177 years ago. At the celebration marking Liberia\u2019s 177th Independence Day on July 26, 2024, in Monrovia, Dr Robtel Pailey, an academic activist and author, made a controversial oration. She spoke on \u201cA Radical Approach To Re-imagining Liberia,\u201d which is part of the national theme \u201cBuilding A New Liberia For All Liberians.\u201d Picks from the orator In her speech, Dr Parley reflected on Liberia\u2019s bond and dark days and how the country dared to be sovereign. Just a few paragraphs into the speech, Dr Parley, an Assistant Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), said, “Liberia has mortgaged its resources to the highest bidder, placing profit before people and planet.\u201d She further stated that the nearly two-century-old country\u2019s negotiations of land ownership, political participation, identity, and belonging yielded both productive and destructive outcomes. The activist academic and author said dignity must define Liberia, calling on the country to focus on building people as it does with building institutions. Her reference to the U.S. as an \u201coutsized influence in our transitional justice process\u201d may have damaged the smooth diplomatic relationship between the two countries. \u201cWe must forge new strategic partnerships based on mutual benefit and disabuse ourselves of the notion that we have a \u2018special relationship\u2019 with America. Truth be told, this so-called \u2018special relationship\u2019 only exists in our imagination. \u201cLest we forget, the United States was one of the last countries to recognise our independence. Lest we forget that the United States has taken more from us than it has given. Lest we forget, the United States will always serve its own interests above all else,\u201d she said. Once we accept these truths, we will appreciate that a re-imagined Liberia can never be anyone\u2019s \u201cstepchild.\u201d The diplomatic boycott However, in a shocking scene at the 177th Independence Day celebration, representatives from the U.S. Embassy near Monrovia led by its Charge d\u2019Affaires (CDA) Catherine Rodriguez, walked out of the event, saying the oration was a \u201cdivisive rhetoric.\u201d The embassy responded minutes after the delegation\u2019s action, explaining why the CDA left the celebration. The organisation said, \u201cThe United States has a long history of providing foreign assistance, amounting to at least $163 million annually, separate from the U.S. government\u2019s contributions to several international organisations that also provide aid to the Liberian people.\u201d \u201cNumerous U.S. foundations, private American citizens, and nongovernmental organisations are dedicated to uplifting the Liberian people,\u201d the Embassy added. \u201cWhile the orator is entitled to freedom of speech, the CDA chose to exercise its right not to listen to such remarks,\u201d the US Embassy’s statement concluded. Government of Liberia\u2019s response Addressing journalists minutes after the Independence programme, Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah stated that orators express their personal opinions and do not speak for the government. \u201cWhat she said was her view. We should respect the orator for her view in the spirit of respecting freedom of expression.\u201d Mixed reactions from Liberians Reacting to the boycott, Representative Moima Mensah called the U.S. government to recall Charge d\u2019Affaires (CDA) Rodriguez. According to the Bong district #6 lawmaker, the CDA\u2019s action was a gross disrespect to Liberia\u2019s president, Joseph Boakai, heads of state from other countries present, and other government officials of Liberia, including Liberians themselves. \u201cJust because this lady reminded us how much we have always put America first, it is time to think about ourselves. Did she lie?\u201d She threatened to bring the issue before the plenary and demand an explanation if President Boakai did not immediately declare the United States Charg\u00e9 d\u2019Affaires Catherine Rodriguez persona non grata for her actions. For his part, Political Commentator Henry Costa said America is not responsible for Liberia. \u201cWe ought to be ashamed of ourselves as a country of 177 years of existence for blaming America for our backward, wretched and poor state.\u201d \u201cWe are a rich nation managed poorly by our leaders, and that\u2019s why we are extremely poor\u2014and not because America withheld billions in aid to us.\u201d \u201cIn fact, it has poured billions into this country,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19528,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"hannibal_claim_source":"","hannibal_source_label":"","hannibal_card_color":"blue","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[1572,4,3812,1960,16],"tags":[],"verdict":[],"ppma_author":[3786],"class_list":["post-19526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-explainers","category-featured","category-headline","category-liberia","category-politics"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8R6dE-54W","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":3786,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"gloria-wleh","display_name":"Gloria Wleh","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Dr-Robtel-Pailey.-Photo-source-Robtel-Pailey.jpg?fit=342%2C512&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19526"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19526\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19529,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19526\/revisions\/19529"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19526"},{"taxonomy":"verdict","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verdict?post=19526"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=19526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Background<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The diplomatic boycott <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Government of Liberia\u2019s response <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Mixed reactions from Liberians <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n