Squatters, with no legal rights, but with permits

After yesterday's post about Kru Town, I was interested to read this article about sea erosion in West Point, which is said to be home to around 75,000 residents, most of whom, among other challenges, have highly insecure rights to their property: 

Mary B said she had bought the piece of land from the commissioner of the township for 11,500 Liberian dollars, about 130 dollars,and built her shop on it. 

According to the Township Commissioner's office, residents in the area are primarily squatters, with no legal rights to the land though it is possible to obtain a Squatters Permit from the administrative office, which grants a certain level of legitimacy to the dwellers.…West Point is home to many of Monrovia's disadvantaged people and many cannot afford the city's huge rents, which are fixed in U.S. dollars - 150 for a modest two bedroom apartment. To make matters worse the government does no have public housing available. 

People in the area have always talked about plans by the government to relocate them, but the Public Works Ministry says the government has no such plans to move over 75,000 people.

I've never heard of buying a squatters permit, but that hardly means such things don't exist or aren't actually codified legally in Monrovia or elsewhere, but the Commissioner's statement that the dwellers have no legal rights, just a vague "certain level of legitimacy" is hardly reassuring. 

The Original Two Monrovias

Kru Town, 1932 by Paul Julien. As posted on the Liberian Observer. 

This upcoming exhibit has been written about elsewhere, most notably at Liberia Past and Present, where Fred adds some interesting context to the unique and itinerant Dutch Liberiophile Paul Julien, who seemed to be a particularly curious and observant fellow, just the sort of witness to the footnotes of history that could be hoped for, such as this under-documented era of Liberia's history.

I was particularly intrigued by his remarks about the contrast the indigenous settlements so close to Monrovia with the mannered and increasingly prosperous hilltop capital. From his comments on the juxtaposition of Krutown, which was situated approximately where the Freeport is today, and the central city:

Paul Julien visits Krutown and describes it as being in a "sharp contrast to Monrovia, of which it is not even two minutes walking distance away. [It] consists completely of square huts with grass thatched roofs. It is obviously situated on the shore, with a wide sandy beach separating it from the surf." 

When comparing the two he makes sure the Belgian audience will understand what he means, by relating to what they should know. "Up, in Monrovia, the city still reminds one of a capital city, with streets and buildings that, even though only from afar, remind one somewhat of Europe." While in Krutown, "The narrow muddy alleys that wind in a marvelous disorder through the village are the set for the life of the coastal residents. Small naked youngsters run around in the sand.

It seems even in the pre-war era, the phenomenon of the Two Monrovias existed.  Julien's photographs and a film will be on display at the National Museum in July and August.

Bernard's Beach in the Economist

This is from earlier this year, but it’s not everyday that a nice sunset view of a Monrovia beach is featured in the venerable pages of The Economist, even only its online Baobab Blog, which, thanks to the surfeit of talented journalists in the region, regularly features posts from Monrovia. Arresting to scroll onto a page of a major publication and see the spot where I go jogging in the mornings, and swimming in the afternoons.

This serene scene accompanied a post on the HipCo festival on Bernard's Beach, which was organized with several HipCo artists in cooperation with the Accountability Lab, a highly innovative and productive Anti-corruption and pro-social NGO run by my friend Blair Glencorse.

Chimpanzee at Thinker's Village

This is the Chimpanzee at Thinker's Village. There is more than one, actually, and they are definitely older than the baby chimps you occasionally see for sale on the street. They still really cute, but its a little sad to see them in such a small cage, and I wonder how safe the whole set-up is.

Marshall, Marshall, Marshall

Furthering my research on building material procurement, I drove down to Marshall today. That is, the entire length of the road, all the way to the village at the end of the peninsula. Its a pretty long drive, over a not particularly great road (not paved).

It was definitely a worthwhile trip, aside from the work stuff, its obvious that Marshall is on the verge of a building boom. More than one stretch of beach was completely cleared of trees, in anticipation of a major construction, although no one I know in town had any specifics (but its probably another hotel). I know a lot of people own land out there, and it would make a perfect sort of Hamptons to Monrovia's Manhattan.

The village of Marshall itself was a really great fishing community, with a lovely, if neglected, stretch of beach.

Thinker's Beach

I've finally started integrating myself into the "ex-pat" routine a bit. For example, I've been hanging out at Thinker's Beach on Sunday afternoons, which is full of foreigners. Its definitely a nice beach, with decent food, and a lively scene. Thinker's Village itself is undergoing a pretty significant expansion, at the moment, with the addition of a huge hotel building.

What's also nice about Thinker's is that you can walk down past the complex, to deserted stretches of beach. Be careful, however: I've seen needles on the beach, among the other refuse that has washed up, and I've also heard from other Americans that they were mugged and knife-point, which is shocking in that it is usually so rare.

Bernard's Beach

Its easy to get to Bernard's Beach, as it is right near the Old Road Junction in Sinkor. Its not quite as well kept as other beaches, but it is so close, and its really nice, especially in the evenings. There is a big lagoon there, with lots of hermit crabs (kissmeat, as the locals call it-- those are the little black dots in the water in the bottom picture), and there are usually some locals around, who often are interested in conversation. The view back to Central Monrovia is also nice.