Liberia — books & literature

The story of Liberia

Liberia's coast has been home to indigenous peoples , including the Kpelle, Bassa, Kru, Grebo, Vai, and Gola , for centuries before outside contact, with the Vai even developing their own independent writing system in the 1830s. Liberia's modern founding began in 1816, when the American Colonization Society formed in the United States to resettle free-born and formerly enslaved African Americans in West Africa. The first settlers landed near Cape Mesurado in 1822; by 1824 the colony was named Liberia ("Land of the Free") and its capital Monrovia, after US President James Monroe. On 26 July 1847, settler leaders declared independence, making Liberia Africa's oldest republic, with Joseph Jenkins Roberts as its first president. For over a century political power stayed concentrated among Americo-Liberian settler descendants, until a 1980 coup by Samuel Doe ended that era and opened decades of instability. Two brutal civil wars, 1989-1997 and 1999-2003, killed hundreds of thousands and displaced much of the population before a 2003 peace agreement ended the fighting. Liberia then made history in 2005 by electing Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first elected female head of state, and endured the devastating 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic. Today, having also elected football legend George Weah in a peaceful transfer of power in 2018, Liberia continues rebuilding as a young democracy with an old, resilient identity.

Timeline — key moments

1. 1816

   The American Colonization Society is founded in the US to resettle free African Americans in West Africa.

2. 1822

   First settlers land near Cape Mesurado, at what becomes Providence Island.

3. 1824

   The colony is named Liberia and its capital Monrovia, after US President James Monroe.

4. circa 1830s

   Momolu Duwalu Bukele invents the Vai script, an independently created West African writing system.

5. 1847

   Liberia declares independence on 26 July, becoming Africa's oldest republic; Joseph Jenkins Roberts is first president.

6. 1980

   Samuel Doe leads a military coup, ending over a century of Americo-Liberian settler-descendant rule.

7. 1989-1997

   First Liberian Civil War, ignited by Charles Taylor's invasion from Ivory Coast.

8. 1999-2003

   Second Liberian Civil War; ends with Charles Taylor's exile and a 2003 peace agreement.

9. 2005

   Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is elected president , Africa's first elected female head of state.

10. 2014-2015

    A devastating Ebola virus epidemic strikes Liberia alongside Guinea and Sierra Leone.

11. 2018

    George Weah is inaugurated president after Liberia's first peaceful democratic transfer of power in 73 years.

Top 10 things to know about Liberia

1. Liberia is Africa's oldest republic, founded by freed African American and Caribbean settlers.
2. Independence was declared on 26 July 1847, with Joseph Jenkins Roberts as first president.
3. Monrovia, the capital, is one of the few national capitals in the world named after a foreign head of state (US President James Monroe).
4. Liberia's flag closely resembles the US flag but carries a single star, reflecting its founding history.
5. English is the official language, alongside more than 20 indigenous languages.
6. The Vai script, invented in the 1830s, is one of the few fully independent writing systems ever created in Africa.
7. About 95% of Liberians belong to indigenous ethnic groups such as the Kpelle, Bassa, Kru, and Grebo.
8. Liberia endured two civil wars (1989-1997 and 1999-2003) that devastated the country before peace returned in 2003.
9. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee, both Liberian, shared the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.
10. George Weah, the only FIFA World Player of the Year to later become a head of state, was elected president in 2017.

Famous people from Liberia

Say it in Liberia's language

Did you know?

• ★Liberia's flag is nearly identical to the US flag but carries a single star, earning it the nickname "the Lone Star".
• ★Monrovia is one of the only national capitals in the world named after a sitting foreign head of state, US President James Monroe.
• ★The Vai script, invented in the 1830s by Momolu Duwalu Bukele, is one of the few writing systems ever created without contact with an existing alphabet.

Liberia culture

• Over 20 indigenous languages are spoken alongside English; everyday conversation often uses Liberian Kolokwa, an English-based creole.
• About 95% of Liberians belong to indigenous ethnic groups such as the Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, and Grebo, each with distinct traditions.
• Rice is the staple food, with dishes like cassava leaf, potato greens, and jollof rice common at gatherings.
• Independence Day, 26 July, is Liberia's biggest national holiday, marked with parades and county-level cultural displays.

Why read Liberia's books

Liberian literature carries the voice of a nation built from two worlds , settler and indigenous , and hardened by war and recovery; writers like Bai T. Moore turned the everyday life of rural Liberia into some of West Africa's most enduring stories.