Robertsport

Last weekend, Team Liberia – all 14 of us – went away on a road trip. We live a very insular and isolated life in Monrovia to safety concerns, so we wanted to get out and see more of the country.

Roads in Liberia are quite poor and filled with huge puddles during Rainy Season; therefore, much of Liberia is inaccessible by car. But we heard about one accessible place: a beautiful town named Robertsport… on the beach, with hills, lakes, the ocean, and a lagoon. It had once been a tourist haven, but was abandoned and destroyed in the war.


After many complicated logistics, we found two drivers – Creem & Tarlue – with vans to take us the three hours to Robertsport. The drive there was beautiful, through luscious forest. And the nonpaved road was pretty passable. (Liberia has 6162 miles of roads, only 456 of which are paved.)

It was our first weekend away and we had an absolute blast. We stayed in glorified tent / bungalows on the beach (4-5 to a tent) and spent most of our time walking on the beach, swimming, reading, and relaxing. The water was crystal clear and a perfect temperature. It was a great time.

We met the Oxford-educated Governor of Robertsport, who had watched the town go from beautiful to war-torn and abandoned. She recalled a time 30 years ago when it had been cleaner, in better shape, and filled with tourists. Now, she said, it was a complete mess.

She had lots of insights about Liberia’s road to development. Her advice was that Liberia (and all of us working here) must listen to its youth. “My generation,” she said, “doesn’t have much longer on this earth. And look how we handled things in our country. Now we should listen to the younger ones. They have a lot to offer.”

Liberia has such a gorgeous landscape – forests, hills, fields, and a great coast – yet all of these suffered during the war. Now, the country must work very hard to revive places like Robertsport, so that it can thrive once again.