It was the election of Liberia's first female president "“ indeed the first-ever in Africa "“ and also a Nobel Peace Prize winner, which made me wonder whether this country might be a rare instance of action following the upbeat rhetoric. Thus, as Liberia celebrated its 10th anniversary of peace in 2013, I made my way to Monrovia to explore the lived experience of a post-war generation of girls growing up.
I focused my work on the community of West Point "“ located on the large sandy peninsula, overlooked by, now empty, a ghost-like building of Luxor hotel "“ and not long ago the first 5-star hotel in West Africa.
West Point is located near the commercial city center, which despite perilous conditions, makes it an attractive location for a population of about 75000 people, making it most densely populated slum in Liberia. It's a situation typical for many modern cities across the globe where urban poor live in unsuitable locations.
Some the girls I have worked with in this community were forced into prostitution as the only means of survival. Occasionally they will "sleep out" for access to food or water, or the things we take for granted. Some of the girls I originally met in 2013 now live in "safe houses" after being victims of sexual abuse. Other dropped out of school after getting pregnant. Fortunately, most are doing well and are fighting for their future.
Since that first journey, I returned to Liberia three more times to continue working with the community of West Point, including recovery from the recent Ebola epidemic.
Some positive changes are visible "“ there are more water pumps providing access to drinking water at lower prices for example.
But there are also changes putting the fragile social order of the community into jeopardy. Since my first trip to Liberia, the ocean has claimed a substantial proportion of West Point, destroying houses and making some of the most venerable community members homeless.
I witness some of the damage in 2015 and in April 2016 about 6000 people lost their homes to the sea and were forced to move to more distant locations or deeper into the West Point peninsula into an already overcrowded area with limited, if any, infrastructure. Many places photographed by me previously don't exist anymore, including some of the infamous hanging showers and toilets, which were claimed by the ocean. The ocean threatened to destroy road entry to the West Point and took away electricity poles forcing even those who can afford to pay for generators to live in darkness.
It is expected that the West Point will further suffer from land erosion and previous attempts to relocate the community in 1970 failed.
In 2017 I would like to return to this community, often ostracized by other Liberians and struggling against prejudice and document their wrestle with yet another challenge. A challenge, which sadly, will be common in the future in other places due to the climate change.
The title of the project is inspired by the lyrics of the song "West Pint Calypso" popular during the1960ies:
"Don't go down there I beg you don't,
This is the place they call the West Point.
Woman, man, pekin* and dog,
Everybody living at the mercy of God."
*small boy
While the hotel is not functioning anymore the attitudes towards West Point and its community changed very little. I am determined to help their voices heard and show a balanced picture of their lives. In the end, it is the determination, strength, and ingenuity what inspire me in those people, and only by learning about that we can understand better what is the lived experience of a West Pointer and change the narrative of hopelessness. The new chapter together with the previously produced material will create a powerful and comprehensive project, which I would like to be used as advocating tool for West Point community in their battle for support from Liberian Government.
