Posted by Benjamin on: 03.07.2007 /
Today the U.S. State Department released their Annual Human Rights Report for 2006. It includes detailed, lengthy reports on human rights violations in 193 countries, and is actually fairly fascinating reading if you have the time to wade through it (IMO).
Conspicuously missing from the list of countries reported on–The United States!?!
Mentioned, in the report, as the first (and perhaps most) hopeful example of progress on Human Rights was Liberia
I remember being in Liberia in 1999 during Charles Taylor’s 6 year reign as president (between the first 10 years of civil war and the second 4 years of civil war). The people I met were completely terrified to talk about politics at all. I guess they feared Taylor, but they feared resumption of the civil war even more.
The people of Liberia were beautiful and very engaging. I remember sitting around the campfire one night with four ladies who were washing the cooking utensils. They sang a lovely melodic song, in English–I couldn’t understand a word. So they translated for me into an English I could understand. The lyrics were “Jesus you are so bright like a beautiful flower and you shine like the morning star”.
During a presentation at a church, I referred several times to my “girlfriend” (now wife) Meg. Later, the pastor very gently inquired as to the nature of our relationship. When I explained that we were strengthening our commitment to each other in preparation for marriage, he instructed me that I must refer to her as “my loved one”, since “girlfriend” meant more or less the same thing as “mistress” to them. Now we sometimes still refer to each other as “my loved one”.
Charles Taylor’s UN trial for 650 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, committed as president and warlord during Liberia’s 14 year civil war, is due to start April 2, in about 4 weeks.
Ellen “Iron Lady” Johnson-Sirleaf was elected president of Liberia in November 2005, becoming Africa’s first female head of state. From what I’ve read, she’s an enormously gutsy, disciplined, visionary individual, and prospects for Liberia are certainly very much looking up. In this story from 2 weeks ago, President Bush announced that the United States is forgiving Liberia’s debt, and called on other nations to do the same.
Sometimes I just have to look at a bit of good news. I feel mega-stoked about the way things are going in Liberia
Leave a Reply
Comment by: Helen
1 03/7/07 8:30 AM | Comment Link |Thanks Benjamin - it’s very encouraging to hear about progress being made. I can see why you care particularly about Liberia, having been there and met some wonderful people there.
“My loved one” - wow, that’s so pretty. Sometimes I guess beautiful things can result from strange legalistic rules ;-)
Comment by: ncxian
2 03/7/07 1:16 PM | Comment Link |I was not aware of the turn-around in Liberia’s government and our view toward their debt. This is very interesting. I would like to check out the story, but the link doesn’t work. (I still giggle everytime I get the screen that says I’ve gone too far off the map!).
This is sort of off the subject, but I find it fascinating when people use the same words differently. Like “girlfriend”. Apparently in Liberia it means mistress. Here is usually means what Benjamin thought it does. However, there is a regional difference in whether women use the world “girlfriend” about each other. If you came to my neck of the woods, Helen, and referred to your “girlfriend”, I would need to quietly take you to the side and suggest you pick a different word, since we normally use that only for a romantic relationship.
“Fiance” is becoming used differently in my immediate area in the last couple of years. It used to be somebody you intended to marry pretty soon. Now, people commonly also use the word to refer to a live-in lover. It is no longer safe to say, “oh, when are you planning to married?” when you are talking to someone with a “fiance”!
Comment by: benjamin ady
3 03/7/07 3:18 PM | Comment Link |Ncxian,
thankyou for the heads up about the link. I fixed the original, and here it is again.
where is your neck of the woods?
Never heard the “fiance” for “live in partner not planning to get married”. That’s fascinating. Do you suppose another word will pop up into use for “the person I’m planning to marry”?
I wonder if there are those who argue that in general debt eradication is a bad thing as it teaches irresponsibility or some such?
Comment by: Helen
4 03/7/07 6:18 PM | Comment Link |NCxian, yes, lots of women who live where I live refer to their female friends as ‘girlfriends’ and they mean “we’re good friends” rather than “we’re in a romantic relationship”.
Benjamin, I think NCxian is from North Carolina - hence the NC!
Comment by: ncxian
5 03/8/07 6:27 PM | Comment Link |Helen is right, Benjamin, I’m from NC. When I started posting, Txatheist was a prolific contributor and I couldn’t think of anything to call myself, so I plagarized. I have a mini-bio at the Discussion Board.
Comment by: ncxian
6 03/8/07 6:36 PM | Comment Link |Benjamin, I am wondering. What happened in Liberia that made this turn around possible? Anything that would inform discussion on other African states? Afghanistan? Iraq?
Comment by: Benjamin Ady
7 03/9/07 9:33 AM | Comment Link |Ncxian,
That’s a great question. I have *no* idea. Now I shall have to do some more study. Or maybe track down an international studies PhD on Campus today and ask them =)
Comment by: Laura M.
8 03/13/07 8:36 AM | Comment Link |Great news in Liberia.
Here in Dallas, the word ‘partner’ is becoming more commonly used to describe that type of relationship. Previously ,I think some were afraid to use the term, thinking it implied a homosexual relationship. People seem to be getting over that.
Most people here don’t seem to use the word ‘fiance’ either, they usually just say ‘my future hubby/wife’. It’s not shocking to hear people say ‘my future first wife/husband’ either. The divorce rate is very high in Texas.
Comment by: Kathleen
9 03/19/07 5:46 PM | Comment Link |Kimmie Weeks
Here’s a related link, about a guy who lived through the Liberian civil war and Charles Taylor’s presidency, and has done a lot since then to help other kids in war-torn countries.
(If you go here Brick Awards, you can see the other 11-25 yos who got Brick Awards this year, and vote for one to receive an additional award for his or her organization.)
As for language, I’ve never heard “fiance” used to describe a heterosexual relationship that wasn’t aimed at marriage, but I’ve heard it used to describe homosexual relationships that may or may not be, possibly because “partner” usually means that you’re talking about a gay relationship, whereas fiance is a nice, gender-neutral term that doesn’t have the same connotation, for when people don’t feel like outing themselves amongst strangers.
I’m studying in Italy this semester, and while I don’t have the good fortune of having a boyfriend to refer to in Italian, a friend of mine called her boyfriend her “ragazzo,” as we were taught in class, only to be told that your “ragazzo” is not necessarily your boyfriend, for boyfriend you need to say “fidanzato,” which translates more directly to “fiance” - but yet, I’ve only ever heard my Italian roommate’s boyfriend referred to as her “ragazzo” - I suppose linguistic simplicity is one of those “perks of being single” that people in couples are always talking about! :-D
Comment by: Rachel
10 03/19/07 6:34 PM | Comment Link |Welcome, Kathleen! Thanks for the link about Kimmie Weeks. What an inspiring and courageous individual! I love to read about ordinary people who are making a difference in the world.