| It was the cruelest of times. Liberia, on Africa's west coast, had been established as a country in 1847, Africa's first independent Republic. It was founded as a place to expatriate freed African slaves and African American free men from the United States as a way for America to solve its "Negro" problem. For the next 133 years, these expatriated slaves and their descendents would rule Liberia, even though they were in the minority. It all began to unravel in 1980. "First came the rice riot," said Juli Endee, the cultural ambassador of Liberia, at the offices of Wisconsin Public Radio. "Second was the assassination of the president of the Republic of Liberia in 1980. Then came the assassination of Samuel Doe. Then it went on and the war became senseless. People were fighting for greed and selfish reasons. And they didn't know the difference between the civilians and the soldiers and the enemy. Innocent people died. Women were slaughtered. Women's stomachs were cut open to see whether they were carrying a boy or girl child." "The fighting happened in every sector of Liberia, in the rural areas and the villages,"; Endee continued. "Whole villages were wiped out. Towns were burned. Villagers fled for their lives to unknown destinations. In the cities, buildings were destroyed. Infrastructure such as water and electricity were cut off during the war. People died in the streets. There was mass destruction and atrocities committed in Liberia by the people." But in the midst of this horrific war, it was the women who desired peace, for their children, for their families, and for themselves. And Endee began her personal crusade for peace. "I grew up in Liberia," she emphasized. "I was born in Liberia. But I started my struggle in 1994. I started during the heat of the war. I would go from village to village and I would speak to people. The spirit that was taking me, I don't know. I'm not a strong person. My bravery came from somewhere because I am not brave." In order to stop the violence and the deep divisions among the people, Endee appealed to the people's sense of culture and Liberia's past. "Dancing is a form of unity and emblazons the culture of peace," Endee emphasized. "Art was also used in health and health promotion. It was used to promote the eradication of HIV/AIDS. Music was also used in helping the peacekeeper disarm the soldiers. When the United Nations mission went to Liberia, the public information system of the United Nations engaged the artists of Liberia. And the artists designed a communications strategy to go from town to town, from village to village preaching the message of disarmament and peace. And it worked. Disarmament was very successful in Liberia. It was a grassroots expression. It happened because the culture was used as the medium of communication to the people. They could relate to the culture. They could relate to music and the dance because that is what was used when we were united. Regardless of the diversity, music and culture brought us together." For her brave and tireless work, the Liberian chiefs bestowed a special honor on Endee. "It is through my work with children that I started a campaign for polio eradication in Liberia. I went from village to village. Then I started with HIV/AIDS awareness and then the rule of law and democracy and elections and the right to vote and the right for social change. And based on that, the traditional leaders got together and said 'Wow, this is our queen.' And I am a servant of the people. So they honored me when they bestowed that honor upon me in 2003. And officially, I was crowned in 2006." Culture continues to play a unifying force as the healing process continues. And no one is more cognizant than recently elected president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first woman to head an African country. Johnson-Sirleaf lived in Madison when her husband attended the UW-Madison. "President Johnson knows that culture plays a very unique part of our society," Endee said. "And she knows that the traditional people are the owner of the land. And so she respects and adores and appreciates the culture of the land. To be a leader of the land, you must appreciate the culture. I think since she came to power, you can see her respect and dignity for her culture. She dresses just like an African queen. Her hair is wrapped at every international conference. And she understands the language of the people. She says "My people, the people of Liberia. Without culture, there would be no democracy. Without culture, there can be no peace. Without culture, there can be no religion. So culture is very important." Endee knows that her work has just started. Liberia is in danger of losing an entire generation due to the prolonged civil war and its aftermath. She is currently raising funds to construct a $1 million children's village where orphaned children will attend school. "Some of the kids born during the war don';t understand our culture," Endee emphasized. "We need to help them learn the culture of life. Once they are educated, they can change the look of the generation that is coming. My fear is that the coming generation is completely lost. The future of Liberia, at present, is lost. If every Liberian cannot really find it in their hearts to help these children, Liberia will be lost. That' where I come in and I give my life for that." Endee is also working with the women of the village to empower them. "We want to change the behavior of our parents and grandparents keeping the girl students out of school," Endee said. "We want to encourage them to send the girl students to school. We also want to encourage their economic empowerment. Once a woman is empowered and educated, she will make sure the little girl will also come on board in terms of education and she will bring the kids on board." The work for peace never stops. Just ask Cultural ambassador Juli Endee. |
| Liberia's Cultural Ambassador Juli Endee: Queen of the children By Jonathan Gramling |
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