Since the civil war, Liberians have known only one leader: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who helped transform the ruined capital. Now some observers worry that this month’s election could undo Monrovia’s progress

Monrovia in the spotlight: can this fragile city ever really replace 'Ma Ellen'?

Monrovia in the spotlight: can this fragile city ever really replace 'Ma Ellen'?

For nearly 30 years, the city of Monrovia has lurched from crisis to crisis. The Liberian civil war culminated in a 2003 siege that destroyed much of the city centre, while riots during the Ebola crisis – in response to an ill-conceived quarantine of West Point, one of its poorest neighbourhoods – garnered international headlines.



Lost amid the bad news is the fact that the city has made a slow but impressive recovery. Today Monrovia is a fairly bustling place. The burnt-out high rises and shell-pocked roads have been substantially repaired. The streets are safer than they have been in a generation, and as the Ebola crisis recedes, the markets and cafes are returning to normal. Thriving music and food scenes suggest it is on the rise.

Even so, many of Monrovia’s 1.1 million residents still live without basic amenities: proper sanitation, electricity or internet access, and an environmental crisis looms. This month, as Liberia goes to the polls to elect a new president, the mood in the city is restless.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, known as Ma Ellen. Photograph: Ahmed Jallanzo/EPA

Monrovia after Ma Ellen

Since the end of the war in 2003, Liberians have known only one leader: President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. First elected in 2005, “Ma Ellen” faced the near-impossible task of rebuilding a failed state. While her legacy is mixed, her impact is undeniable. She has improved governance, rebuilt key infrastructure and allowed a free press to flourish.

Critics point out that her administration’s neglect of the healthcare system in general, and of neighbourhoods such as West Point, made the Ebola crisis far worse than it should have been. The fallout to the Liberian economy will exceed $800m. It’s a devastating blow to an economy that was already fragile: more than half the GDP comes from foreign aid, and corruption remains endemic.

Johnson Sirleaf will step aside after the October election. The next president faces high expectations; Monrovians are tired of taking the long view. One of the rallying cries that can be heard on the streets this month is: “Our ma spoil it, our pa fix it.”

Monrovia in numbers ...

29 – the percentage of Liberia’s population living in Monrovia.

812m – the estimated cost in US dollars of the Ebola crisis to the Liberian economy.

Seven – the percentage of Monrovians who have regular access to electricity.

30,000 – the number of families who will be affected by coastal erosion if urgent action is not taken to protect low-lying neighbourhoods.

... and pictures

LIBERIA❤️🇱🇷 A post shared by 🇱🇷LIBERIA POSITIVES🇱🇷 (@libpositives) on Sep 27, 2017 at 2:22pm PDT

History in 100 words

Monrovia was settled in 1822 by freed American slaves, who established Liberia as Africa’s first independent republic with help from a small group of US politicians and religious leaders. Over the next 150 years, these settlers recreated an upside-down version of the society they had left behind, with themselves as the masters and the local population as indentured labour. Until around 1926, the city was divided in two: Monrovia proper was home to the Americo-Liberians, as the settlers called themselves, while Kru Town, further out, was home to “native” Liberians. The Americo-Liberians continued to dominate capital’s political and economic life until 1980, when the last settler administration was overthrown in a coup. The entire cabinet was executed on on public television – a symbolic bloodletting that kicked off 25 years of violence. Today the divisions are less pronounced but the contrast between neighbourhoods remain stark.

Monrovia in sound & vision

Local celebrity Takun J tackles everything that ails Liberia with his breezy, catchy pop songs.

The 2004 documentary, Liberia: An Uncivil War captures in harrowing detail the 2003 siege of Monrovia that sent former dictator Charles Taylor into exile and eventually prison.

What’s everybody talking about?

Before the Ebola crisis, fewer than a third of Monrovians had access to clean water or toilets. The government and donors have since installed new facilities in some inner-city neighbourhoods, but the situation remains challenging. Some experts worry that another Ebola outbreak is likely, due to sanitation problems, the bushmeat trade in local markets, and the absence of good healthcare. Where clinics exist, people are wary to use them because the poor health system initially helped spread the virus during the 2014 epidemic.

Coastal erosion also looms as a threat to the low-lying neighbourhoods. The Liberian Environmental Protection Agency recently launched a $35m project to build seaside defences that will protect the city’s main hospital, a power station and several schools from flooding. Hundreds of families have already been relocated from the worst-hit areas.



What’s next for the city?

Elections in Monrovia are part civic ritual, part street party. Rival campaigns vie for attention with big, boisterous marches that spill down the boulevards, snarling traffic and ringing out with memorable slogans.



Enugu in the spotlight: 50 years on, the flame of Biafra still burns Read more

People worry that the wrong choice this month could undo Liberia’s fragile progress. Two presidential candidates in particular cast a shadow over the election: Prince Johnson, a senator and former warlord, and Jewel Howard Taylor, the ex-wife of former dictator Charles Taylor and running mate of George Weah, one of the apparent frontrunners. Another former Taylor ally, Benoni Urey, is also on the ballot. Indeed, Taylor continues to exert a powerful hold on the psyches of Monrovians. The fear that he is pulling strings – even from prison – has been a running theme of every election since the war.

Closer zoom

AllAfrica’s Liberia portal aggregates news from Monrovia’s many newspapers and is as good a starting point as any to dive into local politics and culture. FrontPageAfrica stands out for its investigative journalism and willingness to tackle controversial subjects. If you find yourself in the city, look out for The Daily Talk, a news bulletin published only on a blackboard in the centre of town.

Do you live in Monrovia? What key facts, figures and cultural highlights have we missed? Share your stories below



Follow Guardian Cities on Twitter and Facebook to join the discussion, and explore our archive here