A Liberian Thanksgiving

11-7-2013

Today is Liberian Thanksgiving. It is a national holiday, the university is closed until Monday, and all the students have left.

Thanksgiving for most is a religious day with church followed by a meal with no special food being served. The guests include several other foreigners, mostly Nigerians, came to join in a large family gathering of a faculty member who lives on campus for well over fifty people.

The food is American fare with barbequed pig, chicken, slaw, potato salad, peach cobbler, and some local dishes of plantains, shortbread, and of course, rice. All this is food a most welcomed change of pace. 

The seats are in a semi-circle facing the entrance to the door and the food inside, a small theater if you will. Soon the performances begin and go non-stop with the telling of jokes with the women completely dominating the show. As time goes on and the alcohol begins to take affect the jokes get raunchier and raunchier. The main joke topics are about sex, infidelity, travels to America, and use of religious and political figures to point out human frailties. In some jokes, I detect bitterness as to the blight of this place.

The Liberians keep challenging the Nigerians to stand up for their country and tell some jokes which they feebly do. Like jokes anywhere, there are always certain ethnic groups, and nationalities which take the brunt. After 2 ½ hours, the jokes are still going strong.

In a way, Thanksgiving represents just another aspect of this place still in search of its own identity. It is hard to determine just for what Liberians are thankful.