In the 1970s and 1980s, so many promises were made to Liberia and by Liberians. All of them would be broken over the next two decades. As part of a long term project I’m beginning, I plan to document the spaces of these broken promises.
The photos below are of an unfinished building funded by the American government in the 1980s and promised to then President Samuel Doe as part of Cold War favor swapping. The building is still referred to as the Ministry of Defense, though it was never used as one. The war interrupted construction, and the building was never finished. It looms large over Congo Town in Monrovia, a skeletal reminder of all that was promised at that point in history.
You can see more from this series, and others, on www.glennagordon.com.
3 Comments
I thought this was from China and was kept half-built after Liberia refused to recognize One China? Or am I confusing it with another building?
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I think this is an excellent idea; a profoundly resonant question with interesting implications in this context. Will look forward to seeing the project you mention.
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@KJG – I was always told that the Americans funded both the Ministry of Health and Defense, with the Israelis contracted to build the later and the Chinese contracted to build the former, neither of which was finished. However, I’m glad you posed this question since I really do need to find out more definitively when and what happened. When I find out more I’ll post about it here. Thanks for your comment.
@David – Thanks.
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[...] here, and I often stare at it in awe, wanting to take a photo of it. Glenna has just posted some great photos of it that I wanted to share. Monrovia is facinating for its abandoned/destroyed old buildings, and those [...]
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