Page 24 - Liberia Exhibit Magazine Issue1
P. 24
Feature
HISTORICAL
HERITAGE IN RUINS
An In-depth Look At Hotel Africa
It contained 160 rooms, suites, duplex The relics of the pool seemed to offer a (LURD) to unseat former President Charles Taylor.
and 52 villas, one coffee shop, one fine despondent annotation of a multimillion During the heat of the first civil war that led
dining restaurant, one beach restaurant, dollars asset.
one casino, one beautiful lobby bar -the In its glory days, the Hotel was constructed in to the death of President Samuel Kanyon Doe,
famous Bacardi Disco and a swimming 1979 by the late President William Richard Tolbert the Hotel hosted warring factions, including
pool shaped in the form of the Map of to host the then Organization of African Unity Charles Taylor’s dreaded National Patriotic Front
Africa. This was the Hotel Africa – a (OAU) conference outside Monrovia’s suburb of of Liberia (NPFL) representatives headed by the
luxurious five-star structure that now lies Virginia in order to leave the noisy Capital City. late General Isaac Mussah to the Transitional
in ruins government.
At Hotel Africa, one would only find the one-
time West Africa’s premier luxury hotels reduced Residents of Virginia where the hotel is situ-
to a condition unsafe even for nomadic, its ated indicated that Hotel Africa was still in an
rubble-strewn floors overtaken by small forest acceptable condition following the election of
and wastes from community dwellers. Charles Taylor in 1997.
“Hotel Africa is finished...the guys have suc- The residents said the hotel’s facilities
cessfully looted this building,” Martin Harris, a destruction worsened when the government of
resident of the Hotel Africa community said. Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf could not control
the alarming sea erosion that swept away bulk
Built at a cost of about US$25 million, Hotel of the villas along with the main swimming pool.
Africa was highly hit by the 14-year Liberian civil Criminals also took over the main hotel, using
conflict but its facilities got severely destroyed it as their hideout in the presence of the United
during and after the third wars led by the Libe- Nations peacekeepers and completely looting
rians United for Reconciliation and Democracy the premises. The UNMIL peacekeepers were
24 LIBERIA EXHIBIT | JANUARY - JUNE
HISTORICAL
HERITAGE IN RUINS
An In-depth Look At Hotel Africa
It contained 160 rooms, suites, duplex The relics of the pool seemed to offer a (LURD) to unseat former President Charles Taylor.
and 52 villas, one coffee shop, one fine despondent annotation of a multimillion During the heat of the first civil war that led
dining restaurant, one beach restaurant, dollars asset.
one casino, one beautiful lobby bar -the In its glory days, the Hotel was constructed in to the death of President Samuel Kanyon Doe,
famous Bacardi Disco and a swimming 1979 by the late President William Richard Tolbert the Hotel hosted warring factions, including
pool shaped in the form of the Map of to host the then Organization of African Unity Charles Taylor’s dreaded National Patriotic Front
Africa. This was the Hotel Africa – a (OAU) conference outside Monrovia’s suburb of of Liberia (NPFL) representatives headed by the
luxurious five-star structure that now lies Virginia in order to leave the noisy Capital City. late General Isaac Mussah to the Transitional
in ruins government.
At Hotel Africa, one would only find the one-
time West Africa’s premier luxury hotels reduced Residents of Virginia where the hotel is situ-
to a condition unsafe even for nomadic, its ated indicated that Hotel Africa was still in an
rubble-strewn floors overtaken by small forest acceptable condition following the election of
and wastes from community dwellers. Charles Taylor in 1997.
“Hotel Africa is finished...the guys have suc- The residents said the hotel’s facilities
cessfully looted this building,” Martin Harris, a destruction worsened when the government of
resident of the Hotel Africa community said. Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf could not control
the alarming sea erosion that swept away bulk
Built at a cost of about US$25 million, Hotel of the villas along with the main swimming pool.
Africa was highly hit by the 14-year Liberian civil Criminals also took over the main hotel, using
conflict but its facilities got severely destroyed it as their hideout in the presence of the United
during and after the third wars led by the Libe- Nations peacekeepers and completely looting
rians United for Reconciliation and Democracy the premises. The UNMIL peacekeepers were
24 LIBERIA EXHIBIT | JANUARY - JUNE
