5 things Trump should know about Liberia (and the reason why they speak so well English in the African country)

Photo foot, Trump with the president of Liberia.

- Author, Moses Collie Garzeawu
- Author's title, BBC News Monrovia
- Author, Wycliffe Muia
- Author's title, BBC News Nairobi
July 1025, 16:45 GMT

Updated 1 hour

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, praised the Liberian president, Joseph Boakai, for speaking “good English” and asked where he had learned it.

What Trump could have been overlooking is that Liberia has a unique and lasting connection with the United States.

English is the official language of the country and many Liberians speak with an American accent due to these historical ties with the US.

It is very possible that this accent is what Trump has noticed.

Here are five things Trump should know about the African country:

1. It was founded by free slaves

Former US president George W. Bush during his visit to Liberia. — Photo foot, Liberia shares a long -standing historical connection with the USA.

Liberia was founded by Afroa -Establish slaves united in 1822 before declaring their independence in 1847.

Thousands of black and African Americans released, rescued from transatlantic negreros ships, settled in Liberia during the colonial era.

The former US president Abraham Lincoln officially declared the independence of Liberia in 1862, but the country retained much of his American heritage and remained under his influence during the colonial period.

Thanks to this integration, culture, monuments and Liberian institutions have a strong Afro -American influence.

10 of Liberia's 26 presidents were born in the USA ..

2. The capital is named after an American president

A street in Monrovia, capital of Liberia — Photo foot, Some streets of Monrovia bear the name of US colonial characters.

The capital of Liberia, Monrovia, received its name in honor of the fifth American president, James Monroe, a firm defender of the American colonization society (ACS).

The ACS was the organization responsible for the resettlement of Afro -state people released in Western Africa, which finally led to the Foundation of Liberia.

It is not surprising that the initial architecture of the city was influenced by American -style buildings.

Many streets of Monrovia carry names of US colonial figures, which reflects the foundation of the city and its historical links with the US.

3. Almost identical flags

The former US president George W. Bush with the former president of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf along with the US flags and Liberia. The one of Liberia has less red and white stripes than the American flag, and carries a single white star over the blue painting. — Photo foot, There is a surprising resemblance between the flags of the two countries.

The Flag of Liberia resembles the American flag a lot, with 11 red and white stripes, in addition to a blue square with a white star.

The White Star symbolizes Liberia as the First Independent Republic of Africa.

The American flag, compared, has 13 stripes that represent the 13 original colonies and 50 stars, one for each state.

The Liberian flag was designed by seven black women, all born in the US.

4. The son of the former president of Liberia plays for the US soccer team.

Image source, Reuters

Photo foot, Timothy Weah, seen here shaking the hand of President Donald Trump, plays for Juventus in Italy.

Timothy Weah, son of former Liberian president George Weah, is a professional footballer who plays in the Italian Juventus and in the US national team ..uu ..

The 25-year-old striker was born in the US but began his professional career at Paris Saint-Germain Francés, where he won the Ligue 1 before signed by the Celtic Scottish.

His father, George, is a legend of Liberian football that won the Golden Ball in 1995 playing for AC Milan, Italian rival of Juventus. He is the only African who has won this award and was elected president of Liberia in 2018.

5. His former president won the Nobel Peace Prize

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf smiling — Photo foot, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was the 24th President of Liberia between 2006 and 2018.

Liberia had the first elected president of Africa, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

It was elected in 2005, two years after the end of the bloody civil war of the country, and exercised the presidency until 2018.

Sirleaf has a solid American training: he studied at Madison Business College and later at Harvard University, where he graduated as an economist.

He has received recognition and praise worldwide for maintaining peace during his administration.

Its history is marked by notable feats.

In 2011, together with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karmān, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to promote women's rights.

In 2016, Forbes He included it among the most powerful women in the world.

What is said in Liberia about Trump's comments?

The president of Liberia before the United Nations in 2024

There has been diversity of reactions.

The accountant Joseph Manley, 40, told the BBC that Trump should have received better information from his advisors before meeting with the Liberian leader.

“Liberia has always been an English -speaking country. Our president represents a country with a rich educational tradition.”

For the Henrietta Peter-Mogbalhah Human Resources Professional, the surprise of the US president before Boakai's eloquence reflects a broader problem of global ignorance about African nations and their peoples.

“The majority of citizens of other nations outside of Africa are very unknown to African countries,” he said. “The few who know a little, have the mind clouded by narratives of war, poverty and lack of education.”

While many have criticized Trump, others do not see anything bad in their comments.

“I think President Trump's comment was a real praise to the domain of the English of President Boakai,” said lawyer and politician Kanio Gbala to the BBC, “there is no evidence of sarcasm. Interpret it as a lack of respect could reflect political agendas.”