MONROVIA (Reuters) -Liberians reacted with a mix of anger and weary resignation on Thursday after discovering that the leader of their country’s closest bilateral partner does not appear to know what language they speak.
At a meeting at the White House on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump responded to brief remarks from his Liberian counterpart, Joseph Boakai, by marvelling at his “beautiful” English and asking where he learned it.
English is the official language of Liberia, a country founded in 1822 as a colony for free Black Americans.
Government statements are published in standard English while spoken Liberian English reflects influences from pidgin and indigenous languages used across the country of around 5.5 million people.
Liberians sometimes refer to the U.S. as their “big brother”, but not everyone was surprised Trump’s knowledge of the country did not seem to reflect that closeness.
Fatumata Binta Sall, a Liberian feminist activist who travels frequently to the U.S., told Reuters that Trump’s amazement at Boakai’s English fluency was all too familiar.
“Many times, I’ve had Americans ask me whether I studied abroad or where I learned to speak ‘so well’,” she said.
Such remarks, she said, indicate her country “isn’t visible in the minds of many Americans”. She attended international conferences “to remind the world that Liberia exists”.
William V.S. Tubman III, a Liberian writer and grandson of former President William Tubman, voiced frustration at what he described as Trump’s lack of respect.
“Praising an African head of state for speaking English ‘so beautifully’ isn’t a compliment, it’s a reflection of how deeply colonial thinking continues to shape expectations,” he said.
“What Trump said wasn’t ignorance. It was disrespect and entitlement disguised as praise.”
LIBERIA SCORES ‘BIGLY’
Others chose to highlight what they saw as the positive aspects of the visit.
Boakai’s inclusion on the guest list gave him an opportunity to tout Liberia’s mineral assets and history of democratic elections.
And his status as the only anglophone – in a group that also included leaders of Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Gabon and Mauritania – clearly made an impression on his host.
“In terms of his grammar, the way that he spoke, I think it shows that Boakai has a solid foundation in his education in Liberia,” radio journalist Augustus Caine said as he perused newspaper headlines in downtown Monrovia on Thursday.
“We have good, good people in Liberia in terms of academic standing. So that’s just what Boakai showcased to Donald Trump.”
A front-page story in The Analyst newspaper said Boakai had been “eloquently conveying Liberia’s critical interests” and “attracting the host’s admiration”.
The headline featured a rarely used English word that Trump himself was credited with reviving during his first run for the White House in 2016.
“Trump’s Invite of Liberia Scores ‘Bigly'”, it read.
(Reporting by Carielle Doe, Derick Snyder and James Harding Giahyue in Monrovia; Additional reporting and writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet in Dakar; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
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