International Liberian scholars, leaders gather for annual event

This weekend the world’s foremost Liberian scholars will gather in Bloomington for the Liberian Studies Association’s 39th annual conference. Students, faculty and staff from IU and other universities will hear former and current Liberian leaders lecture and participate in panel discussions during the three-day event, starting at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Mathers Museum of World Cultures, 416 N. Indiana Ave.\n“This conference is big relative to Liberian studies, and we have distinguished guests coming from around the country and the world to participate,” said Verlon Stone, vice president of the Liberian Studies Association. This year’s guests include a former interim president of Liberia and current leaders in Liberia’s newly democratic society. There will also be a video conference with scholars in Liberia. \nThis year, the conference’s title is “Performing Symbols of the Past, Reinventing Symbols for the Future.” In addition to a keynote speaker, there will be two panels on symbols, one panel on history and three panels on reconstruction and development, Stone said. \n“There are different ethnic and economic groups that have controlled certain symbols in Liberia,” Stone said. “However, some are old and need to be re-examined to find what they really mean.”\nProfessor D. Ellwood Dunn of Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., will lead one of the panels on symbols. \n“Symbols have been used in the past to either help or hinder nation-building in Liberia,” he said. “The task of the panel is to look at these symbols and examine their role in national unity, because one of the main problems in Liberia is bringing different groups together.”\nDunn said students who aren’t studying Liberia or Africa will still find the conference interesting because the topic relates to “what is happening in other countries in the world.”\n“Liberia is a post-conflict society, and there’s a whole host of countries across the world that fit that category,” he said. “Understanding what’s going on in countries like this is not only interesting, but it’s important in understanding how to prevent these post-conflict countries from becoming breeding grounds for terrorist.” \nStone notes how the country’s popularity among contemporary African-American authors such as Marcus Garvey and W.E.B DuBois has drawn attention to Liberia in the past.\n“Many African-American authors visited Liberia and wrote about it,” he said, “because it was a symbol of a country that was independent at the time when the rest were being colonized by Britain and France.”\nStudents must register and pay an $80 fee, or $40 for a one-day ticket. All meals will be provided for attendees.\nFor more information, call Liberian Studies Association Vice President Verlon Stone at 812-856-0782.