AN OPEN LETTER TO LIBERIA

An open letter to Liberia

By VICE STAFF

To Whom It May Concern,

Our recent Vice Guide to Liberia stirred a lot of controversy, and some misunderstanding about how we tell stories. We are not strangers to controversy, but this is different, and we would like to take this opportunity to apologize for any harm we may have caused to the image of Liberia. This was not our intent.

Our “Vice Guide to Travel" series is not a typical travel guide. The intention of the VGTL was to look at what happens to former child soldiers, former generals, and other people left behind by the massive development effort in the society. Like all of our Travel series, we focused on going through areas of Monrovia facing serious challenges, and our final product reflected those experiences.

As in any post-conflict country, we realize that development and recovery cannot be achieved immediately. Liberia has come a long way, but continues to face many challenges: This is what we wanted to show.

While we accomplished this, reactions–especially from the Liberian community–have expressed disappointment that we could have focused on the more positive aspects of Liberia today. The Liberians we worked with and talked with were very friendly, welcoming, and caring, despite all the violence and injustice they faced over 14 years of civil war that the international community did little to stop.

To the people of Liberia, we would like to sincerely apologize for any harm this may have caused to the perception of your country and to all of those that were offended.

Sincerely,
Vice

By VICE STAFF 2 years ago

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