Liberia's Daily Talk: All The News That Fits On A Blackboard
Just off Tubman Boulevard — Monrovia's busy main thoroughfare — stands a plywood hut with a large blackboard at the front, in three panels. On them — written in clear, bold white chalk lettering — is a form of newsreel: mini-articles and editorials, as well as graphics and illustrations. The creator of Daily Talk — this Liberian journal with a difference — is Alfred Sirleaf. He's 41 and has been "writing" the news since 2000, three years before the civil war ended.
"You know, Daily Talk is like giving birth to a child and the child benefits the nation," Sirleaf says. "That's the idea of Daily Talk. It's not about Alfred Sirleaf. But it's about you and it's about me. It's about all of us."
Sirleaf updates the board maybe once or twice a week, depending on what's happening in Liberia. In the battered postwar country, where many cannot afford televisions or newspapers and may not have access to radios, he hopes that his newsboard keeps them informed. (Except during a heavy downpour, when he'll close the board until the rain subsides.)
Alfred Sirleaf stands inside his newsroom: a plywood hut behind the Daily Talk blackboard. He composes a new edition every three days or so.
He often writes in Liberian English, or simple English, as it's called here, to ensure that all Liberians can understand and follow Daily Talk.
It's a full-time job for Sirleaf. He says he does not have any significant source of revenue or funding and uses his own money and some donations to keep the Daily Talk going.
When there's a particularly hot topic, he chalks out two squares with scores. So if the topic is the government's handling of the Ebola outbreak, the score might be Ebola 2, Government 1.
When the topic was elections — whether to hold them as scheduled on Dec. 16 or postpone them — the score was zero-zero, reflecting the divided opinions of Liberians. "There are those who are saying that elections should not be held because of the Ebola crisis in Liberia," he explains. "And there are those who are saying no, despite the Ebola crisis, we can still have elections and people can conglomerate and have political rallies and what have you."
"We are playing the role of the referee," he says. "We are are only waiting to publish the score." Right now he's waiting on the Supreme Court's ruling about whether the elections should go on.
Sirleaf's newsstand attracts all sorts of readers; people in cars, or passengers on motorbike taxis, who can easily read the meticulous white lettering from afar. But also students, teachers, professionals, idlers and petty street traders, selling everything from smoked fish to garish plastic bangles for children. They all hover around the hut.
Victoria Kimba is racing off to work but wants to get up to date with the news as she sets out. "Once in a while, when I'm passing, like today," she says, "I glance at the board."
Some might call Sirleaf a news junkie-cum-evangelist. He says he's just passionate about the information he's sharing with Liberians, in the hope they'll be better placed to play their part in a fragile, burgeoning democracy after the 14-year-civil war shattered and divided the nation. And now — Ebola.
In a country where many folks can't afford to buy newspapers or a TV set, the Daily Talk offers free news.
Despite the difficulties, he says that keeping Monrovia informed keeps him on his toes: "Oh, I have fun doing it! Sometimes when I put up the stories I see the argument from both sides. This is my work! I love it. I have the passion for it to inform the public."
Sirleaf's Daily Talk carries considerable influence. Back in the war years, his critical writings so enraged former rebel leader-turned-President Charles Taylor that Sirleaf was detained and jailed. The Daily Talk news hut was ripped down.
"Some of the reasons that I got from them was that I was coming down too hard on Taylor, you know," says Sirleaf. "But I believe I was just doing my work, giving the public exactly just what they need to see and to hear."
After a brief stint in exile, Sirleaf returned to Liberia. But he says he won't be cowed — by politicians or critics — and will continue writing the news. He hopes to someday set up Daily Talk blackboards throughout the country.
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Transcript
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
This next story reminds us that at the end of the day whether it's on a mobile device, on television or radio, online or in print, delivering the news, at its foundation, is about one thing - delivering the news. One newsman in Liberia has had a lot to cover - war, poverty, now the outbreak of Ebola. He's doing it in a country where many people have little means, but he is determined to get them the headlines. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton met him in the heart of Liberia's capital.
OFEIBEA QUIST-ARCTON, BYLINE: Just off Tubman Boulevard - Monrovia's big busy thoroughfare - stands a plywood hut with a large blackboard at the front in three panels. On them - written in clear, bold, white chalk lettering - are a form of newsreel - headlines, mini-articles and editorials, as well as graphic symbols and illustrations. The creator of Daily Talk - this Liberia journal with a difference - is Alfred Sirleaf. He's 41 and has been writing the news since 2000, three years before the civil war ended.
ALFRED SIRLEAF: You know, Daily Talk is like giving birth to a child and the child benefits the nation. That's the idea of Daily Talk. That's the concept I want for people to build. It's not about Alfred Sirleaf. I started the idea about - it's about you and it's about me. It's about all of us. This is how the writing it done.
QUIST-ARCTON: Sirleaf demonstrates how he uses the chalk to write his headlines in his tiny, hut-cum-newsroom. He updates maybe once or twice a week or less depending on what's happening in Liberia. He says in a battered postwar country where many cannot afford televisions or newspapers and may not have access to radios, his newsboard keeps them informed and sometimes there's a scoreboard.
SIRLEAF: Today's scoreboard - it still stands at zero-zero - yes to election versus no to elections. The reason being that there are those who are saying that elections should not be heard because of the Ebola crisis in Liberia, and there are those who are saying no, despite the Ebola crisis we can still have elections and people can conglomerate and have political rallies and what have you.
QUIST-ARCTON: The hot news of the moment is elections for new senators. Ebola is still an issue and people have been ordered to avoid large gatherings. So the question is whether the vote, which has already been postponed, should be held December 16.
SIRLEAF: We are playing the role of the referee. We are only waiting to publish the score.
QUIST-ARCTON: Sirleaf is hoping to set up similar Daily Talk newsboards all over Liberia. His newsstand attracts all sorts of readers - people in cars or passengers on motorbike taxis, who can easily read the meticulous white lettering from afar - but also students, teachers, professionals, idlers and petty street traders selling everything from smoked fish to garish plastic bangles for children. They all hover around the hut. Victoria Kimba is racing off to work, but wants to get up-to-date with the news as she sets out.
VICTORIA KIMBA: Once in a while, when I am passing, like today, I glance at the board.
QUIST-ARCTON: Some might call Sirleaf Daily Talk's director and news junkie-cum-evangelist. But he says he's just passionate about the information he's sharing with Liberians, in the hope they'll be better placed to play their part in a fragile, burgeoning democracy after the 14-year-civil war shattered and divided the nation; and now Ebola. But he says despite the difficulties, keeping Monrovia informed keeps him on his toes.
SIRLEAF: Oh, I have fun doing it. Sometimes when I put up the stories I see the argument from both sides. This is my world. I love it. You know, I have the passion for it to inform the public.
QUIST-ARCTON: Sirleaf's Daily Talk carries considerable influence. Back in the war years, his critical writings so enraged former rebel-leader-turned-President Charles Taylor that Sirleaf was detained and jailed. The Daily Talk news hut was ripped down.
SIRLEAF: It was destroyed by Charles Taylor security at the time and I can back for the second time. So it means this is the third time this board is been destroyed. Some of the reason that I got from them was that I was coming down too hard on Taylor, you know, but I believe I was just doing my work, giving the public exactly what they needed to hear and what they needed to see. That's what I was doing.
QUIST-ARCTON: After a brief stint in exile, Sirleaf returned to Liberia. But he says he won't be cowed by politicians or critics and will continue writing the news. He says he hopes when he retires that the legacy of the Daily Talk will live long and strong. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Monrovia. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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