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Five issues that Trump ought to know and why they communicate “good English”

Five issues that Trump ought to know and why they communicate “good English”
Moses Kollie Garzeawu and Wycliffe Muia

BBC News, Monrovia & Nairobi

Look: Trump praises the English of the Liberian president, the official language of the nation

The President of the United States Donald Trump praised Liberiano President Joseph Boakai for speaking “good English” and requested him the place he went to high school.

What Trump could have misplaced is that Liberia shares a singular and lengthy -standing reference to the United States.

English is the official language of the nation and plenty of Liberians communicate with an American accent as a consequence of these historic ties with the United States.

It may have been this accent that Trump has collected.

Here are 5 issues to know concerning the nation of West Africa:

Founded by Schiavi Liberati

Liberia was based by African American slaves freed in 1822 earlier than declaring independence in 1847.

Thousands of free American and African blacks – saved from the transatlantic slave ships – set up themselves in Liberia through the colonial period.

Former President of the United States Abraham Lincoln formally declared the independence of Liberia in 1862, however the nation maintained plenty of US inheritance and remained within the American “sphere of affect” through the colonial interval.

Because of this integration, Liberian tradition, reference factors and establishments have a powerful African American affect.

Ten of the 26 presidents of Liberia have been born within the United States.

AFP/Getty Images former President of the United States George W Bush who wears a black dress that stretches the dancers who wear traditional clothing and hold free freedom flags AFP/Getty pictures

Liberia shares a longtime historic hyperlink with the United States and several other American presidents, together with George W Bush, visited the nation

The descendants of those liberated slaves, often called Americans-Liberesis, have dominated the nation for over 100 years.

This was affected by some indigenous Liberians and the final president of that neighborhood, William Tolbert, was overturned and killed in a coup in 1980.

Represent a few quarter of the inhabitants, According to the British websiteWhich says that greater than two dozen languages ​​are talked about within the nation.

President Boakai comes from the Kissi ethnic group and so he would have spoken as his mom tongue, earlier than studying English at college.

The capital takes its title from a former president of the United States

grey placeholderReuters a view of a busy road in Monrovia - with many cars and shops Reuters

Some roads of Monrovia take their title from the colonial American figures

The capital of Liberia, Monrovia, was appointed in honor of the fifth American president, James Monroe, who was a powerful supporter of the American Colonization Society (ACS).

The ACS was the group answerable for the resetting of Afro -Americans freed in West Africa, which ultimately led to the muse of Liberia.

It is no surprise that the town’s first structure was largely influenced by American -style buildings.

Many streets of Monrovia take their title from the colonial American figures, reflecting the founding and historic bonds of the town with the United States.

The fundamental hospital of the town is named John F Kennedy Medical Center (JFKMC), named after the previous president of the United States.

Almost similar flags

grey placeholderThe former president of the United States AFP/Getty Images George W Bush and the former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf passed the Liberian and USA flags in February 2008.AFP/Getty pictures

There is a stunning similarity between the flags of the 2 nations

The Liberia flag carefully remembers the American flag. It has 11 alternating pink and white stripes and a blue sq. with a single white star.

The white star symbolizes Liberia as the primary unbiased republic in Africa.

The Flag of the United States, as compared, has 13 stripes that characterize the 13 authentic colonies and 50 stars, one for every state.

The Liberian flag was designed by seven black ladies, all born in America.

The son of former president performs for the US soccer staff

grey placeholderGetty Images President Donald Trump wearing a dress and a yellow agitates with Timothy Weah, wearing white sweaters in the oval office - 18 June 2025.Getty pictures

Timothy Weah, given right here by tightening his hand to President Donald Trump final month, performs for Juventus in Italy

Timothy Weah, son of the previous president of Liberia George Weah, is an American skilled footballer who performs for the Italian soccer staff Juventus and the nationwide staff of the United States.

The 25-year-old striker was born within the United States however started his skilled profession with Paris St-Germain in France, the place he received the title of Ligue 1 earlier than shifting on mortgage to the Scottish staff, Celtic.

His father, George, is a legend of Liberian soccer who received the Ballon d’Or in 1995 whereas enjoying for the Italian rivals of Juventus AC Milan. He is the one African winner of this prize – and has continued to be elected president in 2018.

The former president received the Nobel Peace Prize

grey placeholderReuters a close -up of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf wearing African glasses and an African veilReuters

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was the twenty fourth President of Liberia from 2006 to 2018

Liberia produced the primary African ladies’s elected president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

It was elected in 2005, two years after the tip of the bloody civil battle of the nation and was president till 2018.

Johnson Sirleaf has a powerful American background whereas he studied at Madison Business College and later went to the University of Harvard, the place she graduated as an economist.

He acquired recognition all around the world and awards for the upkeep of peace throughout his administration.

Its historical past is lined up with outstanding problem and braveness firms.

In 2011, along with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karmān, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts for additional ladies’s rights.

In 2016, Forbes listed it among the many strongest ladies on the planet.

What do the Liberians of Trump’s feedback do?

Foreign minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti denied that it was an embarrassing second, saying that there was a “lack of awareness” all around the world on the languages ​​that folks communicate in Africa, which described as a “multilingual continent”.

“Liberia occurs to have American-English intonation and I imagine that President Trump has listened to one thing acquainted in the way in which President Boakai spoke, which is completely different from the way in which others communicate on the continent,” he stated to the BBC Newsday program.

“We weren’t offended in any respect,” he stated, including him away from TV cameras, there was a dialogue on the shared historical past of the 2 nations.

But there was a blended response amongst different Liberians.

The 40 -year -old accountant Joseph Manley instructed the BBC that Trump ought to have been adequately knowledgeable earlier than assembly the chief of Liberia.

“Liberia has all the time been an English -speaking nation. Our president represents a rustic with a wealthy academic custom.”

For the human sources skilled Henrietta Peter-Moglah, the shock of the President of the United States as a consequence of Boakai’s eloquence displays a wider downside on world ignorance as regards African nations and its populations.

“From journey experiences and observations, most residents of different nations outdoors of Africa do not know a lot about African nations,” he stated. “The few who know slightly, their minds are clouded by battle narratives, poverty and lack of training”.

However, the lawyer and politician Kanio Gbala agreed with the international minister who was no insult.

“I imagine that the statement of President Trump was an actual praise for the command of the English of President Boakai,” he instructed the BBC. “There isn’t any proof of sarcasm. Reading it as disrespectful can replicate political agendas.”

More info on Liberia from BBC:

grey placeholderGetty Images/BBC A woman who looks at her mobile phone and the BBC News Africa graphicsGetty Images/BBC

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