LIBERIA

READ

Heart Men, by Ophelia S. Lewis, is the story of the Douglas family. Senator Robert Jenkins Douglas II, his wife Katharine, and their adopted son Razaq live in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, and their son RJ and daughter Mellody live in the United States. RJ is a successful lawyer, and Mellody is a doctor who spends her vacation and holidays volunteering at a hospital in Monrovia. Everything seems to be going well for all members of the family until Senator Douglas is arrested and charged with ritualistic murder.

Ritualistic murders have plagued Liberia for a long time, and they continue to this day. They involve murder in order to harvest body parts, mostly for occult purposes, or juju. The alleged role of Senator Douglas in this crime was to loan his car to a friend, who then used it to carry out the murder. The family gathers in Monrovia, and RJ joins with his father’s attorney to help with his defense.

The ritualistic murders aspect of the novel is the hook the author uses to draw readers in, but people’s interactions with one another on a daily basis are the main focus of the book. The sexual exploitation of women appears to be a major problem in Monrovian society. RJ is shocked to learn that his own father is in the habit of paying the school fees for young girls and then taking advantage of his power over them to force them to have sex with him. 

I didn’t find much to admire in Heart Men, but there were a couple of chapters that stood out for me. In the first instance, after the trial of Senator Douglas is concluded, RJ and his girlfriend Gia travel to a village outside Monrovia to meet the family of Johnny Bono, the man who was killed in the ritualistic murder. They offer their condolences, and ask Johnny’s father to tell them all about his son and what his hopes and dreams had been. After he has shared his memories of his son, RJ and Gia offer him money to help fulfill Johnny’s dreams for his family. While this could have been perceived as a payoff of some sort, the fact that RJ and Gia listened respectfully while Johnny’s father poured out his heart to them helped to take the taint away from the money they offered.

The other chapter I found meaningful is one in which Gia, who works as a psychologist in the United States, speaks at a gathering of women at the church the Douglas family attends. The women share their painful stories about how sexual crimes and exploitation have affected them. Gia listens to their horrifying experiences with empathy and tact, and responds with advice about loving themselves and finding meaning in their lives.

COOK

Since the Douglas family in Heart Men is both Liberian and American, the foods they eat tend to be a combination of the two cuisines. One Liberian dish that seems to grace the table at every one of their celebratory meals is jollof rice, a combination of rice and vegetables. It usually contains meat, but when I made jollof rice from the recipe I found on the Frank Theatre website, I left out the meat and the meat stock. It was a good, simple dish, and I can understand why the Douglas family liked it so much.

GIVE 

It was clear to me after reading Heart Men that the organization I would donate to for this blog post would be one that helps women or girls. On the GlobalGiving website, I found a project that makes it possible for girls from one of the largest slums in Liberia to receive a free quality education. According to the project description: “Quality education in Liberia is elusive for most children. Only 44% of children attend primary school, and many who complete primary school graduate unable to read a single sentence. For girls, rates of education are even worse, exacerbated by sexual abuse, harmful cultural practices, and early pregnancy.”

At Hilltop School, 260 girls from kindergarten through ninth grade are provided with “high quality education, two meals per day, medical care, extracurricular activities, psycho-social support, menstrual and sexual health education, and family planning.” More information about this project is available at Provide Safe School for Girls in Monrovia, Liberia - GlobalGiving.

 

NEXT STOP: LIBYA