Liberia and Ghana share a history marked by their pioneering roles in African independence and their contributions to the Pan-African movement. Ghana gained independence from Great Britain on March 6, 1957, while Liberia remained independent from western colonizers since its founding in 1847.
Ghana, Guinea, and Liberia were the first West African countries to achieve independence. Guinea gained independence from France on October 2, 1958. The alliance formed by these three nations in 1959 served as a precursor for unity within the Pan-African community on the continent.
When Mali gained independence in 1960, the Union of African States was formed as a more formal group of formerly colonized nations. This was key in developing the Pan-African movement and philosophies of African socialism in the 1960s.
The Role of Religion in Society and Politics
Religion plays a significant role in politics and society in most African nations and blends easily with politics. In Ghana, religious freedom is openly encouraged by the government. However, the practice of witchcraft is a serious issue. Yet, ironically, witchcraft is commonly encouraged by pastors of small, charismatic churches.
It is common during calamities, such as the death of a child, for a scapegoat to be identified, often an aged or infirm female. The evidence against the accused is totally subjective. Typical treatment of convicted witches are beatings, lynching’s or banishments to one of 6 witches’ camps in the north of the country. There is no legal basis for these camps and such practice is highly discouraged by the government.
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Chapter 5 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution provides protection of religious freedom and witchcraft is considered a violation of the law. At a recent conference in Ghana the issue was strongly spoken out against by a high government official. However, enforcement of witchcraft law is very lax. This stems from the fact that witchcraft is indigenous to historical cultural norms in Ghana.
Liberia was originally founded as a resettlement for former slaves. It won its independence in 1847 and blazed new ground by being the first African nation to elect a female president. Only recently did the country free itself from a long period of civil war. These wars have been political, not religious.
Liberia promotes religious freedom in general, but recognizes Christianity as preeminent. Yet, by giving special treatment to Christianity, discrimination against Islam has been an unintended consequence. For example, Muslims are permitted to run for public office, yet rarely elected. There have been some positive steps lately, such as the formation of an interfaith council that includes Muslims along with Christians. Also, appointments of Muslims to public is not uncommon. A new religious conflict is emerging in Liberia not related to Islam but rather small Christian sects. They originate from the born-again movement and are considered by other Christian denominations in Liberia as “half Christian.
Football and National Identity
Frank Jericho Nagbe Explains why Liberia missed out on the 2002 World Cup Finals #LFAhistoryproject
The Liberia national football team, nicknamed the Lone Stars, represents Liberia in men's international football and is controlled by the Liberia Football Association. Although the nation produced the 1995 FIFA World Player of the Year, George Weah, its football team has never qualified for the FIFA World Cup and has qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations just twice-in 1996 and 2002.
Liberia first entered the qualifying process for the FIFA World Cup in 1966, however, they withdrew in protest against the fact that too few places had been reserved for Africa and Asia, along with all fourteen other African nations that had initially entered qualifying.
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In 1965 Liberia played in first campaign 1965 qualification qualifying campaign, losing its first match 0-1 against Ivory Coast. In 1967 Liberia played in 1968 qualification qualifying campaign, drawing its first match 2-2 against Guinea. They also drew against Senegal however lost both returning fixtures and were eliminated in the first round.
Liberia returned to qualifying in 1976 but lost in the preliminary round to Togo, falling to defeat in both fixtures. Liberia withdrew from qualifying for the 1984 African Cup of Nations, but the following tournament they managed to secure their first win during qualifying, a 3-1 first-leg victory over Mauritania. They failed to capitalize on this advantage, losing 3-0 in the second leg.
Liberia then faced Sierra Leone and Mali during the 1988 qualification and 1990 qualification respectively, but again failed to progress. In the 1996 African Cup of Nations qualification, Liberia managed to register three wins (against Togo, Tunisia and Mauritania) and four draws, which saw them finish the group in second place and qualify for their first African Cup of Nations tournament.
Following the withdrawal of Nigeria, Liberia was placed in a group with Gabon and Zaire. Liberia opened the tournament with a 2-1 victory over Gabon with goals from Kelvin Sebwe and Mass Sarr Jr. but lost 2-0 to Zaire.
Liberia missed out on returning to the African Cup of Nations in 1998 as they finished one point off of qualification. In 2000, they defeated Niger in the preliminary rounds, but again failed to advance to the main tournament, this time finishing behind Algeria on goal difference. In 2002 African Cup of Nations qualification, Liberia beat Cape Verde in the preliminary rounds, then they finished top of their group to qualify for the main tournament for the second time in their history.
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Liberia next entered qualifying in 1982 against Guinea after receiving a bye in the first round. They lost 1-0 over the two legs and were eliminated. In 1986, Liberia was again eliminated without having scored a goal, falling 4-0 to Nigeria. In 1990, Liberia won its first FIFA qualifying match defeating Ghana to progress to the second round. In 1998, Liberia beat Gambia in the first qualification round, but finished twelve points adrift of Tunisia in their group.
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