by Zadie Smith for the Observer Magazine
There are no direct flights from England to Liberia. Either you go to Brussels or you book with Astraeus, a specialist airline named after a Roman goddess of justice. They run a service to Freetown, in neighbouring Sierra Leone. The clientele is mostly Africans dressed as if for church. [...]

HARBEL, Liberia: Striking workers at the Firestone Rubber plantation in the West African nation of Liberia clashed with police Friday, and at least six people were wounded, officials said.
Between 6,000 and 8,000 workers at the plantation, which is run by a subsidiary of Japan-based tire giant Bridgestone Corp. and is Liberia’s largest employer, have been [...]

by Pambazuka News
Ezekiel Pajibo and Kofi Woods speak to Robtel Pailey from Pambazuka News about the role of Firestone tyre company in Liberia. Firestone has operated in Liberia since the 1920s and been accused of using forced labour, polluting water sources and tax evasion by activists. The new administration in Liberia is currently embroiled in [...]

by Robtel Neajai Pailey for Pambazuka News
Emmanuel B. is 30, a slender five foot three, and a slave whose piercing brown eyes tell unspeakable truths. He’s not the kind of slave we’ve seen in the collective imagination of 19th century plantations in the deep South of the United States. No, Emmanuel is a modern slave [...]