Misplaced Pages

#29970

58-466: The stadium was commissioned by President William Tolbert , who did not start the construction and was removed from power in a 1980 coup d'état by 17 enlisted men of the Armed Forces of Liberia led by Samuel Doe . Completed during Doe's reign, he named the facility after himself. During Liberia's second civil war , thousands sought refuge in the stadium. On 24 June 2003, following the breakdown of

116-406: A $ 7.6 million (~$ 11.4 million in 2023) renovation funded by China was announced and Chinese company Hunan Constructing Engineering Group Corporation was named as the contractor. After the two-year renovation was complete, Liberia lacked the expertise to manage the electronic scoreboard. The grass was badly damaged after a 2009 international women's conference. In October 2013, another agreement

174-497: A cease fire, there were a reported 58,000 IDPs in the stadium, more than 5% of Monrovia's estimated 1,000,000 residents. The stadium has had frequent problems with overcrowding, due on at least one occasion to illegal ticket sales. In 2008, eight people died of suffocation following a football match, and in 2014, spectators were reported to have fainted. The stadium has been the site of international concerts, national political events, and multiple World Cup qualifying matches. In 1988,

232-573: A mass modernization program of Liberia's domestic infrastructure. This led to a period of economic prosperity during the 1960s, was credited with putting Liberia on the map and establishing the country as a modern power in Africa. Although opponents of Tubman's government accused it of being authoritarian, Liberia was widely regarded internationally as being a stable and successful nation in the region whilst other African states were undergoing civil wars and political strife. Following Tubman's death in 1971,

290-464: A minor rump party without official recognition. Members of indigenous groups began to exert more political power following the coup, in keeping with their dominance in number of the national population, further diminishing the TWP's support which had come from the formerly more influential but demographically smaller Americo-Liberian population. Doe's government also realigned Liberia's foreign policy back to

348-651: A monopoly on Liberian politics. The party was accused of endorsing systems of forced labor . In 1930 they sent "contract migrant laborers", under conditions tantamount to slavery, to Spanish colonists on Fernando Pó in Spanish Guinea (now Bioko in Equatorial Guinea ). This led to an investigation by the League of Nations , a five-year U.S. and British boycott of Liberia followed by the resignation of President Charles D. B. King . Despite this dispute,

406-557: A part of his Caribbean tour to meet as many Baptists as possible. He met with the prime minister to address a service at the East Queen Street Baptist Church, and other official functions. On 23 July 1971 President William Tubman died in London during a visit which led Tolbert to become president. Tolbert succeeded to the presidency upon the death of incumbent William Tubman in 1971. To the outside world,

464-607: A pro-US position, making it harder to gain international recognition as an opposition group with fears over communist expansionism and the rise of Soviet backed client regimes in Africa during the Cold War . In 1985, all political opposition (including the TWP) were banned following a coup attempt against Doe. In 1991, the party faced a challenge from a new group, which identified as the "National True Whig Party of Liberia." TWP chairman Momo Fahnbulleh Jones threatened legal action to induce

522-588: A reorganised version of the Opposition Party. It presided over a society in which black American settlers and their descendants, known as Americo-Liberians , though a small minority of the population, constituted nearly 100% of the citizens able to vote. It primarily represented them, often working in tandem with the Masonic Order of Liberia . The True Whig Party was initially formed as an alliance of "mostly dark-skinned upriver planters and

580-531: A tidy profit from the proposed price increase. The Progressive Alliance of Liberia called for a peaceful demonstration in Monrovia to protest the proposed price increase. On 14 April about 2,000 activists began what was planned as a peaceful march on the Executive Mansion . The protest march swelled dramatically when the protesters were joined en route by more than 10,000 "back street boys" causing

638-535: A violent coup d'état; all of them were "indigenous" Liberians who later became the founding members of the People's Redemption Council , the governing body of the new regime. The group entered the Presidential palace and killed Tolbert, whose body was dumped into a mass grave together with 27 other victims of the coup. A crowd of angry Liberians gathered to shout insults and throw rocks at the bodies. Tolbert's body

SECTION 10

#1732776166030

696-460: The 2020 Senate elections with 10 candidates. The RA held its first national convention on October 29, 2022, in Paynesville . Interim Chairman Goodridge was elected standard bearer. The RA did not run a candidate in the 2023 presidential election . The RA unsuccessfully ran candidates in various 2023 legislative elections. The True Whig Party initially sought to emulate the policies of

754-691: The Republican Party , the successor of the Whigs. Much of the TWP's support came from the Americo-Liberian community who held an influential position over Liberian politics and society. The TWP's long term leader and President William Tubman was widely regarded as the father of modern Liberia. The TWP fell out of power following the 1980 Liberian coup d'état in which many of its leading members died or fled, ending its dominant position . The TWP ceased to be officially recognized following

812-638: The Soviet Union and shifted Liberia's focus to other African nations as opposed to the West. However, some of these reforms were reversed following the Maryland County ritual killings and the Rice Riots in which Tolbert called for the arrest of opposition leaders. Opposition parties also accused Tolbert of using corruption and political nepotism to retain power while traditionalist members of

870-542: The West generally considered the True Whig Party as a stabilizing, unthreatening force in the period after. The US and Britain later invested extensively in the nation under William Tubman 's long period of rule (1944–1971). Under the leadership and Presidency of William Tubman , the TWP took a pro-American stance in international policy, encouraged foreign investment, promoted industrialization and embarked on

928-540: The 1970s, the world price of rubber was depressed, putting pressure on the Liberian economy. Tolbert brought a new approach to the Liberian government's relations with foreign companies. Companies such as Firestone , which had operated for years without being audited by the government, were audited, and forced to pay millions of dollars in back taxes. Old concession agreements were renegotiated, and new concession agreements were negotiated with an emphasis on accountability of

986-564: The American Whig Party (from which it took its name) and the philosophy of Whiggism . The TWP was also described as promoting conservatism and black conservatism in the twentieth century during Tubman's rule. Although the party favored protectionism in its early years, it later pursued deregulation, free-market and economically liberal policies known as the " porte ouverte " ("open door") under Tubman to attract investment and stimulate growth. In terms of foreign policy,

1044-733: The Cold War. It later supported America's foreign policy during the Vietnam War and maintained friendly relations with the state of Israel . In November 1947, Liberia had been among African governments which voted Yes for the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine , a vote which implied acceptance of the Zionist Movement 's aspiration to create an independent sovereign nation (the State of Israel) as

1102-723: The Hoff family originated from Virginia . William Tolbert Sr. was the son of Daniel Frank Tolbert, who was formerly enslaved in South Carolina and emigrated to Liberia in the Liberian exodus of 1878. Daniel Frank Tolbert, the South Carolinian grandfather of William Tolbert, emigrated to Liberia aboard the barque Azor , alongside several other black South Carolinians who sought to settle in Liberia. The Tolbert clan

1160-526: The House of Representatives in the 2011 general election , while endorsing President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf 's bid for a second term at Presidential level. However, the party had strife over its leadership five months before the election, and it failed to nominate any candidate for any legislative seat and did not compete as a result. In 2013, members of the TWP became embroiled in a dispute over Edward J. Roye Building in Monrovia which had been constructed as

1218-626: The Legislature who sought to repeal the amendment and again permit what Tolbert called an "evil tradition". Three years later, when True Whig partisans petitioned him to seek the amendment's repeal, he replied that their statement would only encourage him in his previous position: "I will serve my country as long as I have life. I do not have to [be?] President to do so." Abandoning Tubman's strong pro-West foreign policy, Tolbert adopted one which focused on promoting Liberia's political independence. To this end, he established diplomatic relations with

SECTION 20

#1732776166030

1276-616: The Reggae Sunsplash concert was held in SKD. The 24-hour long event featured Burning Spear , Yellowman , and other well-known roots and dancehall reggae artists flown in from Jamaica. During the campaign for the Liberian general election in 2011 the Congress for Democratic Change held exclusive rallies in the stadium. In 2022, the stadium was used as the endpoint for all races during the 2022 Liberia Marathon . In September 2005,

1334-594: The Soviet Union, China, Cuba , and several other Eastern Bloc countries, thus adopting a more nonaligned posture. Sometime in 1974, Tolbert accepted aid from the Soviet Union for the first time. While he was president (1971–1980) Liberia 's relations with the United States strained because of the establishment of diplomatic relations with the Soviets and Eastern Bloc . Tolbert's official state visit to

1392-504: The TWP and some of Tolbert's cabinet were angered by his initiative of appointing native Liberians into government positions which they saw as usurping their position. The party lost power after Tolbert was killed in a military coup on 12 April 1980 by a group of AFL soldiers led by Samuel Doe , who formed the People's Redemption Council (PRC). They had opposed Tolbert's clampdown on the political opposition and what they saw as his tolerance of corruption . Many high-ranking officials of

1450-604: The TWP leadership and Presidency was taken over by William Tolbert . Tolbert diverted from the TWP's traditional policies by seeking to stress Liberian sovereignty and political independence, as opposed to a nation reliant on international businesses and governments. He initiated some socially liberal reforms, pledged stricter regulation of foreign businesses operating in Liberia, granted official recognition status to opposition parties and tried to re-balance economic disparities between Americo-Liberians and native ethnic tribes. He also pursued open diplomatic and economic relationships with

1508-412: The TWP such as E. Reginald Townsend , Frank E. Tolbert (William's brother) and Cecil Dennis were executed, depleting much of its executive leadership whilst others fled the country. The new government subsequently restricted activities of the TWP and it lost its official status; the vast majority of its members and supporters left the party, but other TWP members vowed to continue and it struggled on as

1566-571: The TWP took a pro-Western and particularly pro-American stance owing to the fact much of the TWP's support and membership came from the Americo-Liberian population. Although Liberia did not declare war on Germany and Japan until 1944, the party supported the Allies against the Axis powers during the Second World War . Under Tubman, the party was also anti-communist during the height of

1624-479: The TWP, however as the Republican Party began to decline in influence most Americo-Liberians transferred their support to the TWP. After Anthony W. Gardiner was elected president in 1878, the TWP went on to govern Liberia for over a century. While opposition parties were never made illegal and Liberia was not classed as a dictatorship, the TWP more or less ran the country as a one party state and held

1682-768: The USA took place in 1976. Tolbert severed Liberia's ties with Israel during the Yom Kippur War in October 1973 and spoke in favor of recognizing national rights of the Palestinian people. However, Tolbert supported the United States on the Vietnam War , as had his predecessor, William Tubman. Tolbert was chairman of the Organisation of African Unity from July 1979 until he was killed in April 1980. Throughout

1740-665: The adoption of a Non-Alignment stance, but growing economic troubles and tensions between Americo-Liberians and indigenous Liberians led to instability . Tolbert was assassinated in the 1980 coup d'état by the People's Redemption Council led by Samuel Doe , marking the end of 133 years of Americo-Liberian rule in Liberia . William Richard Tolbert Jr. was born in Bensonville , Liberia, to William Richard Tolbert Sr. (1869–1948) and Charlotte Augusta Tolbert, née Hoff of Cape Mount, Liberia. The Tolbert and Hoff families were Americo-Liberian families of African American descent and

1798-637: The age of 81. She had moved to the United States after being released from house arrest in the aftermath of the coup. His grandson Tolbert Williams currently lives and works in the UK. True Whig Party The True Whig Party ( TWP ), also known as the Liberian Whig Party ( LWP ), is the oldest political party in Liberia and Africa as a whole. Founded in 1869 by primarily darker-skinned Americo-Liberians in rural areas, its historic rival

Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex - Misplaced Pages Continue

1856-484: The coup and its aftermath; among them was the minister of finance, future president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf . Undisputedly, Tolbert was dead by the end of 12 April 1980, the day of the coup d'état. There are competing stories as to the time and manner of his death. Steven Ellis, in his book Mask of Anarchy , says the president was found sleeping in his office, where the soldiers killed him, while Ellen Johnson Sirleaf 's biography, This Child Will Be Great , says Tolbert

1914-549: The coup, although it was never disbanded and continued as a rump party . The party went on to participate in the unsuccessful Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia (COTOL) ahead of the 2005 general election before de-coalition and winning fewer votes at the 2017 elections. In 2020 it became part of the Rainbow Alliance (RA). The True Whig Party was founded in the township of Clay-Ashland in 1869 as

1972-460: The dark-skinned faction among the coastal merchants", opposed to the lighter-skinned mulatto elite represented by the Republican Party . The party first came to power after Edward James Roye won the 1869 Liberian general election and was sworn in as president the following year. The Republican Party had tended to be supported by Americo-Liberians of mixed African and European ancestry while darker skinned Americo-Liberians initially rallied around

2030-524: The disorder increased. Tolbert's credibility was severely damaged by the Rice Riots. In March 1980 Tolbert ordered the banning of the PAL, and had Gabriel Bacchus Matthews and the rest of the organization's leadership arrested on charges of treason. In the early hours of 12 April 1980, 17 non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia led by Master Sergeant Samuel Doe launched

2088-605: The first African to serve as president of the Baptist World Alliance , and was also a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. He became Grand Master of the Masonic Order of Liberia . In 1951 Liberia held elections to decide president and vice president. William Tubman who was president in 1951 chose Tolbert as his vice president. They would go on to win and serve 6 terms until Tubman died in 1971. In February 1968 William R. Tolbert arrived in Jamaica as

2146-545: The kitchen." Indeed, it lacked support within Tolbert's own administration. While the indigenous majority felt the change was occurring too slowly, many Americo-Liberians felt it was too rapid. Despite following Tubman's 27-year presidency, Tolbert refused to follow his predecessor's hold on office until death. He successfully worked for a constitutional amendment to bar the president from serving more than eight years in office, and in 1976 he vowed fierce opposition to members of

2204-612: The late 1970s, Tolbert became increasingly open to overtures of economic assistance from Libya and Cuba. Liberia had been a one-party state since 1877. However, in 1973, the country returned to a two-party system when the Progressive Alliance of Liberia , headed by Gabriel Baccus Matthews , became recognized as a legitimate opposition party. Between 1965 and 1977 over 100 murders occurred around Harper in Maryland County , many of which involved mutilation and

2262-444: The march to quickly degenerate into a disorderly mob of riot and destruction. Widespread looting ensued with damage to private property estimated at over $ 40 million. At least 41 demonstrators were killed by shooting. This incident set fire to the powder. During the following year, riots and demonstrations shook the country. Tolbert tried in vain to restore order by arresting the opposition leaders, but his attempts were unsuccessful and

2320-498: The newly founded party to change its name. The TWP was officially reconstituted in 2005 under the leadership of Peter Vuku. The TWP participated in the 2005 general election as part of the Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia (COTOL). The COTOL coalition won eight seats but was dissolved the next year after some of its members left to join the ruling Unity Party . The TWP registered to compete as an individual party for

2378-567: The party headquarters. The building had been appropriated by the Liberian General Services Agency which provoked anger among TWP members who stated they are still the rightful owners and that Chairman of the Council of State David D. Kpormakpor had decreed that it should be returned to the TWP's possession. In 2015, the TWP appointed former government information minister Reginald Goodridge as its new chairman and

Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex - Misplaced Pages Continue

2436-447: The peaceful transfer of power was seen as a sign of continuing political stability in Liberia, a stark contrast with the political turmoil gripping much of the rest of Africa at the time. However, Liberia was effectively a one-party state, with the national legislature and judiciary subservient to the executive branch and only limited observation of civil liberties. Upon becoming president, Tolbert initiated some liberal reforms. Though he

2494-604: The private sector to the Liberian government. In May 1975, Liberia became a signatory to the treaty that established the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in order to create a common market in West Africa and promote regional economic integration and stability in 15 West African countries, with the intention that it would mirror the success of the European Common Market . By

2552-766: The removal of body parts. During the 1970s Liberians in Maryland County were constantly under the threat of ritual murders. Between November 1976 and July 1977, 14 people had disappeared in the county prompting Tolbert to fire the Superintendent of Maryland County, James Daniel Anderson, for failure to report the missing people and publicly declare "Anyone who kills deliberately: The law will kill that person". Twelve suspects were eventually arrested; seven, including four government officials, were convicted and executed. In early April 1979, Tolbert's minister of agriculture, Florence Chenoweth , proposed an increase in

2610-463: The stadium. Shao said, "I do not understand why people will come to watch game and break the things that can make the stadium beautiful; why will they throw garbage on the stadium?" and requested that the government hire more people to clean the stadium and to provide security after games. Matches between Liberian county teams were reported in early 2014. During the Ebola virus epidemic in Liberia , SKD

2668-425: The subsidized price of rice from $ 22 per 100-pound bag to $ 26. Chenoweth asserted that the increase would serve as an added inducement for rice farmers to continue farming instead of abandoning their farms for jobs in the cities or on the rubber plantations. Political opponents criticized the proposal as self-serving, pointing out that Chenoweth and the Tolbert family operated large rice farms and would therefore realize

2726-655: Was a Liberian politician who served as the 20th president of Liberia from 1971 until his assassination in 1980. Tolbert was an Americo-Liberian and trained as a civil servant before entering the House of Representatives in 1943 for the True Whig Party , then the only established party in Liberia. Tolbert was elected the 23rd vice president of Liberia to William Tubman in 1952 and served in that position until he became president following Tubman's death in 1971. Tolbert's early presidency saw liberal reforms and

2784-504: Was later moved to a spot in Monrovia's Palm Grove Cemetery , not far from the bodies of those killed in the Rice Riots. By the end of the month, most of the cabinet members of the Tolbert administration had been put on trial in a kangaroo court and sentenced to death . Many of them were publicly executed on 22 April at a beach near the Barclay Training Center in Monrovia. Only four of Tolbert's cabinet heads survived

2842-564: Was one of the largest Americo-Liberian families in Liberia. He attended Bensonville Elementary School, Crummell Hall Episcopalian High School. He studied at the University of Liberia and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1934. He married Victoria A. David , of Americo-Liberian and Vai descent, with whom he had eight children. Tolbert was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1943, and served until being elected vice president in 1951. A Baptist minister, in 1965 he became

2900-558: Was re-elected in 1975, his government was criticized sharply for failing to address the deep economic disparities between different sectors of the population, notably the Americo-Liberians , who had dominated the country since independence, and the various indigenous ethnic groups which constituted the majority of the population. Because Tolbert was a member of one of the most influential and affluent Americo-Liberian families, everything from cabinet appointments to economic policy

2958-724: Was reportedly thrown out of a military aircraft while being transported to a prison in Lofa County . Three of his daughters are no longer alive. Victoria Tolbert Yancy died in 1971, Evelyn Tolbert Richardson (the wife of a government aviator) died in Westchester County, New York , United States, in 1993. and Christine Augusta Tolbert-Norman died from cancer in Cary, North Carolina in 2021. His widow, former First Lady Victoria Tolbert , died in Minnesota on 8 November 1997 at

SECTION 50

#1732776166030

3016-543: Was seized and killed in his bed. Some of Tolbert's children live in the US. His brother Stephen A. Tolbert served as his finance minister in the government until his death on 29 April 1975, in a plane crash. One of his sons, A. Benedict Tolbert, was killed in the aftermath of the coup: he had taken refuge in the French Embassy but was arrested by members of Doe's security force who violated diplomatic immunity , and he

3074-474: Was signed between the governments of Liberia and China funding a $ 18 million (~$ 23.2 million in 2023) renovation of the stadium. The plans for the second renovation included the practice pitch and tennis courts that were not repaired six years earlier. In February 2020 , Shao Kaipeng of the "Hebei Construction Group," the Chinese construction firm that is renovating the SKD, pleaded with Liberians to maintain

3132-497: Was successfully registered to stand as an individual party for the 2017 election but ended up gaining 0.96% of the vote. On August 31, 2020, a political alliance containing seven constituent parties, including the TWP, known as the Rainbow Alliance (RA) was certified by the National Elections Commission (NEC). Goodridge served as the interim chairman of the alliance. The RA unsuccessfully contested

3190-402: Was tainted with allegations of nepotism . Thanks to his father who spoke Kpelle , Tolbert was the second Liberian president, after President Stephen Allen Benson , to speak an indigenous language, and he promoted a program to bring more indigenous people into the government. This initiative caused a good deal of chagrin among Americo-Liberians who accused Tolbert of "letting the peasants into

3248-478: Was the Republican Party . Following the decline of the latter, it dominated Liberian politics from 1878 until 1980. The nation was virtually governed as a one-party state under the TWP, although opposition parties were never outlawed. Initially, its ideology was strongly influenced by that of the United States Whig Party (from which it took its name). The elephant mascot was taken from

3306-611: Was the site of a Chinese-built Ebola treatment unit. The 100-bed hospital, constructed by the Chinese firm CNQC, was planned for 160 specialized medical personnel from China. It opened in November 2014 with a ceremony attended by President Sirleaf In May 2015 the ETU was decommissioned after treating 10 confirmed cases and admitting 110 patients. The 20-room facility and its more than 920,000 items, including more than 1,500 kinds of medical instruments and materials worth approximately $ 7 million,

3364-555: Was turned over to the Liberian government. As part of the ceremony, President Sirleaf was presented with a flag of the People's Liberation Army medical team. In August 2015, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi visited SKD stadium and met with Chinese workers. 6°15′24″N 10°42′8″W  /  6.25667°N 10.70222°W  / 6.25667; -10.70222 William Tolbert President of Liberia Government William Richard Tolbert Jr. (13 May 1913 – 12 April 1980)

#29970