Evheniy Maloletka, a 24-year-old photojournalist, was born in Berdyansk in Zaporizhia Oblast. He stayed in Liberia with Ukrainian peacekeepers for two weeks this summer. The trip to the western Africa nation turned his world upside down. “Liberians have only recently found out that there are such gadgets as mobile phones, and there is almost no Internet at all in the country,” Maloletka said. “The majority of population is aged from 18 to 25, but, of course, there are a lot of children, who surround you, crying “chop-chop,” which means to give them some money for food.” According to Maloletka, it’s impossible to stay unrecognized there, as “locals know every white person.” Now he is shooting social photo stories in Ukraine.
Another crew of Ukrainian peacekeepers is ready to take off to Liberia in mid-December to replace the outgoing 275 Ukrainians, serving as part of the United Nations’ 15,000 peacekeeping force for about seven years now. Living near Monrovia, the Liberian capital, they patrol from the helicopters and make deliveries for the United Nations’ mission.
The situation in Liberia, one of the world’s poorest and wracked by civil conflict, may become even tenser after the Oct. 11 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the Africa’s first female president, was declared winner of the second round of the presidential elections, but she ran unopposed because the opposition boycotted the poll.
As a consequence, her government may struggle to prove its legitimacy.
Despite having huge unexploited gold and diamond deposits, Liberia suffers from an 85 percent rate of unemployment and extreme poverty among the most of about 3.5 million residents.
Devastation remains from the nation’s civil war that started in the 1990s.
Few factories are operating. People sell fruits, nuts, fish or products of the handicraft industry.
The average salary in Liberia is about $70 per month. Only few of the cities look civilized, while most Liberians live in huts, made of branches and leaves, in the middle of jungles.
A woman carries a basket with dishes on her head. Most women are treated as servants in Liberia. (Evheniy Maloletka)
A view of the typical Liberian jungle village. (Evheniy Maloletka)
Although some Liberians can’t swim, many are not afraid to go fishing on a boat. The starting price of one lobster is $10, although bargaining is part of the culture. (Evheniy Maloletka)
Motorbikes are the most common transport among Liberians. (Evheniy Maloletka)
It’s almost impossible to exchange old dollar banknotes into Liberian dollars at the currency exchanges, so travelers need to keep new ones. (Evheniy Maloletka)
A curious Liberian boy wonders about the photographer. (Evheniy Maloletka)
Young men play football on the beach, a popular sport in the country. (Evheniy Maloletka)
