LIHEDE 5th Anniversary Jubilee Confab
NC A&T State University
Greensboro, North Carolina
August 3 - 7, 2009

The Liberian History, Education, and Development, Inc. (LIHEDE) is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization committed to promoting and advancing the cultural heritage, history, development, peace, and security of the Republic of Liberia through scholarly research, and public education. LIHEDE was organized in April 2003 in Greensboro, North Carolina, and it has since its inception held several seminars, symposiums, and workshops in the U.S. and Liberia on topical issues affecting Liberia, one of which is the malaria eradication campaign, “WE WANT NO MORE MALARIA IN LIBERIA.” The LIHEDE malaria eradication campaign has resulted in Liberia getting millions of dollars from the UN Global Fund and the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) for malaria control and prevention activities in Liberia.

The LIHEDE malaria eradication efforts in Liberia and the LIHEDE Liberian Studies Program that kicked off in 2006 at two Liberian universities in Monrovia are still ongoing, but in preparation for celebrating the 5th founding anniversary of LIHEDE in 2009, LIHEDE has decided to host its first Jubilee on the history of the nation and people of Liberia. The Jubilee is devoted to uncovering the ethnic and linguistic links of Liberians, and how these links can be harnessed to manifest lasting peace, unity, reconciliation, and development in Liberia.

The LIHEDE 2009 Jubilee, scheduled to be held in Greensboro, North Carolina in August 2009, will be held under the theme: “Understanding Ourselves and Our History: A Call to Unity & Collective Development in Liberia,” and it will look at the history, migration patterns, interethnic cooperation, linguistic tongues, and social, political, and legal institutions of the various ethnic groups of Liberia.

Call for Papers

In order to ensure a broad participation of all Liberians from diverse field of disciplines to ensure that the dialogue captures every fabric of the chosen Jubilee Theme, “Understanding Ourselves and Our History: A Call to Unity & Collective Development in Liberia,” LIHEDE is accepting academic papers relevant to the theme. Those interested in participating should send a 300-word abstract of the intended paper to Nat Gbessagee, Secretary General of LIHEDE at LihedeJubilee09@yahoo.com by February 1, 2009. LIHEDE will begin accepting proposals for the Jubilee ASAP, but the official deadline for the submission of complete presentation proposals is June 30, 2009. All proposals must be submitted electronically to LIHEDE. A Registration Fee of $65 is required for non-member, $55.00 for LIHEDE members, and $20 for students.

Potential presenters are encouraged to consider the list of topics below in preparing their presentations about the Dei, Bassa, Kru/Klao, Krahn/Wee, Grebo, Sarpo, Belle, Dan, Mende, Loma, Kissi, Gola, Vai, Mandingo, Kpelle, Gbandi, Americo-Liberian, and other ethnic and linguistic groups of Liberia, but the list is not the least exhaustive. Presenters may make proposals on topics not listed below, as long as the proposed topic is in line with the theme of the Jubilee--“Understanding Ourselves and Our History: A Call to Unity & Collective Development in Liberia.”

Potential list of topics:

  • Congo and Caribbean Subgroup
  • Cultures and Traditions
  • Government and Leadership
  • History of Origin
  • Legendary Warriors
  • Liberian Authors & Exhibits
  • Marriage, Customs, Folklores, and Names
  • Traditional Medicine/Malaria
  • Pattern of Migrations
  • Public Education
  • Religion, Rituals, Birth, and Death
  • Secular and Sacred Music
  • Social and Political Institutions

Proposal Requirements

Proposals submitted for presentation during the 2009 LIHEDE Jubilee should not exceed 25 typewritten, double-spaced pages, with margins of one-and-a-half inches. The page limit includes graphs, references, tables, list of references, and appendices. Presenters may, in addition to the email copies of their final proposals, submit to LIHEDE a computer disk of their work preferably in MS Word 2000, 2003 or 2007 for Windows. Notes and references should be placed at the end of the text with headings, e.g., Notes; References. Notes, if any, should precede the references.

Proposals should include a cover page that provides the title of the text, author’s name, address, phone number, and affiliation. Proposals are accepted in English and must conform to the editorial style of either The American Psychological Association (APA) or Modern Language Association (MLA).