A very controversial documentary about Liberia has recently come out.  I thought I'd weigh in, given my time in Liberia and that Myles Estey, the journalist who co-produced the film and facilitated the interviews is a good friend.

First and I think foremost, Shane Smith is no man to inform the masses about Liberia.  It doesn't take long to get a sense for his character and what's coming, with comments like "He's had malaria more times than he's had a hot meal." Furthermore Smith has a woefully inadequate understanding of the country. He reveals his ignorance rather spectacularly in a recent Huffington Post interview: "If you have 80% unemployment, you can do that math: 80% of the population is doing something criminal then just to survive."  It's a particularly amazing comment considering his co-producer, journalist Myles Estey, has a series on his blog which details the informal economy in Liberia.  Did they not talk about these things over dinner?  Did he not see the lines of wheelbarrows selling wares up and down Broad Street?  It's unfortunate he didn't do more of his homework.

So it should come as little surprise that what we ultimately get from him is a sensationalized caricature of Liberia: cannibalism, slums, prostitution, drugs, warlords, corruption.  Even worse, violent footage from the war is interspersed with footage from last summer, giving the viewer the impression it's still happening.  It is just reckless and irresponsible. Those without prior knowledge of Liberia (i.e. his audience) will be left with a grossly distorted understanding of the country that conforms to stereotypes, which is blatantly harmful.  There is neither transparency about the limited view of Liberia it portrays nor glimpses of the progress underway that provide a fuller picture of reality.  We are instead left with a message that Liberia is "hell on earth" (his words, not mine).   And he calls this a travel guide?
 
This is unfortunate, because the film does unveil a side of Liberia that's important to understand.  Underneath the first elected female head of state on the African continent, all of the attention from the development community, the opportunity to rebuild a country lies a truly tenuous foundation.  Former child soldiers barely getting by who would readily  fight again given the opportunity because life was better back then.  Rebel networks that are still totally intact with access to arms.  A country that would indeed fall back into chaos if the UNMIL left. My housemate last summer roamed Monrovia with a camera and quickly uncovered these same stories.  

It's too bad that responsibility for this film didn't lie in the hands of an individual interested in showing the full story, or at the very least one who could be clear about how narrow the window is that he gives his viewers.  It's also  unfortunate we didn't hear more of Myles' voice, who understands what life is like for the typical Monrovian.  Instead, it seems Mr. Smith just wants the world to believe he's a badass for braving the dangers of Liberia to bring hell on earth to your living room.

Watch it for yourself here, I'd love to hear your thoughts.