Chinese Bamboo and Ratan Workshops in Liberia

"A recent Pew Global Attitudes Survey indicates that "Across Africa, favorable views of China outnumber critical judgments by two-to-one or more in every country except South Africa, where opinion is divided. The survey provides a trend only for Nigeria, where favorable attitudes toward China are sharply up, rising 16 percentage points in just the past year from 59% to 75%."

The survey further suggests that "Across sub-Saharan Africa, China's influence is seen as growing faster than America's, and China is almost universally viewed as having a more beneficial impact on African countries than does the United States. Clear majorities say America's influence in their countries is generally good. But the perception that China has a positive impact is far more widespread." Click here for article.

In Liberia, the Chinese are training the Liberians in traditional bamboo and rattan weaving, furniture making, and building.It all takes place at the Samuel Doe Stadium (above) in Monrovia, Liberia.
Above is a sample of an entire bamboo house made without a single nail.
The inside sports a table and desk.
A bed and a cushionless sofa.
Within the stadium small craft items are being woven. Above a teacher makes a waste paper basket.
A student prepares the ends of the bamboo pieces for her baskets.
The rattan lays in piles on the ground.
A bucket of water with a brush to soften the reeds.
My favourite piece of furniture: a rocking chair with a foot rest that slides out.
Malcolm Kelly, NFL Redskins American football player in red, sits in the chairs with his entourage who include his father, Moses (lower left) and the Deputy Minister for Sports Liberia (lower right).
More rattan.