Monrovia – As Liberia clocks 174 years of independence, the reading on the lips of many marketers has it that there is nothing to celebrate because of the hardship they are faced with on a daily basis.
Many marketers who spoke with FrontPageAfrica said, unlike the previous Independence Day celebrations, the 174th Independence Day Celebration is the worst.
Doris Gaye, a mother of 4, sells gift wrap papers and gift items on Randall Street. She told FPA that she has not made any sales for the past two days.
According to her, despite it’s the last week of the “July 26” event, there are few people in the streets shopping to get something for the festive season. Because of the low buying, Madam Gaye says she is unable to buy July 26 clothes for her children.
“This year’s July 26th Independence Day Celebration is f*** up (mess up),” Ma Doris says. “All the sweet, sweet, things President Weah promised us, where is it? The buying is low, the country is hard. Let Oppong (Weah) do something about this hardship that we are in,” she explained.
“I am a widow and I have children. It is not easy for me. The people are not buying my goods, how my children will eat before I even think about buying them July 26 clothes.”
“We love him (President Weah) and voted for him. They said that works were going to be floating –you do not go to school, you old oh, you young oh, the works were going to be floating. Let nobody blame the hardship we are facing on coronavirus, let President Weah do something about this hardship his people are in,” Madam Gaye states.
Madam Beatrice Togbeh, the mother of 5, sells in the Waterside Market. She told FPA that because of the coronavirus people not are buying.
Ma Beatrice said the coronavirus has caused many importers to not bring goods in the country. This, she said, has increased the price of several commodities in the country.
“The same way we can come that is the same way we can go home, the people are not buying,” Ma Beatrice said.
Also, another marketer in Waterside Market Nancy Kollie told FPA that in past times, the market used to be jam-packed with shoppers buying for the July 26 celebration. She says this is not the case for this year’s Independence Day celebration.
Madam Kollie added: “People are not buying anything; the season is red (hard). President Weah’s government needs to do something about the way people are suffering, no money in town.”