NSA Agent, Brother on Trial For Human Trafficking

MONROVIA – A disgraced agent of the National Security Agency has gone on trial with his brother for allegedly taking payments from international trafficking agents to mislead young Liberian women into traveling to the Middle Eastern country of Oman where they were to work as domestic servants. The indictment alleges Arthur Chan-Chan, and his brother…

Traditional Leaders Say They Will Not Stop Female Genital Cutting Without More Money

Massa Kandakai, the head of over three hundred FGM practitioners in Montserrado County, says she along with her women have fulfilled their part of the bargain with UN Women by closing all bush schools in Sonkay Town and Todee in Montserrado. Kandakai says UN Women should uphold the agreement by continually supporting them – with monthly salaries, access to cell phone networks, fishponds and processors for making Farina or flour from cassava and potatoes. The women say they will revert to the practice if their requests are not met….

Door Closes on Oman as Destination for Trafficked Women

Monrovia – In separate chilly mornings in September and October 2021 Sarah and Kolu defied the weather to travel to Roberts International Airport with one thing in mind: a trip to “paradise,” where all their sufferings and hardship would end. The pair, cousins in their 20s whose names FPA/NN is concealing for their security, say…

Liberia: 2022, A Bad Year for Victims of Child Rape

Martu Yardolo had just turned 17 when she says she was given a drug hidden in a drink and gang raped by three men. It was the night of her birthday. Yardolo was looking forward to celebrating with her friends. Instead but it ended in violence that has destroyed her world Commentary by Evelyn Kpadeh…

Mae Azango Alum

“I am a journalist because there are a lot of people suffering. Who hears them? No one, unless I go and record their voices.”… Mae Azango Mae Azango is one of the best known reporters in Liberia. Mae’s consistent dedication to telling the stories of ordinary Liberians in FrontPage Africa newspaper has won her acclaim…

Despite LURD Atrocities Survivors are Split Over Call for Justice

GBARMA, Gbarpolu County – When news broke that Jankuba Fofana had been arrested by British police as part of an investigation into war crimes one might have expected celebration here in Gbarma. Fofana is the first member of the rebel group Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) to face justice for war crimes in Liberia’s…

FreeRodney.org Site Launched with Petition Demanding Editor’s Release

Supporters of FrontPage Africa editor-in-chief Rodney Sieh have launched a website demanding his immediate release. Please find a petition on the site. FrontPage Africa is New Narratives’ major partner in Liberia and has worked with us on a range of important stories that have forced action in Liberia and garnered attention around the world. Sieh…

NN’s Wade Williams Wins German Development Prize for Africa

NN is very proud of fellow and FrontPage Africa Newsroom Chief Wade William who capped a brilliant year last night by winning the German Media Development Prize for Africa at a ceremony in Berlin – on her birthday! The win follows Wade’s success in winning a prestigious Dag Hammarskjold fellowship to the UN last year…

NN’s Rodney Sieh Spells Out the No Bribe Policy at FrontPage Africa Newspaper

Paying Off – The problem of bribes in the Liberian press After two civil wars, Liberian journalists are enjoying unprecedented freedoms but struggling to maintain independence. The business of news is not yet financially viable there: the media market is oversaturated, advertising is weak, and readership is low with a low-hanging ceiling—only 58 percent of the…

NN’s Wade Williams Wins Journalist of the Year

New Narratives fellow and FrontPage Africa newsroom chief Wade Williams has been awarded the prestigious Journalist of the Year award at Liberia’s annual media awards. Wade is only the second woman to win the award. The UN’s Eva Flomo won the award in 2011. Wade has been with the New Narratives program since January 2011….

NN’s Mae Azango in Foreign Policy magazine

Labor Pains In the midst of a civil war, becoming a mother was its own battle. Melinda Gates has me thinking about the time I became a mother. When the Gates Foundation co-chair recently said that improving family planning for the global poor is her new personal mission — and that she is making it a top…

Wade Williams Alum

Wade C.L. Williams is an investigative reporter and chief of the news desk for FrontPageAfrica newspaper and website.  Some call her the most powerful newswoman in Liberia where few women have been able to make a career in the media, let alone reach the top ranks. Since joining NN in January 2011 she has interviewed warlords and written…

Clara Mallah Alum

Clara Mallah is a newspaper reporter in Monrovia. During her time with New Narratives she was a reporter with FrontPage Africa newspaper where she did groundbreaking reporting on a range of issues including child prostitution, unsafe abortions and child rape. Clara won the 2011 Women’s Reporter of the Year award becoming one of just 3 women ever…