Government
The Chinese Developers Turning Liberia's Beach Into a Luxury Playground
Boosters say this mall complex will jumpstart the economy in an area decimated by Ebola and war. But longtime locals and entrepreneurs wonder what will be left for them.
It’s peaceful at 6 a.m. on Monrovia’s Miami Beach. Against a pinky-yellow sky, the only sounds are waves crashing onto the shore, birds squawking awake, and the clawing of Skippee’s rake, running ridges through the patch of sand that separates the foamy coastline from his beachfront home.
Gradually over the past year, he has built this place up with bricks of hand-mixed cement, whenever he can afford to. First came the foundation, then a small room, then a beautiful mosaic floor made of smashed glass bottles. He doesn’t own this patch of land, nor does he pay rent—but raking it every morning is part of what makes it his. For now.