Moving and Grooving to #MusicWeDeyFeel in Monrovia

As long as I have had Liberian friends aside my family members who are half-Liberian, I have been hearing about #Lib4Lyfe. I saw this as being tied to music and entertainment, and not just patriotism. It took me travelling to Liberia for the first time in December 2025 for me to know that Liberians like to chill!!!!! Chilling and partying goes hand in hand with music. For a music aficionado like me, I was noticing the soundtrack of the town while in and around Monrovia. For a party soul like me, you can trust that I partied seriously in Liberia. We were balling baaaaway!

Arrival Anthems: Thursday, December 11

I flew from Accra on a Kenya Airways flight which I spent watching a Kenyan movie - “It’s A Free Country” and paying attention to the songs played in it. It was a great movie to watch, travelling into a country that is very free, in more than 4 ways. Liberia gets its name from the word “liberty”, formed by indigenes and freed slaves from the West. My sister Stacey, my friend Stanley and I landed at Roberts International around 17:40 on December 11, 2025.

The first Ghanaian track that greeted us? "Mansa". There are many Ghanaians living in Liberia, naturally due to it being in West Africa, but also from the days of ECOMOG. I know Ghana has made a huge impression on Liberia and influences it a lot, because of the Buduburam refugee camp, and many Liberians spending years in Ghana before traveling to their sister nation, America. It was like Liberia was saying, "Welcome home!"

That night, there was one song on the radio that struck us. The chorus repeated the phrase “Take your child to school”. The lyrics talked about how taking children to school sets them up for a better future. Apt. True. Important. Repeat. I thought about the Liberian music I know. No, not Liberian Girl by Michael Jackson. But Liberian Girl by Jodi Clarke. It is such a sultry sweet song about one’s love for a Liberian girl, a tribute to her beauty and spirit.

Stanley lodged at the New Republic Hotel. The Pride of Logan Town. We also heard Zormizor being played. If you haven’t watched the video for this dope track that has a nation of youth doing crazy dance moves, then head to YouTube to enjoy this Dope Nation track. Stacey and I stayed at home with our family, in Caldwell.

Friday Fever: December 12

“It’s Fridaaaaaaaayyyyy!!!!!” This was not a #FreakyFriday. But hold that thought. After getting some local currency and US dollars to spend, we went to a Ghanaian restaurant called New Day around Sinkor. We also heard Fuse ODG's "Badder Than Bad" as well as Shatta Wale's "My Level". I kept wondering, when would I hear a Stonebwoy song? We heard Black Sherif's "Problem Dey" (aka "Sacrifice") played. Blacko is arguably the most streamed Ghanaian artiste, so he enjoys some popularity in Liberia. Hold this thought too. This jam has raw emotion which mirrors the resilient spirit of Liberia, and how they like to make merry post a history of conflict and war.

Billboards and TV featured MC Caro (Cecilia Kesselly), the AquaLife ambassador Ebo raved about—her hustle embodies that Liberian go-getter vibe in music.

Ebo, Comfort, Stanley and myself started off the night at a bar called Adoma popular for karaoke. This is my thing. After getting our beers set and sipping, we could see that some of the revellers singing their favorite songs were into it. Stanley and I submitted our tracks, awaiting our turn. Some minutes later, we realised that the same old man and young lady were doing most of the singing. My turn came. I started with “Slow Down” which I dedicated to my wife, as usual. I did justice to the song. Stanley sang his as well. When I stepped on stage to perform “Kiss Your Hand Remix”, I brought the house down. Ebo was inspired by our performances and decided to sing as well. He chose “Take You Home Tonight” by Foxy Brown ft Blackstree. He did not need the lyrics on any screen. He rapped that jam verbatim! When we were leaving, we realised that the old man and the young lady were actually performers! Which means, apart from us 3, most of the karaoke performances were by professionals!

Afterwards, we went to a bar almost opposite the New Republic Hotel. People talk about raves and vibes. This place had them in abundance, with some serious boogeying to boot. The freakish way some of the ladies were dancing eh?

Saturday Singers & Street Shindigs: December 13

I kept seeing a lady on many billboards all over Monrovia, advertising AquaLife water. I am sure that if I watched just a little local Liberian TV, instead of feasting on DSTV’s sports and music channels. This lady is not the prototypical female face you would see on billboards, which made me think that this must be a celebrity or star. I learnt that this was Mc Caro, a popular rapper in Liberia. Ebo mentioned MC Caro as a singer that some of his nieces who like to sing should emulate.

Stacey, Stanley, Auntie Lizzie (Efua), Ebo and Comfort joined me to attend the first ever #MonroviaKonnect meetup at A La Lagune, which is close to D Calabash, all in Congo Town. We found a quiet chill room near the pool, which was conducive for this networking event. We were joined by TK, Jerry, Jolo, Lucien, Janice, and Lilian.

We could not go home after this meetup which ended around 9pm. We found our way to Radisson Village which was in town. We had some drinks (Orijin, Malt, Savanna) and some meat. The interesting part was that the cow meat, sausages, chicken wings were all sold in Liberian dollars but the roasted fish was sold in USD. Because the latter is of a higher value. They gave us some salad to boot. It was run by one Emmanuel guy from Togo. Yes, I have his number. They played a lot of popular West African songs.

Seny Sets Sunday: December 14

Don’t roll your eyes about how we partied on Sunday. This is Liberia we’re talking about, not Ghana. Before that, we went to a beach club called Summer Beach. It was in a mall premises that had an inactive movie cinema. There are lots of top Liberian actors who have become popular through Nollywood and Ghallywood.

We finally went to Seny Bar, which Ebo had guaranteed would be a good time. In fact, it was a great time, probably the number one party/bar/club joint in Monrovia I would recommend. There is no entry charge too. Some of the Ghanaian songs played there were Sacrifice (Problem Dey) by Black Sheriff (played 3 times), Excellent by Kojo Blakk, Prison break by Abochi, Too Late by Wendy Shay, She want the money by Dope Nation, Kwaku the Traveller by Black Sherif.

It was great to hear a Liberian rendition of "Happy Birthday", with communal cheers and claps. "We Ready Oh" was another homegrown banger that got a lot of folks dancing. The number of women twerking at this club versus the number of women in general was plenty. At that point, I was genuinely surprised that “Enjoyment” by Kidi was not played. Liberians party with abandon—it's not just weekends; it's a lifestyle. High-energy dancing.

At the New Liberia Club, Ebo played and had a 3 game win streak in pool aka snooker, while we were jamming to great music. Some of the Ghanaian songs played there included: Everyday we party by Dope Nation, Terminator by King Promise, Puul by Lasmid, Excellent by Kojo Blakk. My son, Ebo, who has the same name as my cousin Ebo, is a big fan of that King Promise track. “I no for shout, they know me”.

Monday Movement: Museke to Monrovia, Music Unites Us - December 15

Monday was a chill day at home before we left on a long journey to the airport to return to the motherland. The Tuesday after I returned from Monrovia, I listened to #MusicWeDeyFeel from Liberian artists, especially Anitram, Jairzinho, MC Caro, CIC, etc. This trip reaffirmed my love for African music and its power. It was great to hear Ghanaian, Nigerian music in Liberia, alongside the local hits. If you love to chill, Liberia should be on your go-to-list. Ahead of your trip, enjoy its music.