Q&A with the authors of Refuge: A True Story of Faith and Civil War

Q: For many people, the mental picture of Africa is one of village life in the bush. What might they find surprising about your life in Liberia before the first civil war began in 1989?

A: While there are still many tribal villages in the bush, the western influence (specifically, the American influence from the freed slaves who founded the democratic nation) can also be found in Liberia. We lived in a four-bedroom house in Paynesville, a suburb of the capital city of Monrovia. Though we had both grown up in a village environment, as teenagers we attended boarding schools, and the life we built for ourselves and our children was not that different from the average middle-class American family. I (John) owned a block factory that supplied construction materials all over the country, and Bessie worked at a bank. We shopped for food at grocery stores and even owned one window-unit air conditioner. I served in ministry at our Baptist church and led a prayer group. We celebrated Christmas in much the same way that you do here in the U.S. It just wasn’t Christmas at the Gonleh house without a real Christmas tree—imported from someplace like Norway—with beautiful ornaments, caroling, and a visit from Sani Claus, the Liberian version of Santa Claus. We had a beautiful life.

Q: Recently, the news has been filled with images from places like Darfur and other parts of Sudan. Based on your experiences in United Nations camps, can you describe the life of a refugee?

A: When we finally arrived in Danané, across the Liberian border into Ivory Coast, we anticipated a safe haven. After all, the United Nations, the world’s most powerful humanitarian organization, would take care of us. We are truly grateful for everything this group sought to do. But it has been our experience, both in Ivory Coast and in Guinea, that the process through which food and supplies are distributed to refugees is often corrupted by the locals hired by the organization. We often saw packages clearly labeled “Property of the United Nations—Not for Resale” brazenly displayed in the open market in Danané. The people stole everything, even the bags of bulgar wheat the UN sent precisely because it is so difficult to cook and hard on the digestive system that nobody would want to steal it. In Guinea, we often smelled the aroma of meat cooking, but we never tasted it. The people hired to prepare the meals either took it home or sold it. We were so thankful for our tent at the camp in Danané. But, depending on how hastily the camps must be constructed, the layout of some camps is often a disaster in the making. When latrines are placed too close to eating areas, cholera takes hold. Malaria and other deadly diseases are common. Birth rates are high, and so are infant mortality rates. Many camps are overcrowded, and many homeless people gathered in one place can lead to unrest, even conflict. Refugees are often treated with resentment and mistrust by local residents. In Ivory Coast, for example, there was a plot among the local citizens to wipe out the entire Liberian refugee population as we met in our churches one Sunday morning. The United Nations and other humanitarian organizations do what they can to ease the suffering of displaced people. But the goal must be to find a permanent, peaceful home for refugees, whether in their native lands or elsewhere.

Q: What were the most devastating losses your family sustained during the war and your resulting odyssey to relocate to the United States?

A: Without a doubt, the most painful experiences were the losses of our children. When the war began, we had eight beautiful children, six who lived with us. Our youngest, Chester, died from a disease he contracted in one of the first villages to offer us refuge. He was four years old at the time. Twelve years later, when we were staying in Danané, a border town in Ivory Coast, we lost Comfort during an attack waged by Liberian mercenaries. Our eighteen-year-old daughter Annie was in another town visiting friends on this day, and we have never heard from her again. Of course, we lost all of our material possessions, but nothing compares to the pain of losing a child. We praise God for preserving the lives of the other children in our family before the war began and for adding two new blessings to our family—John Jr. and Miracle, who were born during our stay at Danané.
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