Monrovia,Liberia :: Liberia's Vice President Jewel Taylor officially opens Logos Hope's bookfair.
Logos Hope arrived in Monrovia, Liberia, 12 years after her last visit. The organisation’s very first time in the port city was when the original ship, Logos, docked in 1977.
The crew (and particularly our one Liberian crewmember) is excited to be in Liberia, especially as the nation celebrates its bicentennial year, being 200 years since the foundation of Liberia, and also 200 years of the presence of the church in the country.
Acting Director Roberto Facanha (Ecuador) welcomed Vice-President Jewel Taylor, the President of the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC), Bishop Kortu K. Brown and other distinguished guests. He said, “We celebrate together with you the freedom, the endurance and the unity of this country. We are also excited to open the doors of our house, the largest floating library… We are eager to serve you, partner with you and learn from the people of Liberia.”
Vice-President Jewel Taylor said, “I want to use this opportunity to raise the flag that reading is one of the most important skills anyone can have. My father used to say to me “What you put in your head, can never come out.” You could lose your space, you could lose your job, you could lose an opportunity, but once you have knowledge and illumination that comes from reading, you still have many more opportunities, and so we want to call upon the schools, the young children – they're lucky that the ship is here… Libraries are important to all of us… Reading leads to comprehension which leads to wisdom and knowledge… This [visit] is an opportunity of a lifetime… Thank you so much for this gift to Liberia. The gift of reading is the most significant one. It’s a skill for living a sound and successful life.”
During the visit in Monrovia, teams of crewmembers will visit inmates in a local prison and go into the community to give sewing-classes and training sessions for early childhood teachers. Teams will also perform eyesight tests, while others will visit churches. Events will take place on board the ship as well.
Vice President Jewel Taylor officially cut the ribbon, and Logos Hope’s bookfair is now open to the public from Tuesdays – Saturdays from 11am to 5pm and Sundays from 1pm to 5pm until April 3, 2022. Entrance: 100 LRD.