Philimena has pledged her life to enriching her homeland of Liberia with the hope of building a better Liberia for future generations to come!
Her first tour today explained how this former hotel, once a symbol of prosperity and the first hotel to be built in the Liberian capital Monrovia now lies in a state of rack and ruin after the countrys civil war.
A tour with a difference for sure but it was so interesting to listen to Philimenas stories which were brought to life with photographs when this hotel was in a much better position than now !
The Ducor Hotel was built in 1960 by Israeli architect Moshe Mayer, and it guests from all over the world, including diplomats, politicians and business people.
Ducors amenities included a French restaurant, a swimming pool and lounge deck, tennis courts, a rooftop and view bar.
Former president of the Ivory Coast, Felix was said to have been so impressed that Mayer to erect a luxury hotel in Abidjan _ the Hotel Ivoire.
The hotel closed in 1989 before the First Liberian Civil War that ended in 1997, two years before the onset of the Second Civil War that lasted until 2003.
In over a decade of violence, the hotel was damaged, looted and eventually occupied by displaced people from Monrovias slums.
During the siege of Monrovia in 2003, it was used as a firing position by then President Charles Taylors ragtag army due to its vantage point on the citys highest hill.
Following the war, Taylor was found guilty of 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court in the Hague.
In 2007, the government evicted the squatters and a year later leased the hotel to the government of Libya with plans to renovate and reopen, but that project was abandoned when Liberia severed diplomatic ties with the government of Muammar Gaddafi following the outbreak of the 2011 Libyan war.
As a photographer covering the Liberian civil war in 2003, I narrowly missed being shot by a rebel sniper when photographing a city overview
He had been taking photographs from a window on the seventh floor with Liberian colleague Peewee Flomuku standing two feet away when a bullet passed between their heads, striking the wall behind.
Returning to the scene 14 years later, he found the hotel still standing, with thick tropical vegetation surrounding it, invading every crevice, corner, and floor of the deserted art decor styled landmark.
It is hoped that the elections on Oct. 10 will see the first peaceful and democratic transfer of power from Africas first female democratically elected President Ellen to a new leader, who will have to continue to rebuild the country following nearly two decades of brutal civil war.
The Ducor is still abandoned and remains a symbol of the best and worst highlights of the African continent.
