The sea yields freedom

When Liberia became a nation in 1847, its name described its hope – a land of liberty. The passage of the years has been bumpy at best, with far too much bloodshed along the way. As with many poorer parts of the world, the physical poverty has been matched by a digital poverty too.  Poor connections, bad cabling, and limited access to the internet have widened the gulf between Liberia and the rest of the world.

When the internet was young, many Christians seemed to thnk that the big moral issue with it was that it contained pornographic material. This seemed like a hollow argument to me, since bookshops and newsagents can do the same! No, surely the bigger moral issue is the gap between info-rich and info-poor. The more the world relies on digital connection, the more disenfranchised those without it become.

When @ruskin147 drew my attention to Bonnie Allen’s photo (below) my heart skipped a beat. It shows the moment when fibre optic cable and fast speed broadband arrived on the Liberian coast.  If you read this article in PRI you will see quite what a big deal it is. Anyone care to suggest an uplifting caption?

image: theworld.org