If you are unfamiliar with the American expression S.N.A.F.U. an explanation is required before I proceed: it stands for Situation Normal All Fucked Up. Whilst scanning an online map of Liberia in preparation for the trip I was delighted to find a place so named, hence the goal of reaching this forgotten corner of the country became my prime reason for going there, sad, puerile individual that I am.
Few schools manage to get the word fuck into their names
Whilst many would assume the title was an unsurprising indictment of the country’s condition I hope my earlier post on Liberia, http://insideotherplaces.com/2013/12/30/liberia-the-land-of-signs/ at least demonstrated that this would be an over simplification of the situation.
The wonders of Google Earth clearly showed that Snafu was no steaming metropolis so I had to find accommodation in the nearby town of the delightfully named Smell No Taste, so-called because US soldiers stationed there after WW II would emit tempting wafts of cooking smells for the hungry locals to salivate over, who were forever denied the chance to taste what was on offer.
Snafu is little more than a small jetty and a few shacks at the end of a dirt track, obviously named by the same US troops who provided the source for Smell No Taste. The locals had a vague idea that the name meant something related to the military presence and I am not sure of their level of comprehension for my explanation truly enabled an appreciation of why some foreign twit would go miles out of his way to have a look. They were however appreciative of my effort, as you can imagine there was hardly a regular stream of tourists to the end of their little path, only UN Pakistani troops stationed nearby who buy fish for their supper. They too expressed exasperation at Liberian English, understanding even less than me, “when we learned English in Pakistan we were told about tenses, the future, the past, but the Liberians don’t use tenses”. As a frustrated captain wailed at me in the Queen’s English.
Downtown Snafu on a hectic Tuesday afternoon
One would have been tempted to ask the local preacher if retaining Snafu in the name of his apostolic church was entirely appropriate but alas he was not on hand to offer an opinion.
When I worked in Liberia for Bong Mining Company in the 1970ies I had a little Hobie Cat 14 in SNAFU. I was told then that the Lagoon of the Farmington river was an auxiliary port of the Am. Forces – out of reach of German aircraft – during the preparation and thereafter of the liberation of southern shores of the Mediteranian. The lagoon, until the civil war, had a different shape. Its exit into the sea was just southwest of Chimpanse Island and held deep enough for smaller carrier vessels. Todays airport of Monrovia was also built then the Am. Airforce to transport to the Am. Forces in the north the items brought to the laggon by ships. During the years when this tranport route was hardly used anymore life for soldiers stationed there was describied by them as Situation Normal All Fucked Up.
Thanks Rupert, that’s great to hear the background to how the name came about. Given the lack of development I’m not sure if things look a hell of a lot different to when you were there