Interview with Mulbah Zowah, December 24, 2013

Partial Transcript: Okay Mulbah, here we go.

Segment Synopsis: Mulbah Zowah was one of 19 children of a father who was in the military. He grew up on a farm in a town in Lofa County, Liberia, went to primary school, then to secondary schools in Voinjama, chief city of the county, one a Catholic boarding school. At the end of eleventh grade the war came and he went to Monrovia. He finally graduated from high school in 1994.

Keywords: Family; Growing up; School; Schooling

Subjects: Childhood; Education; Liberia

Partial Transcript: Okay so, uh, tell me something about the, uh, the war to which you are referring.

Segment Synopsis: Zowah explains Liberian history before and during the war. He describes leaving Voinjama after war came, and not seeing his parents for five years. He had a J.J. Roberts (first president of Liberia) scholarship for outstanding students through high school and into college, graduating from high school in 1994 and beginning at the University of Liberia in 1997, completing two years by 2003 because of intermittent opening and closing due to the war. He was determined not to be involved in the war. He describes his brother being brutally killed in front of his parents in the village because he had joined and left one group of rebels and another group identified him.

Keywords: Brother; Death; Killing; Murder; Scholarship program; University; War disruption

Subjects: College students--Social conditions; Education; Liberia; Liberia--History--Civil War, 1989-1996.; Universities and colleges.

Partial Transcript: So tell me how that came about? How did you learn about Berea?

Segment Synopsis: Zowah first describes his second time in Ghana walking from Monrovia to the Ivory Coast; finding Berea College on the internet, thinking it was a joke, but taking tests, applying and getting an email back in Liberia announcing his acceptance. He also describes his earlier experience in 1995 escaping Monrovia on the infamous cargo ship that languished for nine days on the ocean before landing at Takoradi, Ghana. He was in a refugee camp in Ghana until 1997, after Taylor won election, then was accepted to University of Liberia, but returned to Ghana after each semester because it was safe, had internet, and he could work. When he received his acceptance to Berea College, the war had started again and the U.S. Embassy was closed in Monrovia so he could not get an interview for a visa. He describes negotiating for a ticket to fly to Guinea (his first airplane flight) where he obtained a visa. Berea College provided an airline ticket and he arrived late and sick for the opening of school.

Keywords: Cargo ship escape from Monrovia to Ghana; Charles Taylor; Guinea; Refugee camp; Repatriation; Scholarships

Subjects: Berea College; Liberia--History--Civil War, 1989-1996.; Refugees; Travel

Partial Transcript: Then how did things go at Berea?

Segment Synopsis: Zowah was greeted warmly by Berea College, from the International Center to the president to ordinary people. He found the food and language different and school difficult because he was competing with top students. He had no computer or research skills; he was in the Learning Center every day. Beginning college in 2003 he graduated in 2009 with a degree in nursing.

Keywords: Adjustment to college; Nursing program

Subjects: Acculturation.; Berea College; Immigrants--Cultural assimilation.; Nurses; Nursing

Partial Transcript: Uh, and so what have you been doing since then?

Segment Synopsis: Zowah lists his experiences working as a nurse in Kentucky and Liberia, and his aim to work in global health.

Keywords: Global health; Liberia

Subjects: Nurses; Occupations

Partial Transcript: Um, in what ways do you feel you've become sort of acculturated to the, to the U.S. or to Kentucky? And what ways not?

Segment Synopsis: Zowah believes he has adapted well and noticed how he has changed when he visited Liberia. He is proud that his six-year old son was born at University of Kentucky Hospital and is an American. He had a good experience at King's Daughters Hospital. Financial issues halted his planned doctorate in nursing practice.

Keywords: Financial issues; Graduate school

Subjects: Acculturation.; College costs.; Education; Immigrants--Cultural assimilation.

Partial Transcript: Uh, you've mentioned, uh, uh, a wife and, and a son; son born here. Uh, do you have other relatives in the United States?

Segment Synopsis: Zowah describes a niece doing well in the U.S., and communicating with his mother in Liberia by cell phone. He finds it hard to deal with extended family members in Liberia always asking for money. He understands why his mother would not want to come to the U.S. because of cold and the lifestyle here.

Keywords: Family; Illusion of money; Long distance communication

Subjects: Families.; Liberia

Partial Transcript: Uh, what, uh, what kinds of questions do people here ask you about Liberia?

Segment Synopsis: Zowah says "People have no conception of Africa. Do people live in trees? Do they live with lions?" He just laughs and looks at it as an opportunity to educate. "What you see on National Geographic is the isolated situation." He compares American ignorance to what he saw on tv about the U.S. -- New York City, millionaires, no homeless, no people on food stamps. U.S. media focuses on people struggling in Africa rather than people with good jobs who drive nice cars.

Keywords: Geographic ignorance; Misconceptions; Opportunity to educate

Subjects: Africa; Liberia; Liberia--Economic conditions.

Partial Transcript: When, when, uh, people ask you where, where you're from, how do you identify yourself?

Segment Synopsis: In answers to questions, Zowah says he is from Kentucky but originally from Africa, Liberia. He is still in contact with students from Berea College and with some of the now 200 Liberians in Lexington.

Keywords: African immigrants; Kentucky; Liberia

Subjects: Africans--Race identity; Immigrants--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: What do you think Kentuckians have learned from you?

Segment Synopsis: Zowah presented to his nursing class at Berea about child bearing in Liberia, including sharing his mother's experience of 50 years as a midwife. He also gave presentations about his internship in Liberia in an HIV/AIDS clinic to churches.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS; Sharing culture; Traditional midwifery

Subjects: Immigrants--Kentucky; Midwives; Nurses; Nursing

Partial Transcript: Uh, that's most of the general questions I have but what, uh, what have I not asked you that you'd like to tell me about yourself, your experience, uh, in Liberia, your experience here in the United States, in Berea, in Lexington?

Segment Synopsis: Zowah talks about his future goals: American citizenship, education, and returning to Liberia.

Keywords: Citizenship; Return to Liberia

Subjects: Education; Immigrants--Kentucky