By Lincoln G. Peters
CHINA – Liberia’s local dishes — palm butter and toboggie, along with several of its cultural artifacts and traditional heritage — over the weekend took an attractive and admirable center stage in China at the University of International Business and Economics 21st International Youth Cultural Festival and event.
Palm butter, a popular Liberian dish and culinary staple, has a rich history deeply rooted in the country’s agricultural traditions and cuisine. Specifically, the dish, often prepared with palm nuts, is a beloved part of Liberian culture, particularly among the Kru and Grebo tribes and few others tribes of Southern Liberia. Palm butter soup, a hearty stew made with the palm butter, meat, seafood, vegetables, and spices, is a common sight on Liberian dinner tables.
On the other hand, “Toboggie” is a local historical traditional dish from Lofa County, Liberia, mainly consumed and traditionally made by the Lorma speaking group. This traditional heritage reflects a historical period of significant conflict and displacement, particularly during the Liberian Civil War. Lofa County, a northern county in Liberia, was a major focal point of fighting, leading to widespread displacement and inter-ethnic tensions between the Lorma and Mandingo people.
The country’s cultural image and displayed at the International event was headed and supervised by the Cultural Attaché to the Liberian Embassy in the People’s Republic of China by iconic legendary hipco traditional singer, Mr. Jon Bricks and Chelreo P. Saye-Geh, President of Liberian Students at UIBE.
Interestingly, at Liberia’s cultural exhibition booth which was closed to the United States, there was a banner with a brief history of the country including its major resources and export, flag, population, counties and tribes, presidents, and culture traditional values. Also, there was a displayed of some traditional culture practices and materials including local Liberian dishes, beeds, and traditional drum, with Liberian singing and dancing on traditional drum beats.
Unprecedentedly, different nationals trooped toward the Liberian booth due to its vibrant culture and traditional heritage, dance to Liberian traditional drum beats, ate local traditional dishes and bought other some of the artifacts. Some asked questions about the history and learned through oral historic about Liberia’s founding.
About 128 countries participated in the International Youth Cultural Festival, with at least 63 countries setting up exhibitions. The cultural and culinary booths of each country and region were distributed in the four areas of North, South, West and East, where participants could not only buy the special products of each country, but also receive the “Passport for Traveling to the Five Continents” and collect the national flag stickers and redeem the limited cultural creations of this year’s International Youth Cultural Festival at the booths.
The students in charge of each country’s exhibition area were enthusiastic and friendly, and showed the guests, teachers and students the special culture of their countries.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the New Dawn Newspaper , Liberian legendary hipco traditional singer, and Liberia Cultural attaches and Ambassador to China, Mr. Jon Bricks, expressed appreciation and gratitude to the Liberian students leadership at the University for the collaboration and partnership to showcase Liberia culture and traditions to the world.
According to him, he also represents the Ministry of Information Culture Affairs and Tourism with the aimed of promoting Liberia culture heritage in China, through Culture Diplomacy.
“Today, two of Liberia’s local dishes taking the center stage along with others culture heritage and artifacts displayed is not a surprise to me because Liberia has a unique culture and traditional heritage that the world is hungry for. Despite that, it was a great culture exchange and seeing the Americans, Chinese and all others coming to have a taste of this, I am excited. People saw raw traditional talent. The traditional random or songs have special feelings that catches the minds and souls of all because the beat and song is interesting. Also, we provided interpretation and so, people were more interesting,” he concluded.
For his part, Chelreo P. Saye-Geh, President of Liberian Students at UIBE, extolled the Liberian Embassy in China, through its Cultural Department, headed by Mr. Bricks, adding that their quest to support and expand Liberia culture to China is unmatched.
He vowed to continue to work with the Liberian Embassy to ensure that Liberia cultural heritage and tradition is taken to advance trajectory to ensure that Liberian and China can enter into cultural cooperation to boost tourism and culture exchange.
“I want to thank the Liberian Embassy in Liberia, especially the Cultural Attaché, Mr. Jon Bricks, for the support and collaboration. Many have expressed interest including the University and so. We hope that this opens new door of cultural exchange and cooperation between Liberia and China where we can have more bilateral scholarships cooperation in the area of tourism to help Liberian gain knowledge on tourism, culture and traditional heritage preservation.
On May 15, 2025, the 21th International Youth Culture Festival of the University of International Business and Economics was held in the square in front of the Chengxin Building of the University and was divided into six sections, including opening ceremony, arts and cultural performances, five continents’ styles, elite competitions, cultural communication, and international salon.
The program was graced by international and local government officials, especially diplomats, as well as foreign and domestic journalists.
As an annual event of the university, the International Youth Culture Festival has been widely acclaimed since its establishment in 2001, and its content and organization have been enriched continuously, providing a platform for exchanges and mutual appreciation of different cultures from all over the world, spreading international thinking and promoting mutual appreciation of civilizations.
The initiative is not only a cultural feast, but also a beautiful stage for the students to lead to a harmonious world and promote world integration, which demonstrates the rich campus culture and the international style of the students.
