Anguish of war yields to new opportunities

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By Christina Holder

PAYNESVILLE, Liberia — On blue computer screens inside an air-conditioned Internet cafe, a message flashes - "The Liberian Dream." Here there are no guarantees. Dark streets have become hunting grounds for young thieves searching for high-priced game - cell phones, laptops or a wad of dirty Liberian bills.

It is difficult to find investors willing to sink big money into a country only five years after the end of a ruinous civil war.

But entrepreneur Stephen Tamba said he is determined to help end a nightmare of guns, violence and destruction in this neighborhood of bushy, green, open space outside the traffic-clogged capital of Monrovia.

"We are about to change that dream. Their next dream will be one of hope. There is a future here," he said.

Mr. Tamba, 35, and two former elementary-school classmates recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of their Internet cafe, named Sapata Inc.

Sapata got a chance because Mr. Tamba's business partner Mike Sarkor, a Liberian engineer working in Canada, was able to secure private investors. It took about $120,000 to open the cafe. All the equipment, including 10 computers and a generator, had to be imported. The cafe gets its speedy wireless connection via a satellite company in Florida.

Thieves remain a threat. Red steel frames called "rogue bars" cover the windows and the air conditioner sits caged and bolted deep into the ground.

Robertsfield Highway, the main road stretching through Paynesville, is lined with dingy kiosks that charge cell-phones batteries for about 40 cents, and sell fizzy drinks to wash down fish roasted on sticks.

Mr. Tamba began selling kiosk owners some of the surplus power from his generator, hoping a future partnership can bring more light and safety to the area at night.

As people migrate to Paynesville, they must find a way to make a living.