FIRESTONE: HOW U.S. RUBBER GIANT STILL BURNS LIBERIA African Stream officially closed down at the end of July. But before making that decision, we had already been working on this important documentary about the American rubber company Firestone and its history of exploitation. In 1926, Firestone signed a deal... with Liberia’s government to lease 1 million acres of land, 10% of the entire country, for just six cents an acre. Backed by the U.S. government and designed to secure a steady rubber supply for American industry, the deal marked the start of a deeply exploitative relationship. For decades, Liberian workers, many of them children, were forced to tap between 500 and 750 rubber trees a day in gruelling conditions. Some earned as little as 24 cents for a full day’s work. While Firestone grew into one of the world’s largest rubber producers, Liberia was left with environmental destruction, impoverished communities, and virtually no national development from the wealth extracted. After Liberia’s brutal civil war, a new agreement was signed in 2005. But critics argue the terms still overwhelmingly favoured Firestone. The company continues to control vast plantations, while surrounding communities remain locked in poverty. When we visited Barclay Farm, a village next to the Firestone rubber plantations, residents told us they still face crumbling infrastructure, undrinkable water, inadequate healthcare, and limited opportunities nearly a century after the original deal. For many Liberians, Firestone is not just a company; it is a symbol of neocolonial extraction and a reminder that so-called “investment” often means exploitation without accountability. This documentary is part one of a three-part documentary series on Liberia, which we will release over the course of the following week. After that, there will be no more African Stream content.show more

African Stream

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