Classroom lesson · Sport · 🇱🇷 Liberia

Robertsport

Liberia's surfing village on the Atlantic coast

Photo · Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

Robertsport is a small, friendly town on Liberia's Atlantic coast where long, powerful waves roll in from the open ocean. Surfers from all over the world travel here because the waves are perfectly shaped for riding. The beach is made of golden sand lined with palm trees, and local children have been surfing here for generations.

Tell me more

The town sits on a narrow strip of land between the ocean and a wide lagoon, so wherever you walk you are close to water. In the morning, fishing boats head out through the surf, and in the afternoon surfers paddle out to catch the same waves. It is a place where the sea is absolutely central to everyday life.

Liberian children in Robertsport often learn to surf at a very young age, sometimes on homemade boards. A group called Surfers Not Street Children has helped young people from the town learn to surf properly and even compete in regional competitions. Some of these young surfers have become known across West Africa.

Beyond the famous point breaks, the beach at Robertsport is a wonderful place to watch nature. Pelicans skim low over the water, leatherback turtles come ashore at night to lay their eggs, and at low tide you can find small crabs racing across the wet sand. The town itself has colourful wooden buildings and a very relaxed, welcoming feeling.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

  1. 01How might living next to the ocean every day change the way you think about the sea?
  2. 02Why do you think learning a sport like surfing might be important for children in a coastal town?
  3. 03What are the differences between a lagoon and the open ocean? Can you think of any?
  4. 04If you were designing a surfboard for a beginner, what would it look like?
Try this

Classroom activity

Design your own surfboard on a large piece of paper. Choose a shape, colours and a pattern that represents something about your own country or community. Write two sentences explaining your design choices.