We're big fans of most things VBS.TV, especially Vice's travel series, and The Vice Guide to Liberia is no exception. Have a look at the trailer after the jump. Warning: it might be a bit tough to stomach.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iivVKJbtTgsThis newest documentary comes on the heels of a partnership between Vice and CNN-seriously-in which CNN basically distributes reports from Vice journalists, whose transparency they admire. An excerpt from the Liberia report:
[P]erhaps the most revelatory portions of our trip to Liberia came from meeting the major warlords of the nation's civil wars. There's a tradition in Liberian militias of taking on extravagant noms de guerre. Hence, our subjects were named General Bin Laden, General Rambo and General Butt Naked. The latter, in particular, was one of the most notorious Liberian warlords. He claims to have personally killed 20,000 people including babies, and to have sometimes cannibalized his victims.Today, General Butt Naked goes by his birth name, which is Joshua. During our time together, he told us that Liberia will surely implode into civil war again when the U.N. leaves next year. But in the meantime, Joshua wants to redeem himself. He offered us a glimpse of the Liberia that he wants to forge, and we found ourselves growing to like him. He took us to his church, where he rehabilitates child soldiers. We watched as he preached his way through Monrovia on a Sunday.I could be wrong, but it just seems like very few outlets would even consider a story like this. Even fewer do it this well. It isn't just that it's controversial or rough around the edges-though it certainly is those things-rather, the beauty of this type of reporting is what you find beneath those layers of brashness.
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