Will Jordan

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Will Jordan
Producer | Qatar
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By Will Jordan in Africa on October 21st, 2011
The once sprawling complex sits perched on a hill, a pile of derelict ruins.

It was once 'Africa's finest hotel', says the security guard as we wander around the concrete carcass. The Ducor at the end of Broad Street in Monrovia played host to many of the great and the good in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, and also the bad. The story goes that Idi Amin swam in the Ducor's swimming pool, his pistol still by his side.

The views enjoyed by the guests at this 300-room hotel, built in 1959 by the Intercontinental Group, were spectacular. They still are, giving you an all-round view of Monrovia's peninsulas and port.

This old brochure shows the sleek hotel as it once was.

A gem in an African crown of hospitality - it was one of West Africa's thriving hotels, but by 1990 the last guest had checked out.

Tags: Liberia, Libya
By Will Jordan in Africa on October 6th, 2011
“Monkey still working, let baboon wait small” reads one of the much-publicised posters [Reuters]

By Al Jazeera's Will Jordan

The sign at Monrovia airport said four things: NO STANDING, NO LOITERING, NO URINATING, NO SELLING. I stood, loitering until our fixer arrived. I bought a sim card from the kiosk selling them. Nobody urinated.

We drove into Monrovia, through the tropical lush green land along the coast, past the many election campaign posters, past the health ministry being rebuilt by the Chinese, past the huge UN tower, headquarters for the staff of one of the United Nations’ largest peacekeeping missions, cut from around 15,000 troops to 8,000.

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