'Monrovia Animated' is a series of hypnotic, animated GIFs that attempt to put a new, positive face on the capital city of Liberia, Monrovia. The series was created by French photographer Francois Beaurain. The GIFs aim to dispel Monrovia's image as a city destroyed by war and strife, instead showing that many Liberians manage to lead vibrant, active lives.
The GIFs capture lively actions including a barber swiveling on his chair, a teenage athlete jogging on a track and a young boy doing a cartwheel on the beach. GIFs involving a single subject are manipulated to make it look like several identical people are performing the same action.
Beaurain says that he hopes Monrovia Animated will remind the westernized world that is more to Liberia than the grim stories of war and destruction that dominate news stories about the country.
"On the other side of the screen, people on the web are not used to see fancy things coming from the slums of Africa," Beaurain says. "I hope this creates a contrast able to raise the attention on this small and fascinating country unfortunately still famous for its civil war and child soldiers."
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