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Liberia is a West African country. Its musical heritage includes several important genres of pop derived from neighbors like Ghana (highlife) and Sierra Leone (palm wine music). Liberia also boats an array of indigenous folk music, Christian music and influences from its Americo-Liberian minority.
Traditional Liberian music utilizes such typical West African elements as ululation, vocal repetition, call-and-response and polyrhythms. Traditional music is performed at weddings, naming ceremonies, royal events and other special occasions, as well as ordinary children's songs, work songs and lullabies.
Christian music was introduced to Liberia by American missionaries, and Christian songs are now sung in native languages in a style that mixes American harmonies with West African rhythms and a call-and-response format.
Highlife music is very popular in Liberia, as elsewhre in West Africa. It is a combination of North American, West African and Latin American styles, and emerged in the 1950s in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia, especially among the Kru people.
Past and present musicians include Hawa Moore, Tejajlu, Molly Dorley and Miatta Fahnbulleh. Of these Dorley deserves special notice for having spearheaded a movement to create a national Liberian identity, alongside musicians like Anthony "Experience" Nagbe. Dorley's popular songs include "Grand Gedeh County Oh! Oh!" and "Who Are You Baby, Oh!".
The country's most renowned radio station is ELBC, or the Liberian Broadcasting Corporation.
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