Ducor hotel in Monrovia, Liberia. One of the first five star luxury hotels in Africa, the Ducor hotel was closed just before Charles Taylor's coup which led to the first Liberian civil war (1989-1997). The building reflects the tremendous past this country has faced in recent years. The hotel's rooms were occupied by people forced to leave the major slums in Monrovia. Graffiti, messages and gunshot holes are emblematic of the years of violence and pain faced by Liberia during the first and second civil war (1999-2003). The state of decadence of the hotel clearly contrasts with the faded feeling of splendour this building had once upon a time. Placed at the top of the Ducor hill, the hotel shadows the city, the view from the top is spectacular, across Monrovia and into the ocean with no boundaries...
