Monrovia, Liberia—Friday, December 20, 2022: Quizzing, an exquisite academic game that’s often played in high schools in Liberia, is given less attention than how a dedicated Liberian is investing all he can to ensure that the country’s flag is raised to the highest peak globally, Cllr. Phil Tarpeh Dixon, a Liberian, like many other Liberians.
In 2022, I took part in all kinds of events to promote education, such as book launches, quizzes, debates, and motivational speeches.
He began by launching his book “Eusebia Bea and the Oga’s Son,” which rose as high as #10 on the Amazon Bestsellers List for African Poetry in February. He also played a key role in the editing, production, and launch of the book “Tears of Saybah and Other Stories” by young Liberian Otis B. Kruah.
His institution, the Liberia Institute for Knowledge and Excellence, which represents the International Quizzing Association in Liberia, concluded the delayed National Super Cup for High Schools with Joseph Jenkins Roberts United Methodist School defeating Jimmy Jolocon to become champion. Jimmy Jolocon was subsequently nominated for and won the title of World Quizzing Team of that week. Then he got Liberia to join the US National All-Star Academic Tournament as one of only three teams from outside the US.
The Liberian high school team participated online, as the tournament was conducted on Zoom due to COVID restrictions. At the end of the year, he took a group of six Liberians out of the country for three weeks. There, the National Quizzing Team competed and won three medals at the Ultimate Quizzing Championship in Berlin, Germany, where Liberia was the only African country to compete.
Notable was that he used his training as a lawyer to change the Germans’ original decision not to give the Liberian team a visa. He was nominated for the World Trivia Hall of Fame, and it has been confirmed that he will be inducted when it meets again next year in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
In December of this year, he served as Chief Judge for the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission Inter-College Debate held on the campus of the University of Liberia.
Six Liberians left their country on October 22 to get visas in Ghana and then compete in the Ultimate Quiz Championship, which will be held in Berlin, Germany, from November 4th to 6th.
Their decision to leave early was proven right when the team not only had to apply for visas while they were out of the country but also had to go through the appeals process when the Germans first said they couldn’t give them a visa.
The team got a lot of praise when they got to the competition, and they went right into the regular and U-30 competitions.
The team won its first medals on the first day of competition, finishing third in the Under-30 National Teams category, behind Belgium and Germany.By the end of the program, Liberia had scored two more medals, leaving the competition with three medals in total.
The Ultimate Quizzing Championship brought together close to two hundred quizzing luminaries from twenty-five countries in Europe, North America, Oceania, and Asia, with Liberia being the only African nation to be involved.
The most successful country this year was Belgium, with Estonia, England, Liberia, and the United States being among the countries to win more than one medal. Liberia’s registration fee, accommodation, and travel to Berlin were covered by the Toutant Intellectual Competition Fund based in the US, while costs in Liberia and Ghana were covered by the team. The Liberian team consisted of Cllr. Phil Tarpeh Dixon (captain), Jonathan Z. Saye (also U-30), Philip H. Roberts (also U-30), Grace N. Cole (also U-30), Otis B. Kruah (also U-30), and Smaila B. Kiazolu (also U-30).
