Liberians stand up to be counted

There has been a vigorous census campaign

Liberia is conducting its first census since 1984, after years of civil war, and a public holiday has been declared.

Public adverts and pop songs have been reminding people to stay at home to be counted, while dispelling fears that the census would mean extra taxes.

But a BBC correspondent in the capital says the count got off to slow start as material for enumerators arrived late.

Government officials hope the census will provide accurate statistics, vital for development planning.

It is for development, not for taxes Lyrics from the census song

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf came to power in 2006 after elections supposed to end the 14-year conflict.

Constitutionally a census should be held every 10 years. Last year, the UN estimated the population was about 3.8 million.

The count will last several days.

Pop song

The BBC's Jonathan Paye-Layleh in the capital, Monrovia, says there were chaotic scenes at a centre where enumerators had gathered to collect materials as questionnaires had yet to arrive by 1300 local time.

However, organisers said that in most areas the count had started and Mrs Johnson-Sirleaf with her family were among those counted by Friday afternoon.

Schools have been closed for the head count

"[The census] is going to give us the data that we need to underpin our development agenda and to plan our policies around hard figures, around quantities, instead of just guessing," the president told the BBC.

Census workers have already discovered that numerous villages that existed on the 1984 map are now deserted because of the war, AP news agency reports.

Our correspondent says that years of civil war have led to a poverty-stricken and mostly illiterate population.

There has been a vigorous campaign to educate people on the purpose of the census.

To try and dispel any suspicions, the government commissioned one of the country's top pop stars, Juli Endee, to compose a song.

Our reporter says it has been translated into Liberia's 16 languages and is playing daily on the radio, urging Liberians to "stand up and be counted".

"It is for development, not for taxes," the lyrics say.

Around 250,000 people were killed in Liberia's civil war and many thousands more fled the fighting.

The UN maintains some 15,000 peacekeepers in Liberia.