Saturday, December 17, 2011

The graves are not full: The tale of Charles Taylor



Introduction: Liberian History has never been captured in a vivid story telling picturesque narrative that leaves you thinking and wondering about  Africa's first republic, the nation state, and the people that populate its borders.... to say that the Liberian war was gruesome is to put a blunt argument on the table, while leaving out the most important details the mouth refuse to speak. It is not uncommon in Liberia, for people to shun the past as if it never existed. For example, Liberian intellectuals and the media seldom talk about Fernado Po and Liberia humiliation in world affairs between 1923 and 30.The excessive greed for political power in the country and the ritualistic killings which has always been part of the culture, that saw a climax with Allen Yancy and others being hung in 1979 by the Tolbert regime! Tubman, and his shameless despotic 27 years rule. Samuel Doe and his naked use of power in disregard to civil liberties, all these episodes and others are being gradually forgotten. It is as if to say Liberians should reconcile at all cost and forget the past, as if it never existed. Retelling the past should be part of the reconciliation and healing process say some analysts, to remind ourselves constantly what happened to the country we all love dear and how we got here, thereby serving as a guide to the future. The work of Bill Berkeley in this piece speaks for itself, He has written one of the best chapters on Liberia from his 2001 book: