The cycle of conflict

I went out for a drink last night with the assistant manager of our apartment complex. He is about 31 years old, and a very intelligent man. He is from Nimba county, in the north east of Liberia. At the age of 17 he moved to Monrovia to put himself through school. His father was a manager at the Bong Mines and was employed by a company that I can't recall. If I could describe him in a short phrase I would say that he has a kind heart. Though that phrase is not sufficient to describe him. He is most definately a people person - from the day that we moved in, it was difficult to escape his presence with out having in depth conversations.

The first conversation we had was about religion. After his father lost his job and all of his savings during the war, he moved to Monrovia - as many did during the civil war - and became a minister at the local Methodist church. Religion has played a large part in his life, and has brought him to think about issues of the human condition in a profound way.

The second time we spoke, we discussed history. He reiterated some of what I already knew about Liberian political history. Liberia was founded by former American slaves, and declared independence in 1847; there was a coup in 1980 in which a 28 year old Master Sergeant in the Liberian Army, Samuel K. Doe assassinated president Tolbert; later in 1989 Charles Taylor leader of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) led an armed uprising into liberia opposing the government of Doe;  Prince Johnson leader of a fraction group of the NPFL captured Monrovia and killed Samuel Doe; The country descended into civil war, which didn't end until 1996, when Charles Taylor was elected president.

Most of this I knew but then the conversation changed tone and was diverted from a mere discussion about historical events. My friend was able to convey to me a more nuanced understanding of the political and social forces at play.  He further explored the personal psyche of the men that were involved in Liberia's troubled past. He did not excuse their actions or proclivity to violence - but explained the context for which this violence took place.

One thing that I have been warned of since being here, is to be careful of the mob mentality. If groups of people forming, or if any disturbances become apparent in a crowd, I should move to somewhere safe. Although I have not seen this in person, I have heard of incidences from many people - Liberians, Ex-pats and Re-pats.

This mentality explains, in part, what my friend was conveying to me about the phyche of these men and the violent coups that that occurred during this time. These men were the leaders during this disastrous time for Liberia, but they were not solely to blame or in complete control of the violence that occurred. To remain in power and to protect themselves they allowed the fear and lack of trust amongst the people of Liberia to exacerbate the vicious cycle of conflict. And they did anything to stop it, out of fear for the safety, security or perhaps for the sake of holding onto power.

I don't know if I completely support this analysis, though I value the perspective and felt I had gained greater insights and understanding from our dialogue.

But then our conversation changed. We began to discuss the current political and social environment in Liberia, and the strides that the current government is taking to end this cycle of violence.  We both agreed that Madame President Sirleaf is a brave women. And a women with audacious goals, but realistic hopes for Liberia. The social and political dynamic is shifting, although slowly. But perhaps the pace is necessary. It takes much planning, policy making and intentional action to reshape a society that was for so long plagued by and accustomed to armed conflict being the flawed solution to political and social inequalities.