Reclaiming a History Interrupted

Liberia’s two civil wars, fought between 1989 and 2003, had a devastating impact on the country. The estimated 250,000 people killed and hundreds of thousands displaced disrupted the transmission of history, culture, and family memory.

The effects are still felt today as Liberia has become increasingly urbanized. Many young people have moved away from their rural communities where oral histories were traditionally shared. However, this shift has not diminished the need to preserve these stories. Instead, a new generation of Liberians is stepping in to reclaim their past.

Young Liberians are using digital platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube to document their history, explore their culture, and reach audiences at home and across the diaspora. This use of technology is not about replacing traditional storytellers but rather carrying on an age-old tradition into a new era.

The shift to digital storytelling has brought both opportunities and challenges. Access remains one of the biggest barriers – just over one in three Liberians uses the internet. Misinformation is also a concern, particularly since individual users often post information without fact-checking it.

Bilphena Decontee Yahwon, founder of Archive Liberia, emphasizes that preserving Liberia’s past is not just about accuracy but also ensuring that stories are representative of all Liberians, regardless of their access to digital platforms or influence on social media.

The preservation of Liberia’s history is a testament to the resilience and adaptability of its people. Despite facing numerous challenges – from colonization to civil war – they have continued to find ways to tell their stories and keep their history alive.

As Liberia’s historical narrative continues to evolve, it’s essential to acknowledge the complexities involved in preserving a history interrupted by war and displacement. The internet may be a powerful tool for storytelling, but it also brings its own set of limitations and biases.

The use of digital platforms has become a space to document traditions, preserve family histories, and challenge narratives about Liberia that have often been shaped from outside the country. Historical photographs, forgotten traditions, and family memories are reaching new audiences as Liberians use technology to reconnect with their past.

However, taking storytelling online has also brought new challenges. The limited access to the internet restricts this growing digital archive to just over one in three Liberians. There’s also the issue of misinformation, which traditional storytellers learned to navigate through rigorous training and fact-checking.

Social media has opened up storytelling to everyone but has also removed many of those safeguards. Without formal training in sifting fact from falsehood, individual users often post information without vetting it. This raises important questions about who gets to shape Liberia’s historical narrative and how we can ensure that the stories told are representative of all Liberians.

As Liberia continues to evolve and urbanize, its history will continue to be shaped by new generations of storytellers. The use of technology has opened up new spaces for storytelling, but it also brings its own set of challenges. It’s essential that we acknowledge these complexities and work towards ensuring that the stories told are representative of all Liberians.

In the end, the preservation of Liberia’s past is a story about resilience and adaptability – a testament to the power of storytelling in the face of adversity and a reminder that history is not just something to be learned but also something to be lived.