Monrovia– The Appearing Chairman of the Governance Fee (GC), Alaric Okay. Tokpa, has mentioned Liberia’s historical past has for too lengthy been advised in fragments, formed by exclusion, silence and selective reminiscence, and now’s the time to rebuild it inclusively,
By Jaheim T. [email protected]
Tokpa made the assertion at a one-day Coverage Dialogue on the Revitalization and Rewriting of an Inclusive and Complete Historical past of Liberia.
The dialogue, which was held underneath the theme: “Historical past of the Nation-State: Pathway to Reconciliation, Therapeutic, and Peace,” introduced collectively Liberia’s historians, officers of presidency, civil society actors, worldwide companions, scholar leaders and the media.
Delivering remarks, Tokpa mentioned the nation can’t thrive on “partial truths,” there it’s a name to historians, educators, policymakers, and residents alike to embrace the complexity of our previous and to put in writing a historical past that displays the complete vary of Liberian identification.
“For a lot too lengthy, the story of Liberia has been advised in fragments, usually formed by exclusion, silence, and selective reminiscence. But, to be wholesome, a nation can’t thrive on partial truths. Liberia wants reconciliation, therapeutic, and peace; all of which require that we keep in mind our previous, promote understanding, and construct peace by acknowledging the voices that form our collective journey,” he acknowledged.
He urged Liberians to put in writing a historical past that embraces indigenous communities, settlers, and those that endured battle and displacement.
“This dialogue is a name for writing a historical past that can file and honor each struggling and triumph; a historical past that won’t draw back from uncomfortable truths, however reasonably use them as stepping stones towards justice, freedom, common participation, and unity,” Tokpa identified.
Tokpa emphasised inclusivity: “Allow us to be sure that we write a nationwide historical past of Liberia that won’t be a mere doc, however a mirror of ourselves; a mirrored image of the experiences, dignity, resilience, and variety of all Liberians.”
He added that college students, youth, ladies, conventional leaders, and spiritual establishments should be remembered within the reconstruction of Liberia’s story. “Let this dialogue be greater than a mirrored image; it should be about recommitment—telling the story of a rustic the place historical past turns into an instrument for social justice, peace, and unity.”
Tokpah revealed that the Governance Fee holds a depository of supplies from the sooner Liberia Nationwide Historical past Mission (LNHP), which stalled as a consequence of a scarcity of funding. These supplies, he mentioned, can be made accessible to the crew or constructions that can proceed the historical past writing mission.”
“As we embark on this journey collectively, could we be guided by humility, braveness, and a shared imaginative and prescient: that via truth-telling, we are able to foster reconciliation; via understanding, we are able to nurture therapeutic; and thru collective reminiscence and love for one another, we are able to construct enduring peace,” Tokpa mentioned.
Giving an outline of the LNHP, Commissioner Cytirus Kerbay reminded contributors that one of many key suggestions of the Fact and Reconciliation Fee (TRC) was the rewriting of an inclusive and complete common historical past of Liberia.
“For too lengthy, our nationwide historical past has centered primarily on the arrival of settlers in 1822, whereas giving little consideration to the peoples, cultures, and contributions that predated their arrival. This imbalance has left the historic narrative incomplete and, at occasions, divisive,” Kerbay mentioned.
She defined that the LNHP was created to “develop a historical past that belongs to all Liberians, settlers and indigenous alike” and to foster reconciliation, unity, and peace.
In line with Kerbay, the mission seeks to foster reconciliation and therapeutic within the post-war period, strengthen nationwide identification and unity, promote historic consciousness among the many folks of Liberia, and function a basis for peace and social cohesion.
She defined that in 2013, a nationwide historical past convention envisioned 4 volumes of textbooks and a brand new curriculum. “Sadly, as a consequence of restricted funding, the method slowed and was by no means absolutely realized,” Kerbay famous. The brand new dialogue, she mentioned, is “a renewed name to motion, shaping a future the place each Liberian can see themselves within the nationwide story.”
Additionally talking, former Head of Workplace of UNESCO Liberia, Stevenson Seidi, lamented that whereas Liberia has a wealthy historical past, it has “been advised largely from a one-sided perspective.”
“We’re the primary African republic, but our nationwide story is clouded by divisions between settler and indigenous communities, between inclusion and exclusion, between reminiscence and silence,” he mentioned. “Whereas we respect the settlers who landed right here, it’s proper to point that the historical past they advised was unbalanced, misleading, biased, and discriminatory.”
Seidi warned that an unique narrative might “deepen distrust and extend wounds of bitterness that would ignite or replay the 1980 coup and 1990 civil disaster.”
He known as for memorials, museums, oral historical past tasks, and curricula that replicate all views.
He additionally questioned Liberia’s system of nationwide honors: “Are these African or actually native Liberia Orders of Distinction? It seems these are European-style Orders. It’s my robust opinion that these orders should be revisited and revised.”
“An inclusive historical past teaches us that peace just isn’t the absence of conflict, however the presence of justice, dignity, and belonging for all,” Seidi mentioned.
He urged the federal government to take possession of the mission, whereas working with UNESCO and Liberian historians at house and overseas.
“Our activity is to not erase the previous, however to develop it—to weave collectively the voices, recollections, and goals of all Liberians into one shared narrative. Solely then can historical past develop into a real pathway to reconciliation, therapeutic, and peace,” Seidi mentioned.
