Liberia plans Peace and Reconciliation Museum to preserve civil war history

Liberia is planning to establish a Peace, Reconciliation and Memorial Museum to centralize the scattered records of its civil wars. A government delegation, led by Minister of State without Portfolio Hadja Mamaka Bility and supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), recently conducted a study mission in Rwanda to examine how the nation preserves its history of mass violence and utilizes memorialization for peace education.

The proposed museum aims to serve as a central body for collecting, authenticating, and digitizing photographs, official documents, and testimonies that are currently held by various private and government entities. The initiative is part of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s vision for national reconciliation.

As Liberia marks 23 years of peace, survivors and peace advocates continue to call for further action. While the country has maintained stability since the warring factions signed peace agreements over two decades ago, advocates emphasize that reconciliation remains unfinished. Key demands include the prosecution of war criminals through the establishment of a war and economic crimes court, reparations for victims, and the preservation of massacre sites to educate future generations.