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AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
11 - 14 July 2007
African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
Restoration of Cultural Rights in a Post Conflict Society
| Panel |
13. Memory and Heritage in Post-conflict Societies
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| Paper ID | 787 |
| Author(s) |
Rowlands, Michael
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| Paper |
No paper submitted
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| Abstract | After fourteen years of civil war, a certain stability has been established in Liberia with the commitment of UNMil and UNdp to the country for at least another eighteen months. Christmas 2006 was seen as the first occasion for a decade when Liberians would feel sufficiently relaxed to 'shop'. As a period of emergency relief draws to a close (tentatively) some disucssion is taking place over the need for a new vision for the future of the country. How an identity emereged of settler history of freed slaves 'civilising' indigenous Africans and its consequences for understanding the conflict and what versions of the past should replace this is believed to require research and discussion. The destruction of the National Museum and the plundering and dispersal of the collections of this and other museums in Liberia during the conflict and the current state of the National Archives and Presidential Archive are significant material constraints on achieving this. The paper will discuss alternative strategies and choices for the restoration of cultural rights in Liberia. |
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