From Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Volume 1: Introduction to the TRC Report
Introduction
1.
After years of brutal conflict in Sierra Leone, there existed a need to
confront the past. The nation wanted to know what precipitated the wave
of vengeance and mayhem that swept across the country. How was it that
the people of Sierra Leone came to turn on each other with such
ferocity? Why did so many abandon traditions of community and peaceful
co-existence? Why were long held and cherished customs and taboos so
wantonly discarded? It is only through generating such understanding
that the horrors of the past can effectively be prevented from
occurring again. Knowledge and understanding are the most powerful
deterrents against conflict and war.
2.
The Commission accordingly recommends the widest possible dissemination
of its Report and its different versions, including the Children’s
Video and Pictorial versions. The Commission encourages the production
of popular versions and summaries in different local languages.
Dissemination committees should be organized to distribute the Report
at the national and local levels. In particular, the Commission
encourages the use of the Report and its different versions to promote
dialogue and debate in workshops and other events around the country.
The contents of the Report should be incorporated into education
programmes from primary to tertiary level. The full Report and its
appendixes will be made available on the internet.
3.
Those who negotiated the Lomé Peace Agreement recognized that Sierra
Leoneans as a nation had a need to express and acknowledge the
suffering which took place, a need to relate their stories and
experiences, a need to know who was behind the atrocities, a need to
explain and contextualize decisions and conduct, a need to reconcile
with former enemies, a need to begin personal and national healing and
a need to build accountability in order to deal with impunity. The Lomé
Peace Agreement required Sierra Leone to establish a Truth and
Reconciliation Commission to meet these different needs. The Sierra
Leone Parliament made provision for such a commission in early 2000 by
virtue of the Truth and Reconciliation Act, 2000 (the Act). The chapter
of this Report entitled “Mandate” sets out in detail the mandate of the
Commission as provided for by the Act, including the context of the
establishment of the Commission.
4.
Various principles and concepts that underpinned and guided the work of
the Commission. These included the concepts of truth and truth telling.
The Commission also addressed the concepts of a ‘just war’, ‘just
means’ as well as who constituted a ‘victim’ and ‘perpetrator. The
views of the Commission on these core concepts are set out in the
chapter entitled “Concepts”.
 |
| Mr. Oluyemi Adeniji, SRSG (left) and Mr. Bacre Ndiaye Special Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at the inauguration of the Commission on July 5, 2002. |
Getting Started
5.
Establishing the truth and achieving reconciliation is an ambitious
project for any country struggling to overcome the bitterness of strife
and war. This was particularly the case for Sierra Leone. The country
was devastated by nearly a decade of civil war. Sierra Leone had become
one of the poorest countries in the world. It took several years to
establish the Commission. During this period, further disturbances
broke out in parts of the country, which prompted the Government of
Sierra Leone and the international community to take the initiative of
establishing a Special Court for Sierra Leone. The Special Court was
tasked with prosecuting those who bore the greatest responsibility for
serious violations of human rights. All these factors impacted on the
work of the Commission.
6.
The Commission was supported in its efforts to raise funds through the
United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR). In view of the Commission’s short timeframe, donors were
skeptical about its capacity to realize its mandate. The Commission
encountered difficulties in reaching its original funding target of
$9.9 million. The Commission’s requirements were later realigned to
meet the funding prospects while maintaining a credible institution. It
became clear from the outset that the establishment of the Commission
was beset with problems. This further complicated the Commission’s
ability to raise sufficient funding. Less than half the funds pledged
eventually found their way to the Commission.
7. Internal
difficulties saw the Commission effectively losing the first 6 months
of its existence. These early difficulties led to a crisis of
credibility that in turn exacerbated the Commission’s funding crisis.
The Commission acknowledges the fact that a measure of internal
mismanagement contributed to the many problems experienced by the
Commission, not only during the start-up phase but also throughout the
life of the Commission. The background to the setting up of the
Commission is contained in the chapter entitled “Setting up the
Commission”. A full account of the management and operations of the
Commission is set out in the chapter entitled “Management and
Operational Report”.
8. The
Commission had to tailor its approach and processes to the constraints
it faced. The Commission established two units, namely the Information
Management Unit, which included the functions of investigation and
research, and the Legal and Reconciliation Unit, which was largely
responsible for spearheading the Commission’s reconciliation
activities. The Commission’s activities were divided into three main
phases: statement taking, hearings and report writing. The approach
adopted by the Commission to advance its mandate is set out in the
chapter, “Methodology and Process”.
Themes and Historical Record
9. Early
in its life, the Commission identified certain key themes upon which it
would focus its energies during its research and investigation. These
themes were:
* Historical Antecedents to the Conflict
* Governance
* Military and Political History of the Conflict
* Nature of the Conflict
* Mineral Resources in the Conflict
* External Actors in the Conflict
* Women and the Armed Conflict
* Children and the Armed Conflict
* Youths and the Armed Conflict
* The TRC and the Special Court for Sierra Leone
* National Vision for Sierra Leone
Each theme is reflected as a chapter in this report.
10. The
first objective of the Commission, as established by the Act, was to
create an impartial historical record of violations and abuses of human
rights and international humanitarian law related to the armed conflict
in Sierra Leone. The Parliament of Sierra Leone recognized that such a
record would form the basis for the task of preventing the recurrence
of violence. Several of the themes focused on by the Commission
comprise the historical record of the conflict. The Commission does not
claim to have produced the complete or exhaustive historical record of
the conflict. The Commission is however satisfied that it has provided
an essential version of the armed conflict, which includes an account
of its main events and how it started. At times, this story accords
with popular views of the conflict. At other times, the Commission’s
record of the conflict departs from popular history and debunks certain
myths and untruths about the conflict.
Causes of the Conflict
11.
While there were many factors, both internal and external, that explain
the cause of the civil war, the Commission came to the conclusion that
it was years of bad governance, endemic corruption and the denial of
basic human rights that created the deplorable conditions that made
conflict inevitable. Successive regimes became increasingly impervious
to the wishes and needs of the majority. Instead of implementing
positive and progressive policies, each regime perpetuated the ills and
self-serving machinations left behind by its predecessor. By the start
of the conflict, the nation had been stripped of its dignity.
Institutional collapse reduced the vast majority of people into a state
of deprivation. Government accountability was non-existent. Political
expression and dissent had been crushed. Democracy and the rule of law
were dead. By 1991, Sierra Leone was a deeply divided society and full
of the potential for violence. It required only the slightest spark for
this violence to be ignited. The Commission traced the roots of these
lapses through the post-independence period and into the colonial
period in the chapters entitled “Historical Antecedents to the
Conflict” and “Governance”.
12.
The Commission highlights its finding that many of the causes of
conflict that prompted thousands of young people to join the war have
still not been adequately addressed. The Commission makes
recommendations to strengthen the judiciary and the rule of law, as
well as Parliament and the electoral system. The Commission proposes
the introduction of a new transparent regime in which citizens will
have reasonable access to government information, where senior public
officials disclose their financial interests and where government
informs people down to the community level of what amounts are being
spent on services and amenities.
The Story of the Conflict
13.
The core of the historical record is to be found in the chapter titled
“Military and Political History of the Conflict”. This chapter
endeavours to tell the story of the conflict by charting its key events
and dynamics in the military and political spheres. It begins by
tracing the immediate causes of the conflict and the convergence of
factors that led to the outbreak of hostilities. Thereafter, for the
purposes of analysis, the chapter is divided into three distinct
components, which are referred to by the Commission as “Phases I, II
and III.” Each ‘phase’ assumed a slightly different character, although
the common underpinning was the ongoing commission of violations by all
warring factions. Phase One is titled “Conventional ‘Target’ Warfare”
and covers the period from the outbreak of the conflict until 13th
November 1993. Phase Two is titled “Guerrilla Warfare” and covers the
period from 13 November 1993 until 2 March 1997. Phase Three is titled
“Power Struggles and Peace Efforts” and covers the period from 2 March
1997 until the end of the conflict on 18 January 2002.
14.
The story of the war reveals how Sierra Leoneans were denied their
humanity and underscores the need for the creation of a human rights
culture in Sierra Leone. A rights culture is one in which there is
knowledge and recognition of the basic rights to which all human beings
are entitled as well as a sense of responsibility to build it. A rights
culture demands that we respect each other’s human rights, without
exception. Among its recommendations to protect human rights the
Commission recommends the immediate release of all those held in safe
custody detention and that such detention never be resorted to again.
The Commission also recommends significant changes to the legal regime
governing public emergencies.
Nature of the Conflict
15. The Sierra Leonean poet, Mahomed Sekoya, wrote:
“I saw abomination between man and woman, man and man, woman and woman, adults and children. Yes I saw.”
Sierra Leone saw some of the most
horrific and cruel atrocities committed by people against each other.
In the chapter, “Nature of the Conflict”, the Commission endeavoured to
provide the context in which abuses such as amputations, sexual abuse
and slavery and forced cannibalism took place. This chapter explores
the nature of the violations committed and the essentially
self-destructive character of the conflict.
16.
The overwhelming majority of atrocities were committed by Sierra
Leoneans against Sierra Leoneans. All the fighting factions targeted
civilians. The Commission found the leadership of the Revolutionary
United Front (RUF), the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), the
Sierra Leone Army (SLA) and the Civil Defense Forces (CDF) to be
responsible for either authorising or instigating human rights
violations against civilians; alternatively for failing to stop such
practices or to speak out against them. Sierra Leone was systematically
plundered and looted by all factions in the conflict. The Commission
found the RUF to have been responsible for the largest number of human
rights violations in the conflict. The reader is referred to Chapter
One in Volume 4 (the Appendix) of this report for a detailed
explanation of how the Commission’s database represents the abuses
experienced during the war in Sierra Leone.
Mineral Resources and the Armed Conflict
17.
There is a view commonly held, both within and outside Sierra Leone,
that the Sierra Leone conflict was a war fought over diamonds. This is
only partly true. The Commission found that the civil war in Sierra
Leone was not simply a struggle for mineral resources. There were other
factors that laid the grounds for the war which would have taken place
even without the existence of diamonds in the country. The Commission
concluded that the exploitation of diamonds was not the cause of the
conflict in Sierra Leone; rather it was an element that fuelled the
conflict. The Commission explains in its chapter, “Mineral Resources in
the Conflict”, how diamonds were used by most of the armed factions to
finance and support their war efforts.
External Actors and the Armed Conflict
18.
Although the Sierra Leone war was one primarily fought by Sierra
Leoneans, external parties played influential roles in intensifying the
conflict. In the chapter, “External Actors in the Armed Conflict” the
Commission explores the roles of the National Patriotic Front of
Liberia (NPFL), Charles Taylor and Libya in bringing bloody conflict to
Sierra Leone. The Commission calls on Liberia to make symbolic
reparations to Sierra Leone and calls on Libya to make financial
contributions to the War Victims Fund.
19.
The Commission also considers the different roles of the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the ECOWAS Ceasefire
Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), the United Liberation Movement for Democracy
(ULIMO), mercenary groups such as Executive Outcomes and Sandline, the
United Kingdom, the United Nations and the rest of the international
community. The Commission laments the fact that the international
community, apart from the ECOWAS states, declined to intervene in the
unfolding human catastrophe in Sierra Leone until at a very late stage.
The Commission calls on the international community to stay the course
in helping to rebuild Sierra Leone.
 |
| His Excellency Ahmad Tejan Kabbah; President of Sierra Leone at the inauguration of the Commission on July 5, 2002. |
Women and the Armed Conflict
20.
Women and girls became targets for abuse in the brutal conflict in
Sierra Leone. They suffered abductions and exploitation at the hands of
their abductions. Their vulnerability was exploited in order to
dehumanize them. Women and girls were raped, forced into sexual slavery
and endured acts of sexual violence. Many suffered mutilations, torture
and a host of other cruel and inhumane acts.
21.
The chapter titled, “Women and the Armed Conflict”, sets out the
violations suffered by women and considers the current position of
women in Sierra Leone. The Commission makes specific recommendations to
redress the marginalization of women in the political and social life
of Sierra Leone, including a minimum percentage of women to be
represented in public office and as candidates in national and local
government elections.
Children and the Armed Conflict
22.
The Commission’s enabling Act required it to give special attention to
the experiences of children in the armed conflict. Children were
singled out for some of the most brutal violations of human rights
recorded in any conflict. The Sierra Leonean conflict was characterised
by the pernicious strategy employed by most of the factions in forcing
children into combat. The Commission found it most disturbing that
children were the main victims in the following violations: drugging,
forced recruitment, rape, and sexual assault. The Commission found that
children between the ages of 10 to 14 were specifically targeted for
forced recruitment, rape, and sexual slavery. Children were also
forced, often under the threat of death, to commit a range of
atrocities.
23.
The Commission paid particular attention to identifying and exposing
individuals and factions responsible for the violation and abuse of the
rights of children. The story of children in the Sierra Leone conflict
is told in the chapter entitled “Children and the Armed Conflict”.
Never again should the children of Sierra Leone be subjected to
brutality.
Youths and the Armed Conflict
24. The
last twenty years of Sierra Leone’s history is, in large part, the
story of Sierra Leone’s youths. Youths were the driving force behind
the resistance to one party state rule in the 1980s. As students,
journalists, workers and activists, they exposed injustices and the
bankruptcy of the ruling elite’s ideology. They also bore the brunt of
the state’s repressive backlash. During the conflict, youths formed the
bulk of the fighting forces in all the factions.
25. Many
of the dire conditions that gave rise to the conflict in 1991 remain in
2004. As in the late 1980s, many young adults continue to occupy urban
ghettoes where they languish in a twilight zone of unemployment and
despair. The Commission found that the youth in Sierra Leone were and
continue to be excluded from meaningful participation in the political
process. The Commission recommends the creation of a Youth Commission
and a minimum percentage of youth to be represented as candidates in
national and local government elections. The role of the youth in
Sierra Leone’s civil war is set out in the chapter entitled “Youths and
the Armed Conflict”.
Transitional Justice in Sierra Leone
26.
The Commission worked alongside an international criminal tribunal, the
Special Court for Sierra Leone. Most truth commissions have operated as
an alternative to criminal prosecution. Given the pardon and amnesty
provisions of the Lomé Peace Agreement, the Commission was proposed as
an alternative to criminal justice in order to establish accountability
for the atrocities that had been committed during the conflict. The
Special Court was created after the abandonment of the amnesty
provisions (or certain of them) following breaches of the Lomé Peace
Agreement by elements within the RUF.
27. The
Sierra Leonean case has brought into focus the different roles of truth
and reconciliation commissions and international tribunals and the
potential pitfalls that may arise when they operate simultaneously.
While the relationship between the Commission and the Special Court was
mostly cordial, it did falter following the refusal of the Special
Court to permit the Commission to hold public hearings with the
detainees held in its custody. In the view of the Commission, this
decision of the Special Court did not sufficiently take into account
the respective roles of the two bodies. The relationship between the
two bodies is described in detail in the chapter, “The TRC and the
Special Court”. The Commission makes specific recommendations aimed at
addressing some of the difficulties that it encountered in this
context. These may be of value to future transitional justice
initiatives.
28.
The Commission holds that the right to the truth is inalienable. This
right should be upheld both in national and international law. It is
the exploration of the wider truth through broad-based participation
that permits a nation to examine itself honestly and to take effective
measures to prevent a repetition of the past.
Reconciliation
29.
The Commission recognizes that reconciliation is a long-term process
that must occur at national, community, and individual levels. Being a
process, it will take time and will need to continue even beyond the
present generation. The Commission places no preconditions on the
realisation of reconciliation. Reconciliation is an ongoing process
that must be nurtured and promoted.
30.
Reconciliation is about relationships and how to change them.
Relationships of hatred, anger, frustration, alienation or indifference
need to be changed into relationships of respect, co-operation and
trust. Reconciliation aims at restoring the social fabric within
families, communities and the nation.
31.
The reconciliation process is not finished when people peacefully
co-exist. Reconciliation needs to go further: people need to understand
that the only future they have is a common one and that the only way
forward towards development is by working together. Working together
requires more than tolerance and respect. It requires consultation,
debate and agreement, an understanding of the fact that common
interests can be in conflict with personal interests and that
co-operation requires compromise.
32.
The Commission’s report on its own reconciliation activities and its
guidelines for future action is set out in the chapter
“Reconciliation”. Among the recommendations the Commission proposes to
advance reconciliation is the establishment of a national
reconciliation day to be held every year on 18th January, which is the
day that the war was officially declared to be over in 2002 with the
symbolic destruction of 3000 weapons at Lungi. The Commission offers
guidelines that will facilitate reconciliation. However, it is
ultimately up to all Sierra Leoneans to engage in imaginative acts that
will serve the cause of reconciliation and healing at all levels.
Findings
33.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act enjoined the Commission to
make findings in relation to the causes, nature and extent of
violations and abuses in respect of the armed conflict in Sierra Leone.
In particular, the Commission was mandated to deliberate on the
question of whether such violations and abuses were the result of
deliberate planning, policy or authorisation by any government, group
or individual.
34.
The “Findings” chapter summarises the main findings of the Commission.
The detailed conclusions are to be found in the different chapters of
the report. The main findings are preceded by primary findings. The
primary findings are the central or most important findings made by the
Commission. At the end of each section addressing the role played by a
particular government, faction or group, the names and positions of
persons found to have been its key office-holders are listed. In
circumstances where a finding pertained to the actions of the
government, faction or group in question, those office-holders were by
implication held responsible.
35.
The Commission by necessity devoted its energies to building the
totality of the story of the conflict. Although specific cases were
investigated, these were events that either served to illustrate the
greater story or incidents that in themselves defined the nature and
course of the conflict.
36. The “Findings” chapter sets out the conclusions and findings of the Commission in relation to the following topics and themes:
* Causes of the Conflict
* Nature and Characteristics of the Conflict
* Perpetrator Responsibility
* Military and Political History (includes individual and faction specific-findings)
* External Actors
* The Judiciary, the Rule of Law and the Promotion of Human Rights
* Youth
* Children
* Women
* Mineral Resources
* TRC and the Special Court for Sierra Leone
37.
The Commission commenced its primary findings with the conclusion that
the conflict and the independence period preceding it represented the
most shameful years of Sierra Leone’s history. These periods reflected
an extraordinary failure of leadership on the part of many of those
involved in government, public life and civil society. No enlightened
and visionary leaders emerged to steer the country away from the slide
into chaos and bloody civil war.
Recommendations
38.
The Commission is required to make recommendations concerning reforms
and measures, whether legal, political, administrative or otherwise,
needed to achieve the object of the Commission; namely preventing the
repetition of violations or abuses suffered, addressing impunity,
responding to the needs of victims and promoting healing and
reconciliation.
39.
The proposed measures contained in the Recommendations chapter are
designed to facilitate the building of a new Sierra Leone based on the
values of human dignity, tolerance and respect for the rights of all
persons. In particular, the recommendations are intended to help create
an open and vibrant democracy in which all are treated as equal before
the law.
40.
The legacies of dehumanization, hatred and fear must be confronted on
the basis that there is a need for tolerance, not prejudice; a need for
acknowledgment, not recrimination; a need for reparation, not
retribution; a need for community, not victimisation; a need for
understanding, not suspicion; and a need for reconstruction, not greed.
41.
The Act requires that the Government shall faithfully and timeously
implement the recommendations of the report that are directed to state
bodies and encourage or facilitate the implementation of any
recommendations that may be directed to others. The Government of
Sierra Leone is therefore required to take all reasonable steps within
its means to implement the recommendations. Such steps should be taken
promptly and without unreasonable delay.
42.
The Act further requires that the Government shall,
upon the publication of the report of the Commission, establish a
Follow-up Committee to monitor the implementation of the
recommendations of the Commission and to facilitate their
implementation. The effect of the law is to invite the closest scrutiny
of the Government’s response to the recommendations made by the
Commission, not only by the Follow-up Committee, but also by civil
society.
43.
In the light of the mandatory obligation imposed on the Government, the
Commission has been mindful of its heavy responsibility to make
recommendations that are indeed capable of being implemented. In making
its recommendations the Commission has been slow to enter
the arena of governmental discretion with regard to what government
programmes should be initiated and how they should be implemented. The
Commission opted to focus on recommendations that serve to
establish and safeguard rights, principles and values consistent with
its mandate.
44. In
order to give practical effect to its approach, the
Commission divided its recommendations into three categories, namely
“Imperative”, “Work Towards” and “Seriously Consider”.
“Imperative” recommendations are those which fall strictly within the
faithful and timeous obligations as required by the Act. Such
recommendations tend to be those that establish and uphold rights and
values and ought to be implemented immediately or as soon as possible.
The “Work Towards” recommendations tend to be those that require
in-depth planning and the marshalling of resources in order to ensure
their fulfillment. Government is expected to put in place the building
blocks to make the ultimate fulfillment of the recommendation possible
and to do so within a reasonable time period. In the “Seriously
Consider” category, while the Government is expected to thoroughly
evaluate the recommendation, it is under no obligation to implement the
recommendation.
45.
The Commission provides specific guidelines to the Follow-up Committee
with respect to the monitoring required in the three categories of
recommendations. The Commission, at times, calls on institutions that
do not form part of the Executive or Legislative arm of government,
non-governmental bodies, and members of the international community to
implement certain recommendations. In these circumstances, the
Commission “calls on” the body in question to implement the
recommendation. For ease of reference, the Recommendations chapter ends
with tables in which every recommendation made by the Commission is
reflected under columns representing the different categories of
recommendations.
46.
The recommendations cover the following areas and themes: the
Protection of Human Rights, Establishing the Rule of Law, the Security
Services, Promoting Good Governance, Fighting Corruption, Youth, Women,
Children, External Actors, Mineral Resources, The Commission and the
Special Court, Reparations, Reconciliation, National Vision for Sierra
Leone, Archiving, Dissemination of The Commission’s Report, and the
Follow-Up Committee.
47. The
Commission’s recommendations are based on the findings it reached. The
introduction to the Recommendations chapter highlights the Commission’s
central or core recommendations. These include:
* The call upon leaders at all levels to commit themselves to new principles of committed leadership;
* A call on all
those in the public sector to usher in a new culture of ethics and
service to fight the scourge of corruption which saps the life-force of
Sierra Leone;
* The enshrining of the right to human dignity and the abolition of the death penalty;
* The upholding of the freedom of expression which is the lifeblood of a vibrant democracy;
* The
introduction of a common and equitable citizenship which will promote a
new patriotism and devotion to Sierra Leone;
* Recommendations to strengthen democracy, the rule of law and institutions of accountability;
* New principles
of National Security, which reflect the will of Sierra Leoneans to live
in peace and harmony;
* Recommendations to bring government and service delivery to people throughout Sierra Leone.
Reparations Programme
48.
The Commission’s enabling Act required it to make recommendations
concerning the measures needed to respond to the needs of victims. The
proposed measures are contained in the Reparations Chapter.
49.
The Commission proposes that the Reparations programme be co-ordinated
by the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA). It is envisaged
that NaCSA as the “Implementing Body” entrusted with governing the
Special Fund for War Victims, will ensure the decentralisation of
programmes in conjunction with different Ministries. It is proposed
further that NaCSA be assisted by an Advisory Committee. The Commission
recommends that the proposed National Human Rights Commission perform
the role of the Advisory Committee.
50.
The Commission’s recommended measures deal with the needs of victims in
the following areas: health, pensions, education, skills training and
micro credit, community reparations and symbolic reparations. The
Commission also makes recommendations to redress the wrongs suffered by
those who were politically persecuted while they held public office.
51.
The Commission decided to propose a programme to address and respond to
the specific needs of victims, rather than recommending cash handouts.
With regard to certain categories of victims, such as amputees, war
wounded and victims of sexual violence, the Commission recommends that
they be given free physical (and where necessary, mental) healthcare
for the rest of their lives or to the extent that their injury or
disability demands. The Commission recommends that a monthly pension be
paid to all adult amputees, other war wounded who experienced a 50% or
more reduction in earning capacity as a result of their injury, and
victims of sexual violence. The amounts of such pensions should be
determined by NaCSA.
52.
The Commission recommends that there should be free education until
senior secondary level for specific groups affected by the conflict.
Those eligible should include children who are amputees, other war
wounded, and victims of sexual violence; children who were abducted or
conscripted; orphans of the war; and children of amputees, other war
wounded who experienced a 50% reduction in earning capacity as a result
of their injuries, and victims of sexual violence.
National Vision for Sierra Leone
We will drag ourselves out of this poverty zone
And we’ll care for our own, our Sierra Leone
We will raise up our hearts and our voices as one
53. The
Commission looked to the past in order to tell the story of the civil
war and to make recommendations to prevent a repetition of conflict.
The Commission also looked to the future for the purpose of describing
the kind of future post-conflict society that the recommendations were
designed to achieve. The Commission called on Sierra Leoneans to tell
the Commission what future society they envisaged for their country.
54.
The Commission was overwhelmed by the effort, time and resources that
so many Sierra Leoneans devoted to preparing their contributions. Among
the contributors were adults and children of different backgrounds,
religions and regions, artists and laymen, amputees, ex-combatants and
prisoners. The contributions include written and recorded essays,
slogans, plays and poems; paintings, etchings and drawings; sculptures,
wood carvings, installations and even a sea-worthy boat. The
contributions form part of the national heritage of Sierra Leone.
55.
While most contributors worked separately, a number of common themes
and forms emerged. Although the Commission asked Sierra Leoneans to
speak about the future; the majority of contributions received
addressed the future by making reference to the past. The contributions
speak of struggle and hope. They point to the need for basic respect
and tolerance among all human beings. Some of the contributions set out
prerequisites for a future peaceful and prosperous Sierra Leone, while
others point to the severe problems facing Sierra Leone. They serve as
signposts for the future; signposts that we ignore at our peril.
56.
The National Vision has provided an exciting opportunity for individual
Sierra Leoneans to contribute their ideas and talents to the process of
peace and reconciliation. Through the National Vision, Sierra Leoneans
of all ages and backgrounds may claim their own citizenship space in
the new Sierra Leone and make their contributions to the country’s
cultural and national heritage. Most of all, the contributions show
what Sierra Leone can be. They show the enormous potential that exists
- potential that must be harnessed positively and productively. In the
words of one contributor, Wurie Mamadu Tamba Barrie:
“The
inspiration is let’s sprint, if we can’t sprint, let’s run, if we
can’t run, let’s walk, if we also can’t walk, then let’s
crawl, but in any way possible, let’s keep on moving”.
- END OF INTRODUCTION CHAPTER -
© 2002 - 2007, Sierra Leone Truth & Reconciliation Commission
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