Dance 0f The Fathers

The Liberian Civil War was a watershed moment in West African history. For a long time after 1960, West Africa was a sub-region prone to coups, while East Africa was a sub-region known for civil and guerrilla wars. However, the narrative changed in late 1989 when Charles Taylor and a group of marauding rebels invaded Liberia from the Ivory Coast to overthrow the despotic regime of President Samuel K. Doe. As Elizabeth Blunt, the famous former BBC West Africa correspondent, recalled, the Liberian civil war was sad and brutal. It was a tragic story of mostly men and young boys with guns unleashing barbarity on their compatriots. But even amid such brutality in Liberia, there were still moments of fun and hilarity. Unfortunately, very few stories are written about what life was like behind rebel lines in the 1990s in Liberia; the stories are predominantly based on firsthand accounts of things that happened to ordinary people during traumatic times. I consider myself a troubadour and a storyteller. My job is to ensure that the difficulties ordinary people experience are never forgotten. Future generations must constantly be reminded of those dark days, never to repeat them. That is why I wrote these collections of stories, which I hope you will enjoy.