Healing From The Wounds And Horrors Of War
Please introduce yourself and give us a brief
background of your work as a feminist activist.
I’m a Liberian feminist
activist. My work entails working with women and demanding for their rights
without apology. I’m a survivor of 14 years of civil war and as a result of
going through the war, I’ve come to my writing from the perspective of being
able to survive hurdles and checkpoints. In life, there will always be
checkpoints such as civil wars and violations of other people’s rights. I use my
poetry to heal from my war wounds. It has taken you 13 years to write this book
of poetry INAPPROPRIATE MEDLEY.
Please tell us what informed your decision to
write it and what you hope to achieve with it?
There weren’t professional
counselors in Liberia in the early 2000s that could provide counseling and
community health mental services to survivors of the war to help them relieve
the horrors of the war. I decided to start putting down my emotions on paper to
help me deal with the painful past. I felt this would help me get over my pain
as I was trying to heal by myself. During the Beijing +25, I was working with
150 African women on a book project. The leader requested that we send samples
of our writing to her for approval. While in the university, I had written about
25 poems which I had saved on my laptop. Some were badly done and some were
impressive. So I sent her the poems and I was amazed by her feedback. She said
that she was moved by the war poems and she advised me to start professional
writing. That kick-started me on this project. My interest in writing a book was
not a book of poetry. I had intended to write a book but I held back because I
felt the information in there was very personal. I’m still working on it and I
plan to launch the book in a year. INAPPROPRIATE MEDLEY has 30 poems and this is
symbolic because when I realized I was going to put the book out, I realized
this is the 30th anniversary of the war. The book has input from other Liberians
who survived the war and I felt this was important so that I could also share
their experience on survival. I did one of the poems with my son during the
lockdown.
With the devastating 14-years armed conflict in Liberia that mostly
affected women and children, did Liberian women play any role in ending the war
in such a patriarchal society?
One of the major things was the realization of
the resilience of Liberian women. We were conditioned to understand that women
belong in the domestic sphere- taking care of the home, children, and doing
farming. Women played a supportive role during the war. They formed a collective
with a key message, “We are tired of the violence, rape and the checkpoints”.
Hundreds of members dressed in white and demanded peace on the streets of
Monrovia until the war had ended. Women played an active role in advocating for
peace, specifically through organizations such as the Liberia Women’s Initiative
(LWI), which was created in 1994. Liberia is a deeply patriarchal society but
perceptions were changing when war came. Both women and men were threatened by
the war and there was a shift in how people thought about women. It became clear
that women were playing a key role in the attainment of peace. Strong public
buy-in, supportive regional and international actors, strong women’s groups,
pre-existing personal networks, and regional women’s networks all contributed to
women’s influence on the talks. Women began getting plugged into peace processes
such as the Maputo protocol and Beijing +25. This meant that we had a global
international back up to guarantee comprehensive rights to women, including the
right to take part in the political processes, to social and political equality
with men, and the right to reproductive health. The election of President Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf in 2005 helped women become more aware of their rights. Liberian
women and girls are well aware of their rights but it is still difficult because
of the patriarchal values around politics and there is still a struggle for
women to realize their rights. We must challenge patriarchy by putting a
targeted focus on empowering women in all spheres.
What was the most difficult
image to paint in words?
The most difficult was realizing that I’m a survivor of
a war that saw 250,000 Liberians killed. I sometimes pinch myself to wake up
from the reality that I survived one of the worst civil wars in history. I think
so much about the war survivors and how they have to put up a smile to appear
normal despite the mental health deterioration they have gone through. I recall
an episode at one of the checkpoints; I was with my family and a lady soldier
stopped me in my tracks and threatened to shoot me. My spirit left my body. It
was the last checkpoint for us to get to the camp after walking for miles. I
couldn’t understand how I survived all the checkpoints to come and die here? I
was saved by a young man who bravely approached the soldier, kissed me and urged
the soldier not to shoot me. “She is very beautiful. Don’t shoot her. She is
going to be someone’s wife in the future.” he said. That was my grace moment. We
must tell stories to let it go. Unfortunately, today, the ones who financed the
war are our politicians. They are the ones that make laws for us.
Your many efforts in fighting for equal rights for women are well documented,
especially in your contribution to feminist forums as well as through
publications such as Beyond Mass Action: A Study of Collective Organizing among
Liberian Women Using Feminist Movement Perspectives. Do you think the African
continent has made strides towards increasing the representation of women in
leadership roles and if not, what needs to be done?
The right to participate in
any political, social and economic activity is inherent. It is not a favor
you’re giving women. Women bear the brunt and horrors of war, and this calls for
women’s full participation in conflict prevention, resolution, and
peace-building. To tackle the marginalization of women in public spheres we must
decolonize the false narrative that the place of the woman is in the kitchen.
This must be dismantled. We must put women in charge and empower them through
entrepreneurial opportunities and educate them about their rights. The country
is recovering after back to back civil wars and West Africa’s 2014-2016 Ebola
crises. Liberia also held a referendum recently.
What is your take on what this
means for Liberia?
Liberia is in a dire state because of the conflict foundation
and corruption. War has had a negative impact and has affected our ability to
mobilize and put our country on the global map. There is still a lot that needs
to be done but we are a resilient people. We will rise. Different organizations
continue to run gender and peace campaigns that seek to bring the voice of women
at the table during major decision-making processes in peace-building. How
successful have they been, and how can your upcoming book help in addressing
conflict and women? The inclusion of women and gender issues is an essential
component in the process of negotiating and implementing peace. I applaud
organizations that have gone out of their way to push the women’s agenda in
peace-building. Gender Is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) has done a great job
centering women in peace processes and this allows member states to join the
campaigns put up by the African Union. Women bear the greatest effects during
war and they must be on the frontline in making change. We must tackle and
dismantle patriarchal structures. We must not only make women count but also
include them in all decision making processes.
When are you launching your book
and where can people pre-book?
I’m launching my book on 19th December 2020 at
The Library restaurant, Sarit center in Nairobi. My book will also be available
at the Textbook center in Nairobi and on Amazon. I plan to bring people together
to have a discussion and remember the 250,000 people who died. I also plan on
urging Liberians back home to mark the checkpoints and put something on them in
memory of the war.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mukami_Mungai
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/kamiliah.mungai
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