The mask of anarchy : the destruction of Liberia and the religious dimension of an African civil war

An essential explanation to the 1990 civil upheaval in Liberia that rippled through West Africa For the last decade Liberia has been one of Africa's most violent trouble spots. In 1990, when thousands of teenage fighters, including young men wearing women's clothing and bizarre objects of decoration, laid siege to the capital, the world took notice. Since then Liberia has been through devastating civil upheaval and the most feared warlord, Charles Taylor, is now president. What began as a civil conflict, has spread to other West African nations. Western correspondents saw in the Liberian war a primeval, savage Africa-a "heart of darkness." They focused on sensational "primitive" aspects of the conflict, such as the prevalence of traditional healers and soothsayers, and shocked the international community with tales of cannibalism, especially the eating of the body parts of defeated opponents, which was widespread.Eschewing popular stereotypes and simple explanations, Stephen Ellis traces the history of the civil war that has blighted Liberia in recent years and looks at its political, ethnic and cultural roots. He focuses on the role religion and ritual have played in shaping and intensifying this brutal war. Liberia has been one of Africa's most violent trouble spots. During the 1990's thousands of teenage fighters laid siege to the capital and the world took notice. Since then Liberia has been through devastating civil upheaval. What began as a civil conflict has spread to other West African nations as well. Stephen Ellis traces the history of the civil war that has blighted Liberia in recent years and looks at the political, ethnic and cultural roots of a conflict that led to the 1997-2003 presidency of Charles Taylor - now indicted as a war criminal. He focuses on the role religion and rituals have played in shaping and intensifying this brutal, war. In this edition, with a new Preface by the author, Ellis provides a current picture of Liberia and describes how many of the same problems still exist, providing a challenge that international policymakers will ignore at their peril.

About the Author:
Stephen Ellis is a senior researcher at the African Studies Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands

"The Liberian civil war generated some of the most frightening news images of the recent past: camera crews and photographers recorded striking pictures of teenage boys, high on drugs, firing machine guns while dressed in masks or women's clothes. Men of the infamous "Butt Naked Brigade" fought street battles without the benefit of clothing. There were so many cases of gunmen eating their victims' hearts and other body parts that the Catholic Church had to issue a formal denunciation of the practice."--BOOK JACKET. "The Mask of Anarchy tells the story of the war, and explains why it unfolded in such dramatic fashion. The keys to understanding the fighters' behavior are to be found among the religious and cultural repertoires that once formed the core of rural Liberian life but which became deformed and abused in over a century of foreign settlement."--BOOK JACKET.