Tribalism in Liberia, Greed in Sierra Leone: Diagnoses of conflict drivers from the diaspora in Australia

Abstract

Liberia and Sierra Leone continue to grapple with the menacing impacts of their brutal civil wars (1989-2003). The goal of this study was to ascertain the perceptions of Liberian and Sierra Leonean diaspora communities in Australia with reference to the relationship between tribalism and conflict. Thematic content and narrative analysis techniques were used to identify and categorise patterns of responses across interviews. The major argument is that while Liberians and Sierra Leoneans differ in attributing the causes of their civil wars - with Liberians pointing to tribalism (80%) and Sierra Leoneans to greed of state actors (76%) - both communities converge on the crucial role of education in promoting patriotism and national identity. The study's findings reveal that refocusing educational systems on inculcating patriotism is essential for peace and development in both countries. The study concludes that curriculum reform, teacher training, and leadership orientation are potential solutions to foster patriotism and reduce identity conflict, and recommends that these measures be treated as a peace-and-development imperative.