By Grace Q. Bryant
A workshop under the auspices of the Global Initiative For Justice, Truth & Reconciliation through the Lutheran Church Massacre Survivors Association (LUMASA) and runs from September3-5, 2024 is aimed at advancing memorialization and advocacy has kicked off In Liberia.
The Association focuses on community-led initiatives to ensure that memorials genuinely resonate with those they are meant to represent.
Giving the overview of the workshop, the Program Management of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, Devon Gulbrandsen said, “We think of memorialization, we imagine physical structures like statues or plaques.”
She emphasized that the workshop seeks to change the dynamics by fostering a consultative process to better understand community needs and how memorialization can address them.
“Memorialization is not something that ends once a memorial is erected” adding, “It’s about what happens afterward—how these spaces can be used to advocate for survivors and address unmet needs identified by communities and the Government of Liberia.”
The workshop also highlights the importance of advocacy campaigns tied to these memorials. Such campaigns could focus on various community needs, including justice for survivors and broader societal reconciliation.
This holistic approach ensures that memorialization is not static but a catalyst for ongoing dialogue and action on social justice issues.
According to Gulbrandsen, participants will engage in storytelling, sharing their experiences, and learning from similar initiatives worldwide.
The aim is to inspire new, locally-driven projects that will carry forward the momentum of this workshop.
“We want to create projects that are not just for communities but with them. The goal is to have a list of topics and themes by the end of this workshop that participants feel will resonate with their communities. This will serve as a starting point for strategic planning in the coming months,” Madam Gulbrandsen disclosed.
She added that the workshop will cover various aspects, such as how to create and sustain advocacy campaigns related to memorialization and justice issues noting, “Participants will also learn about the importance of forensic investigations in uncovering truths about Liberia’s past conflicts and how to build consensus within communities to support such endeavors.”
She furthered that the workshop is set to run for three days, with various sessions to be facilitated by experts in memorialization, advocacy, and justice.
A survivor of the 1990 Lutheran Church Massacre, Mercy W. Sangah, expressed gratitude for their participation in such a groundbreaking training on memorialization.
According to her, the initiative which is the first of its kind for the survivors, has provided a room to teach them the skills and knowledge needed to commemorate the tragedy that took the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians.
“We want to be grateful to God for granting us, survivors of the Lutheran Massacre this opportunity. Our expectation is to learn everything that will be required about memorialization. This training is the first of its kind, and we are happy because we have long been waiting for this kind of workshop,” she expressed.
She added, “We haven’t had people coming to our aid to bring such training. People have come to hear our stories, but then we do not see them again. Having these guests come to teach us about memorialization is different.”
The training focuses on various aspects of memorialization, including how to document and preserve the memories of those who perished, the creation of physical memorials, and the role of public education in ensuring the massacre is never forgotten. The workshop also provides a space for survivors to share their stories, thereby fostering a sense of community and collective healing.
“After learning everything about the memorialization process, we want to implement what we have learned. It will have a profound impact on the lives of our people and serve as a record for others to see,” Madam Sangah stated.
