The BBC does seem to come up with some incredible documentaries from time to time, often involving very brave war journalists who venture beyond the cushy hotels to get a true understanding of the conflict. And they manage to capture some gripping moments. They did it in Iraq a number of years ago when a journalist was saved from a mob lynching by Iraqi resistance fighters, whom he later interviewed. In this docu, we see even more such 'moments', for example when dead children are buried in a mass grave and when rebel troops march on the capital Monrovia. All this while the articulate, charismatic strongman Charles Taylor comments on the unfolding drama from his Presidential compound.
Taylor has indeed been involved in all the various regional wars, be they fuelled by diamonds, oil, or just tribalistic power grabs. He has plenty of blood on his hands and has justifiably been indicted for war crimes by the ICC in the Hague. In fact, he has been involved in criminal activity ever since he was a student in the US. His murky links to American right wing evangelists also seems strange in the context of Bush and his cohorts firstly calling for him to leave Liberia and then offering $2m for his arrest and extradition from Nigeria. I say strange because these same evangelists are closely linked to the Bush administration itself.
This documentary does rightly criticize the US on occasion. The question that went through my mind is why do the Americans seem to go into countries that do not want them (e.g. Iraq and Somalia) yet in the very few countries that clearly do (e.g. Liberia) they stay as far away as possible? Most Liberians wanted to see US troops on the streets because they see the states as a sort of 'bigger brother' figure (the US did establish the country in the first place after all). However, the US chose to stay out, despite having 3000 Marines briefly stationed offshore. The documentary makes the point that perhaps they were fearful of another 'black hawk down' scenario as US troops get bogged down in the midst of urban warfare in Monrovia. At one point we are shown a clip of US troops in Monrovia's streets but they're merely there for a few minutes to ensure beer gets delivered to the embassy!! On the whole though, the makers are simply detailing the horrors being inflicted on the innocent people without pointing fingers. Liberia still faces an uncertain future despite a new govt taking power and UN troops providing a semblance of security.
On the whole, a very detailed, tragic and often terrifying portrait of Liberia's civil war, done to a subtle backdrop of melancholic African hip-hop critical of the fighting and longing for some kind of peace. We often get the impression from observers in the documentary that there is little hope of such a positive outcome. One senses that instability and war still remain a constant menace as the country moves on.
Taylor has indeed been involved in all the various regional wars, be they fuelled by diamonds, oil, or just tribalistic power grabs. He has plenty of blood on his hands and has justifiably been indicted for war crimes by the ICC in the Hague. In fact, he has been involved in criminal activity ever since he was a student in the US. His murky links to American right wing evangelists also seems strange in the context of Bush and his cohorts firstly calling for him to leave Liberia and then offering $2m for his arrest and extradition from Nigeria. I say strange because these same evangelists are closely linked to the Bush administration itself.
This documentary does rightly criticize the US on occasion. The question that went through my mind is why do the Americans seem to go into countries that do not want them (e.g. Iraq and Somalia) yet in the very few countries that clearly do (e.g. Liberia) they stay as far away as possible? Most Liberians wanted to see US troops on the streets because they see the states as a sort of 'bigger brother' figure (the US did establish the country in the first place after all). However, the US chose to stay out, despite having 3000 Marines briefly stationed offshore. The documentary makes the point that perhaps they were fearful of another 'black hawk down' scenario as US troops get bogged down in the midst of urban warfare in Monrovia. At one point we are shown a clip of US troops in Monrovia's streets but they're merely there for a few minutes to ensure beer gets delivered to the embassy!! On the whole though, the makers are simply detailing the horrors being inflicted on the innocent people without pointing fingers. Liberia still faces an uncertain future despite a new govt taking power and UN troops providing a semblance of security.
On the whole, a very detailed, tragic and often terrifying portrait of Liberia's civil war, done to a subtle backdrop of melancholic African hip-hop critical of the fighting and longing for some kind of peace. We often get the impression from observers in the documentary that there is little hope of such a positive outcome. One senses that instability and war still remain a constant menace as the country moves on.