Thursday 28 July 2011

Instilling the culture of Tolerance among Youth in Sierra Leone


Since independence Sierra Leone drifted slowly from a culture of peace to that of violence that culminated into the eleven years senseless civil war. The medium of this culture of violence was politics. Political campaigns slowly increased in violence and degenerated to open armed conflicts where young people assumed a state of free for all warfare during which no one could be held accountable for their actions .Youths and Youth groups were put in the market for hire by the highest bidder. Decent people took the back seat and anarchy reigned unrestrained.

Youth and young people were made to be perpetrators as well as victims because young fought young and killed each other indiscriminately. Hard drugs and propaganda was used to mislead youths and lead them to commit the most atrocious criminal acts imaginable. The same youths were used during the war fueled by lack of social and economic possibilities and adult intolerance. The whole country went up in flames and thanks to God the flames have been put out but coals are still smoldering.

The presence of a propensity to or potential for violence even after the war is seen by the readiness of youth to resort to aggressive reaction for the smallest provocation. This has become even more obvious as the economic hardship continues to hit the nation. With unemployment hitting an all time high and young people being hardest hit by this development, it is only to be expected that they would be prone to violence. Political campaigns as before again appear to be the stage for violence that time is fast approaching.

Sierra Leone is fast approaching another electioneering period – elections will be held in 2012 for President, Members of Parliament, and the Local Councils.

Various political camps are already galvanizing into action – a situation we have seen before.  Each camp becomes so intolerant that very soon the situation would degenerate into all-out State Violence.  There is no consideration or respect for differing political views and this means the better placed camps would want to silence the other camps at all costs.

The Anti-Violence Movement sees the lack of political tolerance as the main problem.  In politics as in other areas of Civil Society, there should be provision for each Citizen to have freedom of expression of opinion without being unduly suppressed.  We can be friends and citizens without having the same political opinion.  We should be able to present our views to others without hurting them or them hurting us.
The issue of violence is yet to be addressed in Sierra Leone. Youths confront each other because of what we call micro-management by  politicians. Killing and robbery is common amongst youths in Sierra Leone.
The involvements of youths into violence is due to the aftermath of the senseless and brutal civil war.
Youths smuggle offensive weapons like knives, broken bottles, pistols, blades etc anywhere they go to threaten the consolidation  of peace in Sierra Leone. You can do smomething. get up and help us to fight the menace. You participation will be embrassed.