Subject: Who will write the history?: Let the people tell their own story

Ibrahim:

I think you made several beautiful points about this question and in the final analysis, you are right. Let those who want to write the history write the history. I have long time held the belief that history is written in the eye of the writer. I don't think a consensus is needed or to set up a group of people to write the history. Let the history be written and let the reader assess it from his/her own perspective. Why would I trust some guy from Jerrico to narrate the atrocities in my chiefdom to my grandchildren and to justify what happened in Soro-Gbema in the 1990s when he cannot even understand Vai or Mende. I do not think another Basil Davidson (?) is needed today. We can all to do it in our respective ways. People who think they need to verify can look it up to the national archives and get zillions of different interpretations.

On second thought perhaps, Gary's question may have been over-extended. I begin to feel that Gary probably wanted a process that would record the proceedings on the net not necessarily the war per se. If that is the case, then I find understanding and simple enough for us since in my judgment, it is a matter of cataloging the discussions on Leonenet without trying to translate or interpret.

That to me would also be a great contribution to the history of the war in SL from Leonenet's perspective. I see this as a viable project to which I can readily volunteer..

With all the conflicting and misleading reports from the leading international news agencies and governments (such as the US State dept. write ups on SL in the last few years), we still want to entrust the history of the war to group of people..? Remember, most of these renowned historians and specialists on Africa get their cues from these reports and so also maybe most of us on the net. Here is what appears quite simple .. how many netters know how, where the war started..? Who is behind the war..? Who was/were the first real victims of the war..? What was the initial government response..? The challenge is that most netters are going back to look at initial news reports which are again, mostly inaccurate.

Saffa Kemokai @ Browns Mills, NJ