Liberia's Women Veterans: War, Roles and Reintegration

The Liberian civil wars of the 1990s and 2000s became notorious for their atrocities, and for the widespread use of child soldiers by both sides. Young girls accounted for up to 40 per cent of these combatants, but their unique perspective and experiences have largely been excluded from accounts of the conflict.

In Liberia’s Women Veterans, Leena Vastapuu uses an innovative auto-photographic methodology to tell the story of two of Africa’s most brutal civil wars through the eyes of 133 former female child soldiers. Incorporating their testimonies alongside a series of vivid illustrations, the book provides an in-depth account of these women’s experiences of trauma, stigma, and the challenges of reintegration into postwar society, as well as their hopes and aspirations for the future. Vastapuu argues that these women, too often been perceived merely as passive victims of the conflict, can in fact play an important role in postwar reconciliation and peace building. In the process, the work overturns gendered perceptions of warfare and militarism, and provides a unique take on post-conflict societies.