COMING UP IN THIS EPISODE.

WE SPEAK WITH THE NEW HEAD OF LIBERIA’S WAR AND ECONOMIC CRIMES COURT DR JALLAH BARBU.

VICTIMS DEMAND TOUGH PUNISHMENT AS FORMER LURD REBEL COMMANDER “K1 GOES ON TRIAL IN THE US

GOVERNMENT CELEBRATES AS CARBON TRADING WINS APPROVAL AT THE UN COP 20 CLIMATE SUMMIT. BUT FOREST COMMUNITIES SAY THEY’RE BEING LEFT OUT.

AND…..THE RAINS SUBSIDE AFTER THE WORST RAINY SEASON FLOODING IN MEMORY. BUT EXPERTS WARN WORSE IS TO COME AND LIBERIA IS NOT READY.

WELCOME TO OUR PROGRAM LOOKING AT THE STATE OF LIBERIAN DEMOCRACY. IT’S A COLLABORATION WITH FRONTPAGE AFRICA WITH REPORTING FROM JOURNALISTS IN THE NEW NARRATIVES PROGRAM. I’M ANTHONY STEPHENS.

AND I’M EVELYN KPADEH SEAGBEH.

Funding for this podcast comes from the Swedish embassy in Liberia and the American Jewish World Service. See more of our collaborations with media in West Africa at www.newnarratives.org

Welcome to this special edition of Democracy in Focus, a collaboration between New Narratives and Front Page Africa. I’m Anthony Stephens.

In this exclusive interview, I speak with Jallah Barbu, newly appointed executive director of the Office of War and Economic Crimes Courts. Dr. Barbu will lead Liberia’s long overdue effort to hold those who upended the country and left 250,000 dead, accountable at last. Just a month into the job Dr. Barbu has already faced a host of challenges, chief among them, a lack of funds.

But he says he is honored to have the role and understands the weight of expectation he carries for the millions of Liberians still suffering the aftermath of the war.

Funding for this podcast comes from the Swedish embassy in Liberia and the American Jewish World Service. See more of our collaborations with media in West Africa at www.newnarratives.org

In this interview, Anthony Stephens speaks with Seidu Swaray, a leading mental health counsellor and executive director of the Liberia Association of Psychosocial Services. Swaray’s group provides psychosocial services to Liberians, including victims of the civil wars. He describes the profound mental health challenges facing the country after the civil wars and advises people how to deal with trauma that the upcoming court may trigger.

Funding for this podcast comes from the Swedish embassy in Liberia and the American Jewish World Service. See more of our collaborations with media in West Africa at www.newnarratives.org

Welcome to this special edition of Democracy in Focus, a collaboration between New Narratives and Front Page Africa. I’m Anthony Stephens.

As plans for Liberia’s war and economic crimes courts get underway, we’re running a series of special interviews with Liberian and international experts and stakeholders about how the courts could work.

In this interview, I speak with Peterson Sonyah, head of Liberia’s largest victims and survivors’ organization, Liberia Massacre Survivors and Association. Peterson is a survivor himself having narrowly escaped his own death at the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in 1990 in one of the bloodiest massacres of Liberia’s civil wars. While he escaped witnessed the murder of his father and six other members of his family by troops with the Armed Forces of Liberia.

Funding for this podcast comes from the Swedish embassy in Liberia and the American Jewish World Service. See more of our collaborations with media in West Africa at www.newnarratives.org

In this episode:
The dreams of young rural Liberians die early because of a lack of high schools.

Half of all stroke and heart disease deaths in Liberia are caused by air pollution. Liberia’s environmental protection agency takes its first steps to clean up our air.

Liberia's mpox cases rise as the government confirms the deadly strain that has killed one thousand people in the DRC has not arrived.

Welcome to our program looking at the state of Liberian democracy. It’s a collaboration with frontpage Africa with reporting from journalists in the new narratives program.

Funding for this podcast comes from the Swedish embassy in Liberia and the American Jewish World Service. See more of our collaborations with media in West Africa at www.newnarratives.org

Coming up in this episode ..

As plans for Liberia’s war and economic crimes courts’ get underway, we speak to experts on the major issues court designers will have to consider.

Who will be tried? How much international involvement is needed? And what are the security challenges? One thing is already clear - funding will be limited. And some worry the courts are already losing momentum.

And… as mpox is declared a global health emergency, is Liberia ready?

Welcome to our program looking at the state of Liberian democracy. It’s a collaboration with Front Page Africa with reporting from journalists in the New Narratives program.

Funding for this podcast comes from the Swedish embassy in Liberia and the American Jewish World Service. See more of our collaborations with media in West Africa at www.newnarratives.org

Coming up in this episode ..

As plans for Liberia’s war and economic crimes courts’ get underway, we speak to experts on the major issues court designers will have to consider.

Who will be tried? How much international involvement is needed? And what are the security challenges? One thing is already clear - funding will be limited. And some worry the courts are already losing momentum.

And… as mpox is declared a global health emergency, is Liberia ready?

Welcome to our program looking at the state of Liberian democracy. It’s a collaboration with Front Page Africa with reporting from journalists in the New Narratives program.

Funding for this podcast comes from the Swedish embassy in Liberia and the American Jewish World Service. See more of our collaborations with media in West Africa at www.newnarratives.org

Thanks to host: Korpo Kollie of Radio Kintoma in Lofa County

Coming up in this episode …

New data shows nearly 370,000 Liberian children are living on the streets. Many live a hellish existence of sex work and drugs.

Access to toilets is still a big problem for rural Liberians. Leading to sickness and death of thousands of citizens.

The Boakai administration charges five former government officials after independent audits found they had engaged corruption. Political payback? Or is it finally the end of impunity for corrupt officials?

And Liberia’s religious leaders join a continent-wide movement to call on Africans to address the climate crisis

You’re listing to Democracy in Focus

Funding for this podcast comes from the Swedish embassy in Liberia and the American Jewish World Service. See more of our collaborations with media in West Africa at www.newnarratives.org