Civilization, Violence and Heritage Healing in Liberia

Abstract

The restoration of public spaces and monuments in post-conflict situations is often associated with negotiation of trauma and reconciliation. The focus of this article is on the restoration of the national museum as a focus for the restoration of pre-civil war order in Liberia. By concentrating on the restoration of commemorative and public ceremonial spaces `as they were', `forgetting' allows the re-emergence of a visual culture that sustains the continuity of an idea of `civilization'.