Youth–Traditional Authorities’ Relations in Post-War Sierra Leone

Abstract

This chapter examines the power relations between traditional authorities and youths in the context of liberal peacebuilding in the post-war Sierra Leone. Youths have drawn on certain tenets of the liberal peace including human rights and good governance to create spaces for exercising ‘resisting power’ and negotiating with chiefdom authorities. This has not been very effective since traditional authorities receive support from state elites and possess material and coercive power, which they have used to control the youth. The chapter argues that it is crucial for critical peace research to move beyond examining power relations between international actors and local actors to also examine power and power relations between various local groups as this also has an influence on the nature of peace being established in a post-war situation.