By Nafisatu Olayinka Deen

Freetown, 1st December 2025- Memorialization is a form of symbolic reparation that honours the memory of those lost in a post conflict society and it acts as a reminder of the past.  After the end of the Civil War in Sierra Leone, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission acknowledged the need for symbolic reparations and recommended the holding of commemoration ceremonies, symbolic reburials of those lives lost in the war by traditional and religious leaders, citing that symbolic reparations provide public acknowledgement.

“Symbolic reparations provide continued public acknowledgment of the past and address the need on the part of victims for remembrance. The Commission recommends the holding of commemoration ceremonies, symbolic reburials for victims of war by traditional and religious leaders. The Commission encourages these forms of expression and solidarity.” Volume 2, Chapter 3, p.195, section 499. 

After the civil war, the Congo cross bridge was proclaimed the “Peace Bridge” because of the firing exchange that took place between the ECOMOG soldiers and rebels. The bridge was also a landmark where atrocities were committed. In an interview with Truth Media, Kumba Mongoh, an elderly woman residing by the bridge said that during the civil war a lot of people were killed on that bridge. “People were burnt alive, mutilated and amputated on that bridge. I still recall the horror” she said sadly. “But a great battle was fought at that bridge; that was where our freedom was won” she noted.

 

In the present day, the bridge is used by many Sierras Leoneans but ⁠only a few know the symbolism of the Bridge.

The executive director of the Patriotic Advocacy Network, Paul Koroma, believes that the Peace Bridge, the Peace Museum and other memorial sites are national monuments that act as a reminder of the past and serve as a guide for the future.

“I believe these national monuments stand as a reminder of what we’ve come through as a nation but most importantly as guiding lights on how we should not repeat the mistakes of the past for the war monuments and what we ought to be as loyal and patriotic citizens of our nation for the greater good” he noted.

Patrick Tucker, former tour guide at the peace museum and garden said that few Sierra Leoneans visit the peace museum and that is because most of them do not even know it exists.

“Only few Sierra Leoneans visit the peace museum and the peace garden, it is really sad because this place tells the story of our brutal past and how we must never resort to conflict again. Many people don’t know about the atrocities committed in the war and visiting this place will change how one views conflict” he passionately said.

The chairman of the Monument and Relics Commission, Joseph Kaifala says that he recently took office and the commission has not done much on symbolic reparations because they are challenged with limited resources, but will try to use the limited resources to amplify memorial sites and other war monuments.

“When the civil war ended, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission set up to document the historical wrongs and antecedents of the conflict recommended the monument and relics commission being in charge of symbolic reparations- it entails things like the peace bridge, peace museum, etc. I’ve only recently taken over this office and we are still working on the modalities of actually claiming that responsibility .one of the primary challenges we face is limited resources and therefore we are currently not able to do many of the things that I believe we should be doing” he said.

He also mentioned that the commission has been protecting mass graves left by the civil war, helping the Residual Special Court maintain the peace museum and will soon place a marker on the Peace Bridge.  “As principal of the centre for memory and reparations, our work has entailed facilitating remembrance and collecting narratives around the civil. In this regard we have been protecting primarily mass graves left by the civil war and assisting the residual special court for Sierra Leone in their work of maintaining the peace museum. We have not done a lot recently in terms of official recognition of the peace bridge. Older Sierra Leoneans were around when that bridge was proclaimed as the peace bridge and have enormous respect for it. In the near future the commission is going to put some efforts into positioning a better marker on the Peace Bridge so people can see and read what it is and why it is what it is” he said.

Joseph Kaifala said that he is interested in this work and his life is devoted to the TRC and all other transitional justice mechanisms that came after the war; that is why he is currently pushing for a Remembrance Day in Sierra Leone.  “I am presently pushing the government to proclaim a national Remembrance Day as recommended by the TRC.  This is work I am personally interested in because I believe we will not succeed in solidifying the peace that we desire in the country if we do not deal effectively with the past” he said.

 

‘This story is brought to you with support from the Africa Transitional Justice Legacy Fund (ATJLF) through the Media Reform Coordinating Group (MRCG), under the project ‘Engaging Media and Communities to Change the Narrative on Transitional Justice Issues in Sierra Leone.’