Liberia: Boakai to Honor Victims of War and Epidemics in National Healing Ceremony
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai will this weekend lead the country in yet another powerful national healing event, this time honoring the thousands of Liberians who lost their lives during the civil war, the Ebola epidemic, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The upcoming ceremony, scheduled for Saturday, July 5 at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Congo Town, is the latest installment in the Boakai Administration’s expanding campaign of remembrance and reconciliation. It follows the State Funeral and reburial of former President Samuel Kanyon Doe in Zwedru on June 28, and the reburial of former President William R. Tolbert, Jr. in Monrovia on July 1 — two historic events that have reignited national conversations about unity, justice, and healing.
Unlike the previous events, which focused on the symbolic return and dignified burial of Liberia’s former heads of state who perished during political upheaval, the July 5 program casts a wider net. It aims to honor not just prominent figures, but the thousands of ordinary Liberians — many of them unnamed — who suffered and died during the country’s most painful chapters.
“Many of our people still live with the scars of these tragedies — some physical, many emotional, and others buried in unmarked graves,” said Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah, Minister of Education and Chairperson of the National Reburial and Reconciliation Committee. “This program is intended to provide a space for collective reflection, mourning, and healing, and to renew our shared commitment to peace and reconciliation.”
The event will draw together all three branches of government, the diplomatic corps, religious and traditional leaders, civil society actors, youth and women’s groups, and international partners. Organizers say it will be a moment for both solemn remembrance and hopeful recommitment to the country’s future.
A keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Antoine Rutayisire, a Rwandan theologian and reconciliation leader who played a pivotal role in Rwanda’s post-genocide healing. Dr. Rutayisire currently leads the Rwandan team of African Enterprise, a Christian organization dedicated to national reconciliation and community rebuilding.
His message, organizers say, will focus on healing the wounds of the past, promoting national unity, and building resilience for the future. His presence is also expected to draw parallels between Rwanda’s post-conflict journey and Liberia’s own efforts to recover from decades of war, trauma, and disease.
President Boakai, who has made reconciliation a cornerstone of his presidency, has repeatedly emphasized that healing is not only a moral imperative but also a prerequisite for sustainable peace and development.
“This is about honoring our dead by finally facing our past,” a senior administration official said. “We are determined to move forward, but we must do so with honesty, empathy, and a willingness to acknowledge the suffering endured by so many Liberians.”
The government is inviting the general public to attend the event under the theme: “Healing Our Past, Building Our Tomorrow, Together.”
As Liberia continues to reckon with its legacy of violence and hardship, Saturday’s ceremony represents another deliberate step toward national renewal — and toward a future that refuses to forget.
By Liberian Observer.
