UNMIL Archives | Accountability Lab

They came for the music and left with the message

By: Heather Gilberds On Saturday, September 10th, Accountability Lab Liberia’s work attracted hundreds of young people to a town hall in Kakata, the capital city of Margibi county, where they gathered to listen to the latest songs from their favorite Hip Co artists. Hip Co music is uniquely Liberian—a form of hip hop that emerged in the 1980's but gained popularity among youth in post-war Liberia. Hip Co artists rap in “Colloqua”, the colloquial form of Liberian English, and the songs have a political bent, describing social ills, lamenting the causes of poverty, or calling out corrupt politicians and public [...]

As U.N. Winds Down Liberia Mission, Security Situation Remains Fragile

Photo: Peacekeepers of the U.N. Mission in Liberia’s Ghanaian battalion participate in a medal parade, Buchanan, Liberia, Nov. 16, 2012 (U.N. photo by Staton Winter). This article was originally published by World Politics Review. Earlier this month, the United Nations Mission in Liberia, or UNMIL, ended its security mandate and handed over security responsibilities to the Liberian government. In an email interview, Brooks Marmon, a program officer with Accountability Lab in Monrovia, Liberia, discusses the security situation in Liberia. WPR: How stable is the security situation in Liberia, and what are the current threats to stability? Brooks Marmon: [...]