Liberia: Remembering the Future

LiberiaRTF Podcast
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Liberia: Remembering the Future is a podcast on memory, history, and possibility. Co-hosts Aaron Weah and Gerry Naughton explore how Liberia’s past shapes its present – from history, culture and politics to war, peace, and everyday life. liberiartf.substack.com

  1. 24 Jun

    Trust Me, I Played with Papa Wemba

    In April 1996, sixteen-year-old Aaron Weah was caught in the fighting that engulfed Monrovia. With no more than a guitar and a photo album, he joined friends Peter Cole and Jonathan Vawah on a journey into exile. What followed was a story of hunger, prison cells, military checkpoints, unstable soldiers, refugee life and unexpected kindness. Along the way, music kept opening doors when things looked to be at their worst. In this episode, Aaron recalls: * Being caught in the crossfire that erupted on 6 April 1996. * Saving a guitar and leaving everything else behind. * Surviving on mangoes in Gbarnga. * Being arrested and accused of being a child soldier. * Escaping military checkpoints on the road to Côte d’Ivoire. * How photographs with Papa Wemba won the trust of a taxi driver when they had nothing else. * Life as refugee musicians in Côte d’Ivoire. * Secret work in a UNHCR swamp farming project. * The joyful reunion with John Dayen in exile. * Returning to Liberia in 1997 believing the war was finally over. Featuring stories of Peter Cole, Jonathan Vawah, Franklin Siakor and the musicians of Bosco Beat. Liberia: Remembering the Future is a podcast hosted by Dr Aaron Weah and Ged Naughton. Aaron Weah is a Liberian academic and Executive Director of the Ducor Institute for Social and Economic Research. Ged Naughton is a writer, journalist and former communications adviser who lived and worked in Liberia. Together they explore Liberia’s history through memory, conversation and personal experience. 🎧 Available on Substack, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 💬 Comments and memories are always welcome. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit liberiartf.substack.com/subscribe

    31 min

  2. 3 Jun

    Music Goes To War

    In 1996, Liberia was searching for peace. The politicians had their answer: a power-sharing government that brought rival warlords into a six-man Council of State. The musicians had a different idea. At the Don Bosco Youth Centre in Monrovia, a group of teenagers including this podcast's very own Aaron Weah were learning guitar, writing songs and joining forces with some of Africa's biggest stars. Through the International Committee of the Red Cross's Music Goes to War project, they found themselves sharing a stage with Youssou N'Dour, Papa Wemba and Lagbaja, riffing on a simple message: Drop your guns and go to school. In the midst of the chaos, a different future seemed possible. There was even talk of travelling to a music festival in Cameroon. Then came April 6, 1996. As Liberia's fragile peace process collapsed once again and Monrovia descended into violence, the dreams of a generation collided with the realities of war. This episode tells the story of two competing visions of peace – one negotiated by warlords, the other sung by teenagers. Featuring archive audio from the International Committee of the Red Cross's Music Goes to War project and Liberian singer-songwriter, Peter Cole. Liberia: Remembering the Future is presented by Gerry Naughton and Aaron Weah. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit liberiartf.substack.com/subscribe

    28 min

  3. 29 Apr

    Episode 10 - Aaron's War

    Monrovia, early 1990s. Aaron recalls his early teens. Home, school, and the compound on 8th Street, where there was food and somewhere to sleep. His father is unwell. Money is tight. He cleans classrooms to stay in school. There is music. There are friends. Arguments, laughter, the usual awkwardness of being that age. Some nights there is shooting nearby. Other nights there isn’t. At one point, he shares a room with another boy – the same age – who has his own story to tell. At the time, it doesn’t feel like anything unusual. Years later, he comes back to these memories and begins to ask what they meant. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit liberiartf.substack.com/subscribe

    41 min

  4. 22 Apr

    Episode 9 – Charles Taylor Finds His Voice

    Episode 2: Charles Taylor Finds His Voice In this episode, Gerry Naughton and Aaron Weah explore how Charles Taylor emerged not just as a rebel leader, but as a powerful communicator during the early years of the Liberian Civil War. The discussion focuses on Taylor’s use of radio – particularly the BBC World Service programme Focus on Africa – to reach Liberian audiences and shape public perception. Key themes: Taylor’s rise as a media figure during the early 1990s The role of the BBC as an unintended platform for influence “Domestic propaganda” and psychological warfare How radio brought the war into everyday life The gap between stated and underlying objectives in the conflict The proliferation of peace agreements and their limited impact The lead-up to Operation Octopus (1992) The episode also touches on Aaron Weah’s later attempt to interview Charles Taylor in prison – and the weight of confronting such a figure directly. Next episode:Aaron's War Additional links:Audio references to BBC Focus on Africa theme music will be shared in accompanying Substack posts. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit liberiartf.substack.com/subscribe

    35 min

  5. 18 Apr

    Episode 1 - Liberia and the UN Security Council - re-post

    You’re listening to Liberia: Remembering the Future. In this first episode, we start with Liberia's seat on the UN Security council, which is due to last for two years from January 2026. We ask what status or influence does this give, and what might change as a result? We also go into Liberia's presence on the world stage over the last 180 or so years.Aaron brings the grounded, lived perspective – as a researcher, teacher, and Liberian. Gerry brings the long view – first arriving in 1992, and still learning things that surprise him. We also explore the idea at the heart of the series: remembering the future. Not just recalling the past, but putting it back together – re-membering – in a way that helps make sense of the present. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit liberiartf.substack.com/subscribe

    28 min

  6. 15 Apr

    Episode 8 - Taylor Rising

    This episode traces the early stages of Charles Taylor’s rise and the outbreak of Liberia’s civil war. We begin with the little-known background – Taylor’s position within government, his time in the United States, and the network of relationships that shaped his path back to Liberia. From there, we move to the pivotal moment of December 24, 1989, when a small group of fighters crossed into Nimba County and set in motion a conflict that would transform the country. We explore how quickly the situation escalated. What began as a relatively small incursion developed into a multi-front war, with internal splits, shifting alliances, and a rapidly expanding force. As resistance to Samuel Doe grew, Taylor’s movement gained momentum, drawing in fighters and support while also exposing the absence of any clear or unified political vision behind the violence. The episode also looks beyond Liberia’s borders, examining how the conflict was connected to wider regional dynamics in West Africa. At the same time, we begin to confront one of the most disturbing developments of the war – the emergence of child soldiers. Not as an abstract concept, but as something rooted in fear, survival, and the breakdown of society. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit liberiartf.substack.com/subscribe

    41 min

  7. 1 Apr

    Episode 7 – The Fall of President Doe

    Episode 7 – The Fall of President Doe (Part 3 of the Doe mini-series) In this final part of the Samuel Doe mini-series, we move to his final collapse after nine years in power: the disputed 1985 elections, the failed Quiwonkpa coup, and the rise of Charles Taylor set the stage for a country sliding towards war. Dr Aaron Weah describes how ethnic narratives were shaped – and often manipulated – while Gerry Naughton reflects on how those same stories were simplified for outsiders. The episode brings rare depth through Aaron’s personal testimony: memories of soldiers occupying his family home, the fear and uncertainty of Monrovia in 1990, and a striking moment of humanity in the middle of conflict. These lived experiences sit alongside a wider analysis of how the civil war began, how quickly Liberia changed, and how Doe lost power, allies, and ultimately his life. We close by asking what remains of Doe today – his legacy as a soldier, a patriot, and a deeply flawed leader. This episode marks a turning point in the series, where history, memory, and personal experience come together – and sets the stage for the Taylor years and the long, complex road that followed. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit liberiartf.substack.com/subscribe

    39 min

  8. 25 Mar

    Episode 6: Ethnicity and Elections

    Episode 6 of Liberia: Remembering the Future – and Episode 2 in our Samuel Doe mini-series. In this episode, we move from the aftermath of the 1980 coup into the pivotal year of 1985. We discuss the first election after five years of military rule, allegations of rigging, the return and failed coup attempt of Thomas Quiwonkpa, and the reprisals that followed. The conversation also explores how that moment added an ethnic dimension to Liberian politics that would bring long term repercussions. Along the way, Aaron reflects on the internal tensions of Doe’s rule, the People’s Redemption Council, the pressures of constitutional change, and the wider atmosphere of fear, violence and uncertainty in the first half of the 1980s. Topics include: - Samuel Doe and the People’s Redemption Council - Thomas Quiwonkpa and the split within the 1980 coup leadership - Liberia’s 1985 election - allegations of rigging - the November 1985 coup attempt - reprisals against Gio and Mano communities - the ethnicisation of Liberian politics - Liberia, the Cold War, and US backing under Reagan Liberia: Remembering the Future is a conversational podcast hosted by Gerry Naughton and Aaron Weah, exploring Liberia’s history, politics, culture and future through informed, accessible discussion. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit liberiartf.substack.com/subscribe

    32 min
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Liberia: Remembering the Future is a podcast on memory, history, and possibility. Co-hosts Aaron Weah and Gerry Naughton explore how Liberia’s past shapes its present – from history, culture and politics to war, peace, and everyday life. liberiartf.substack.com

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