Nearly 500 people packed the auditorium of Monrovia City Hall on Friday, 16 August, 2013, to join the National Children’s Forum, the Youth Coalition for Education, the National Children and Youth Advisory Board, and the United Nations in a celebratory event marking Liberia’s decade of peace since signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

Balawala International greeted guests on arrival with a traditional cultural performance, but the event took a serious note when keynote speaker Mahmoud Johnson took the stage.

Johnson, founder of the iTeach iLearn mentoring programme, recounted his own story of growing up during the civil war in Liberia, each day saying goodbye to his mother as she went out to find food for the family, and each day fearing she would never come back.

“It’s been well documented globally that the first five years after a conflict situation are the most volatile, and countries that are coming out of war are more likely to return to war within that five year window,” said Johnson. “So the fact that we are celebrating ten years now says a lot. It says that we’re tired of war, but most importantly, it says that we, as Liberians, have found a better way to deal with our grievances rather than through violence and brutality.”

The event was specifically aimed at youth, who are seen as being the determining agents in sustaining the country’s peace in the future. Each was given a Pledge for Peace card, which was read aloud together, recommitting each person to a future of peace in Liberia.
 
Beyan F. Pewee, National Chairman of the Youth Coalition for Education in Liberia, helped organize the event. “The young people of Liberia have come together to say, ‘Yes, let’s come together for peace,’” said Pewee.

“Liberia’s journey in these ten years has been one of steady progress,” said Landgren. “Guns in the hands of young people have been replaced by pens and school books. Refugees have returned home with hope for the future, and schools are opening their doors across the nation to educate future generations of leaders,” said Karin Landgren, Special Representative of the Secretary-General.

Still, peace is a process that takes time, she stressed.
 
“There is a lot of hard work still ahead to keep Liberia on this path. The participation of committed people in public life – of committed young people, from all parts of the country – is part of the answer to preventing a return to the past.”

UNICEF Representative Sheldon Yett agreed, saying, “The groundwork for equitable development, for political stability, for fulfillment of the rights of all children to receive a quality education, to have access to healthcare, and to live a life free of violence in a protective environment in a loving family is firmly in place. But these commitments and investments need to be sustained and built upon.”

That, said Yett, is where the young people of Liberia can play a major role.
The afternoon ended with songs from Liberia’s “A Star is Born” contestants, who got the crowd on its feet and excited about their country’s potential.

Events to celebrate the tenth anniversary of peace were also held in several other counties, including in Harper, where the UN joined with members of the Peace Corps, civil society and religious groups, and women’s and children’s groups, to enjoy cultural performances and watch the ten year retrospective video produced by UNMIL.

“As we celebrate ten years of peace, let’s hold together and unite for the forward movement of our country,” said Maryland County Superintendent Nazarene Brewer Tubman. “Peace is what Liberians want and Liberia is all we have. So let’s always give Liberia peace.”