The Mask of Anarchy: The Destruction of Liberia and the Religious Dimension of an African Civil War

Ellis has written a very honest and brave book about a ghastly human experience which has, one learns, much less to do with the primordial past than about the future.--Ecclesiastical HistoryOutstanding.... A fascinating and profound exploration of what Ellis sees as Liberians' deep spiritual anarchy, manifested during the war in extreme brutality, incidents of cannibalism, and the fighters' bizarre sartorial affectations.... Ellis's persuasive analysis of Liberian religious ideology and culture does more than make sense of these strange phenomena. It offers rare insight into the way political, physical, and spiritual power can be linked and legitimized in the popular imagination.... A model of lucid writing, thorough research, and pentrating interpretation, this is one of the best books on Africa in recent years.--Foreign AffairsCareful field inquiry was pursued in risky environments.-- World PoliticsFor the last decade Liberia has been one of Africa's most violent trouble spots. In 1990, when thousands of teenage fighters, including young men wearing women's clothing and bizarre objects of decoration, laid siege to the capital, the world took notice. Since then Liberia has been through devastating civil upheaval and the most feared warlord, Charles Taylor, is now president. What began as a civil conflict, has spread to other West African nations.Western correspondents saw in the Liberian war a primeval, savage Africa-a heart of darkness. They focused on sensational primitive aspects of the conflict, such as the prevalence of traditional healers and soothsayers, and shocked the international community with tales of cannibalism, especially the eating of the body parts of defeated opponents, which was widespread.Eschewing popular stereotypes and simple explanations, Stephen Ellis traces the history of the civil war that has blighted Liberia in recent years and looks at its political, ethnic and cultural roots. He focuses on the role religion and ritual have played in shaping and intensifying this brutal war.