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Gberie, Lansana. 2005. A DIRTY WAR IN WEST AFRICA: THE RUF AND THE DESTRUCTION OF SIERRA LEONE. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. 224pp. $24.95.
Lansana Gberie's A Dirty War in West Africa is a welcome contribution to the literature on Sierra Leone. Written from the perspective of a Sierra Leonean who was working as a journalist during the war, it provides deep and courageous testimony to the background and foreground of more than a decade of violence. For those familiar with the history, geography, and politics of Sierra Leone, Gberie's writing offers an authoritative narrative, much of the strength of which derives from the detail that he provides. For those unfamiliar with Sierra Leone, this book is an invaluable introduction to and examination of the war.
It is unnecessary to dwell on the title of the book, but it is reasonable to note some uneasiness. The use of the word dirty to describe this war is more disparaging than enlightening, and it is unclear what function the word is deemed or desired to play: what more is conveyed than would be conveyed by the phrase a war in West Africa? This question merits asking because other evocative adjectives are sprinkled through the writing, often signaling illegitimacy, but not doing justice to the analysis elsewhere in the book. Through this terminology, the reader is made aware of Gberie's biases in presenting people or events.
The approach varies through the book, but...