Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses local perceptions of justice in post-war Sierra Leone. Specifically, how individuals relate to the ideology of Fambul Tok, a local NGO promoting justice. These ideas are contrasted with international notions of justice, and discussed under the umbrella of transitional justice.

Paper long abstract:

In 2002, Sierra Leone ended its decade-long civil war, leaving the country and its people in a chaotic condition. Transitional justice was one of the various post-conflict measures implemented in order to ensure a smooth transition to peace. Three such mechanisms were introduced, namely the Special Court of Sierra Leone, the Truth Commission of Sierra Leone and Fambul Tok International. While academics have often discussed the relationships between the Special Court and Truth Commission, few have yet discussed local perceptions and impacts of Fambul Tok, a localized process working towards reconciliation and development. These findings are based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted during the summer of 2012. I will focus specifically on the work of Fambul Tok and argue that, while not a traditional method of international understandings of justice, this method may more appropriately reflects and incorporates local perceptions, potentially responding to more immediate needs and understandings of justice. I will further argue it is necessary to examine the goals of this transition, both internationally and nationally, so that they may be reconciled to better harness transition, utilizing examples from the Fambul Tok ideology. More broadly, I will discuss how transitional justice's expansion from the global to the local has positively contributed to a more malleable understanding of justice, and what this may mean for the future of understanding justice.