Monrovia – In an effort for Liberia to have violent free elections in 2017, a local network called the pen-pen peace network overs the year has been able to bring the community, pen-pen riders and the Police together to better understand themselves in an effort to avoid violence.
Report by Al-Varney Rogers – al.rogers@frontpageafricaonlinecom
To foster relationship with the pen-pen riders, the Police and the community, the Pen-Pen Peace Network organized a four-day tournament that saw the Police walking away with the trophy in the Barnesville Community.
The head of the Network Grace Yeanay said the initiative was meant to foster a relationship between the community, pen-pen riders and the Liberia National Police as Liberia prepares for general and presidential elections.
“This project’s sole aim is reducing political tension and violence, because of the history of Pen-Pen riders being violent over the years they are our target,” Yeanay said.
Yeanay said they were also working with the Police that interact with the riders on a daily basis and the community so that their relationship could be enhanced, especially looking at the 2017 elections.
She said the program provided different kinds of motivational messages for motorcyclists to help transform their minds from engaging in activities that have the propensity to lead to violence.
“We also educated them on the need to do better dressing before going into the field, like wearing shoes,” she said.
Yeanay said the Pen-Pen peace network was established in 2013 adding that when they started people did not understand the project.
“The community did not grasp the idea at the beginning including the Liberia, but later they became very supportive of the initiative.
From 2013 till now, the relationship between Pen-Pen riders and the Police have significantly increase especially in those communities we are working in,” Yeanay said.
“We noticed that pen-pen riders used to be very violent but with the education and with our involvement with them, they have been more organized, 65 to 75 percent are now wearing shoes and putting on proper attire while on the traffic.”
Yeanay pleaded for more people to get on board and support the program, adding that they do not have the financial strength.
“We work with four zones and in those zones there are several communities, the Purdue University support this project and it is called the Purdue peace project, the objective of the project is to use dialogue and use these kinds of spaces to bring people together to resolve their conflict,” she said.
“We have done Montserrado twice, we have actors meeting, Bong, Margibi, Nimba, the network is not just looking at the Purdue peace project to support, we are hoping to engage Pen-Pen riders to engage in civic education.”
The Pen-Pen Peace Network is a group of 12 local leaders and citizens including pen-pen drivers, market women, customers, Police officers and Transport Ministry representatives.
Many pen-pen drivers are former Liberian soldiers who now drive motorcycle taxis as part of the public transportation in Monrovia, Liberia’s capital.
The Pen-Pen Peace Network was established in 2013 by the Purdue Peace Project to help reduce the likelihood of violence among pen-pen drivers, Police and community members as the former soldiers have returned to civilian life.
These ex-combatants from the Liberian Civil War in 1989-2003 are often perceived to engage in aggressive behaviors while driving and with local law enforcement.
The Purdue Peace Project is housed in the Brian Lamb School of Communication, which is housed in the College of Liberal Arts.
A Purdue alumnus, Milton C. Lauenstein, a retired businessman and philanthropist, funds the project.