How my father鈥檚 stories shielded me from civil war
Way猫tu Moore was just five when Liberia鈥檚 first civil war broke out and the family had to leave their home 鈥� but her father was determined to protect her from trauma.
Way茅tu Moore was just five years old in 1990, when Liberia's first civil war broke out. The family were forced to leave their home near Monrovia, and to flee on foot to the relative safety of a remote village. Throughout the journey, Way茅tu's father Gus was determined to shield her and her sisters from the horrors of the conflict around them, and made up stories to explain what they saw.
After months hiding in a remote village, a young woman with a gun arrived. She was a rebel soldier, named Satta, and announced she'd been sent by Way茅tu's mother, who had been away studying in America, to bring the family to safety across the border in Sierra Leone. Years later, living in New York, and by now an established writer, Way茅tu set out to track Satta down and thank her for what she did.
Presenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Laura Thomas
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com
(Photo: Way茅tu Moore. Credit: Yoni Levy)
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The Outlook Podcast Archive
True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives
