From palava huts to TikTok: How young Liberians preserve their past in the digital age
Young Liberians are using social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube to document and share their history and culture, carrying the oral tradition into the digital era.
Shifting Oral Traditions
For generations, Liberia's history was transmitted orally through elders' stories, ceremonies, and community gatherings. However, the country's two civil wars (1989–2003) broke this chain, killing an estimated 250,000 people and disrupting cultural transmission. Today, many young Liberians are turning to digital tools to preserve their heritage.
Digital Platforms as the New 'Palava Hut'
Traditionally, stories were shared in community meeting places known as palava huts. Now, that role has moved online. Bilphena Decontee Yahwon, founder of Archive Liberia, started exploring her personal story, which led her to broader Liberian history. Her work is part of a larger movement where youth use TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and podcasts to document traditions, preserve family memories, and challenge narratives often shaped outside the country.
Zuleka Dauda of the Center for Integrated Solutions emphasizes that culture never stands still. Young Liberians consume culture differently, but storytelling hasn't been lost—only the stage has changed. Social media allows stories to spread quickly within communities and across cities and the diaspora.
Challenges: Access and Misinformation
Despite the benefits of digital preservation, challenges remain. Only about one in three Liberians uses the internet, limiting participation in the digital archive. Historian Patrick Burrowes notes that social media lacks traditional oversight—where elders once corrected inaccuracies, now anyone can post unverified information. Limited literacy and restricted access to archives also make it harder to verify historical claims.
Yahwon sees the biggest challenge as overcoming dominant, often biased historical narratives that lack an anti-colonial perspective. The Liberia Tourism Authority is working with historians and content creators to improve access to resources and promote accurate storytelling.
The Future of Heritage
Dauda believes silence is a greater threat than conversation. Instead of discouraging young people from telling stories online, society should help them tell better ones. Whether stories are shared under a palava hut or uploaded to TikTok, the task remains the same: preserving Liberia's past for future generations. Dauda adds that the future of Liberian history may first be written not in textbooks, but uploaded online.
