Inventing new information and communication systems and examining the role of existing systems in conflict-stressed societies and post-conflict peace and reconciliation. Can rich media and the internet help to create dialogue and ultimately heal a nation? How can mobile phones enhance security? Can we build virtual peace memorials?

Liberia TRC Digital Archive

Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) concluded its work and released its final report in December of 2009. Georgia Tech collaborated with the TRC – working also with the Office of the President and Ministry of Justice of Liberia, and the US Embassy and USAID in Monrovia – to take receipt of their records for preservation and digital archiving. With support from the US Department of Homeland Security we hope to create the first truly accessible and richly multimedia digitized archive of a truth commission, including curation and digitization of tens of thousands of victim statements, along with an innovative virtual memorial and crowdsourcing facilities for indexing and transcription. This digital system and collection will serve as a lasting and unique resource in support of human rights investigations, scholarship and for assisting national reconstruction and the rule of law in Liberia. Furthermore, scholars at Georgia Tech, working with Liberian stakeholders, will design and create virtual facilities for browsing, viewing and connecting with this content. These two virtual systems will assist the process of transitional justice, the creation of a human rights culture, and post-conflict education and memorialization.