Podcast Summary: New Books Network — "We the Young Fighters: Pop Culture, Terror, and War in Sierra Leone" with Marc Sommers
Episode Date: November 30, 2025
Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher
Guest: Dr. Marc Sommers
Episode Overview
In this New Books Network episode, Dr. Miranda Melcher interviews Dr. Marc Sommers about his book "We the Young Fighters: Pop Culture, Terror, and War in Sierra Leone" (University of Georgia Press, 2023). Sommers unpacks the unexpected intersection of global pop culture icons—Bob Marley, Tupac Shakur, and Rambo—with Sierra Leone's brutal civil war, focusing on alienation among youth, the rise of terror-based warfare, and how these cultural references became militarized inspiration and identity for myriad fighters, including children. The conversation spans the political roots of violence, the legacy of state failure, the mechanics of terror, gendered violence, and enduring consequences for Sierra Leone and beyond.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
Origins of the Book & Initial Encounters (03:09–08:13)
- Marc Sommers introduces himself as a researcher, diplomat, teacher, and photographer. His project began serendipitously in 2000 in a refugee camp in Gambia, when refugees described their experience using the terms "Tupac," "Bob Marley," and "Rambo."
- “I could not believe this, that there were pop culture led militias and groups of fighters based on Marley, Tupac and Rambo. And that's really where it started. I kind of became an investigative journalist from that point onwards.” – Marc Sommers [06:09]
- Funding was scarce due to the topic’s novelty: "There's no research on this. So you don't get it, you don't get your, the research." [07:23]
- Years of firsthand testimony revealed these cultural icons were not just ephemera but organizational principles in the conflict.
Political Backdrop: The Charles Taylor Connection (09:11–15:15)
- Charles Taylor, ex-President of Liberia, is pivotal for importing "terror-based warfare" and assembling the conditions for the Sierra Leone conflict.
- Taylor and Foday Sankoh, leader of the RUF, directly shaped the war’s beginning via abductions, diamond trafficking, and brutal economic pillage.
- “He used child soldiers to promote his terror based warfare. He had a policy called pay yourself... once they took a town or a village, they could loot and do whatever they want and that was their payment.” – Marc Sommers [12:00]
- The use of the BBC for propaganda and exploitation of Liberia’s US dollar economy facilitated an international dimension of the conflict.
State Failure and Deep Youth Alienation (15:15–22:00)
- The “fake state” of Sierra Leone (run as a diamond business with a thin governmental facade) bred neglect and violence.
- Young people were entrapped by socioeconomic structures; without marriage, land, employment, or recognition, they faced profound alienation.
- “There was a need for heroes, and they filled that void perfectly.” [21:01]
- Pop culture icons filled the void left by absent or repressive local leadership.
Why Marley, Tupac, and Rambo? (22:00–32:55)
- Each icon represented a critical, anti-establishment worldview:
- Bob Marley: Symbolized resistance, religious and social commentary (Babylon as oppressive status quo), and dignity in opposition.
- Tupac Shakur: Embodiment of the proud, alienated outcast, voicing every youth emotion. Lyrics like “Only God Can Judge Me” resonated deeply.
- Rambo: The misunderstood soldier forced into violence, resilient, low-tech, self-reliant—a model for guerrilla fighters.
- In practice, these figures directly shaped fighting groups’ organizations and self-image. Rambo movies became training videos; Marley’s music was an initiation tool.
- Memorable story: “There was this one girl … she asks herself, … what would Rambo do? And then she did that.” [27:58]
- Tupac’s “thug life” presented pride in outcast status; his image was revolutionary for youth humiliated by society.
Drugs, Child Soldiers, and Terror-Based Warfare (33:47–40:49)
- Child soldiers were constantly drugged—marijuana in food, water, and constant supply; heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, etc. were administered before battle.
- Terrible practices included “plasters” (drugs under skin for immediate effect) and forced musical exposure (Marley as cultural conditioning).
- “The world flips upside down, which is very much what they live as, alienated people. That's the kind of an exploitation of those ideas from Marley, Tupac and Rambo. And here it is being acted out in terror based warfare.” [36:20]
- Attack strategies focused on civilian terror, with children leading assaults, reversing traditional norms.
Group Identity & Visual Markers (41:52–44:43)
- Fighters’ group affiliation was visually coded:
- Marley fighters: Dreadlocks, Bob Marley t-shirts.
- Tupac fighters: Imitations of Tupac’s style (turned-up pant leg, tattoos, t-shirts).
- Rambo fighters: Red bandanas, tied cloths on biceps, heavy weapon displays—considered most fearsome.
- Rambo-inspired names proliferated (e.g., Nasty Rambo, Col. Rambo). Even girls formed Rambo groups.
The Influence of Lyrics and Explicit Violence (44:43–51:26)
- Tupac’s explicit language ("motherfucker") had a powerful, disturbing effect—combining American connotations with local interpretations about incest and societal taboo.
- Atrocities mirrored these lyrical themes in horrifying acts (e.g., forced rape of mothers by drugged sons—a direct link to "motherfucker" as “terror warfare”).
- Marley’s influence was cross-cutting: both government and rebels adopted his messages, fighting under song titles such as “One Love” and “Get Up, Stand Up.”
- “Their key song was One Love ... fighting the crazy bald heads ... which comes from a song by Marley. So on both sides, it's a chapter called Both Sides now. Because during one several years of the war, you had Marley troops fighting each other.” [46:33]
- Tupac inflamed older generations; his aggression and language terrified civilians even as they empowered youth.
Gendered Violence and Historical Roots (51:54–62:51)
- Women and girls were integral fighters and spies yet faced systematic sexual violence and exploitation.
- The war magnified older patterns of violence from the slave trade era: depletion of males led to polygamy, gender instability, and societal anxieties about femininity (“dangerous female power”).
- “There was female genital mutilation ... the idea of taking away the clitoris was a way of controlling women and some of their source of power because that pleasure could lead them to adultery and other things that would undercut society. So that became part of the womanhood, right? And is there till today.” [56:49]
- War provided unprecedented (often violent) sexual access for alienated boys.
- Men expressed intense fear of female fighters, furthering cycles of gender-based terror.
Pop Culture After the War (62:51–69:35)
- Bob Marley remains omnipresent, his music and philosophy reinterpreted post-conflict as a source of self-worth and survival.
- “Young people retook their heroes and reinterpreted and re emphasized their heroes for, for the, for the new context ... Get Up Stand up was now meant for you as yourself, have some self dignity, you have self worth.” [64:00]
- Rambo’s influence diminished as Sierra Leone moved on from war films.
- Tupac’s empathetic, socially-conscious tracks grew in popularity with youth (e.g., “Changes,” “Keep Ya Head Up,” “All Eyez On Me”).
- Notable quote from youth: "I'm from nowhere, but someday I can make it. Tupac is an example for us." [68:55]
Broader Implications and Lessons (69:50–76:03)
- Pop culture is globally mobile, locally adapted, and can acquire wholly new meanings in different societies and crises.
- Understanding youth alienation is vital: “The power of youth alienation in this, in this world today is really profound and all over. And I think it's important for us to be aware of that and to listen to, obviously to young people who make us uncomfortable because they're suspicious, they're alienated, and it's a challenge.” [70:07]
- Failure of responsive, equitable governance ("fake states") opens the door to insurgency and violence.
- Advocates for seeing the world “from the upside down point of view” of those who feel blamed, alienated, abused by the system: “When the system's against you and you didn't do anything, who's running this crazy system and why has the system turned against you?...” [73:35]
- Effective responses must be locally grounded, understand governance failings, and account for youth experience and insurgent perspectives.
Forthcoming Projects (76:20–78:26)
- Dr. Sommers is collaborating on a feature documentary based on the book and writing "Untold: Young People in War," combining photography and narrative from various conflict zones to tell young people’s stories.
Notable Quotes & Timestamps
- "I could not believe this, that there were pop culture led militias and groups of fighters based on Marley, Tupac and Rambo." – Marc Sommers [06:09]
- “He had a policy called pay yourself. He never paid any soldiers, it's just that he gave them permission. Once they took a town or a village, they could loot and do whatever they want and that was their payment.” – Marc Sommers [12:00]
- "There was a need for heroes, and they filled that void perfectly." – Marc Sommers [21:01]
- "Only God can understand what it's like to be me. Only God knows and can judge… that idea by itself, the title of that song, radiated across the world to this day to young people who are feeling misunderstood and are truly alienated." – Marc Sommers on Tupac [24:14]
- “I asked myself, what would Rambo do? And then she did that.” – Story relayed by Sommers [27:58]
- “The world flips upside down, which is very much what they live as, alienated people. That's the kind of an exploitation of those ideas from Marley, Tupac and Rambo. And here it is being acted out in terror based warfare.” – [36:20]
- “Their key song was One Love ... fighting the crazy bald heads ... which comes from a song by Marley. So on both sides, it's a chapter called Both Sides now. Because during one several years of the war, you had Marley troops fighting each other.” [46:33]
- “There was female genital mutilation ... the idea of taking away the clitoris was a way of controlling women and some of their source of power...” – Marc Sommers [56:49]
- “I'm from nowhere, but someday I can make it. Tupac is an example for us.” – Sierra Leone youth [68:55]
- “The power of youth alienation... is really profound and all over. And I think it's important for us to be aware of that and to listen to, obviously to young people who make us uncomfortable because they're suspicious, they're alienated...” – [70:07]
- “The status quo is not working for alienated young people... the status quo is making it far worse quite often. And this is where the weaknesses are and this is where, you know, other non state actors come in and try to take advantage.” – [75:33]
Summary Takeaways
- The Sierra Leone conflict was uniquely shaped by global pop culture icons, whose personas and messages were weaponized by youth combatants searching for identity and recognition.
- The “fake state” and legacy of exploitation produced deep alienation, setting the conditions for terror-based, youth-driven violence.
- Pop culture, both in wartime and after, provided tools for resistance, coping, and self-definition amidst chaos and oppression.
- Dr. Sommers urges scholars, policymakers, and listeners to understand marginalization and violence from the perspectives of those living “in the upside down”—to grasp the full contemporary and global resonance of these insights.