Expectations and Experiences of Peacebuilding in Sierra Leone: Parallel Peacebuilding Processes and Compound Friction

This article investigates local experiences of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Sierra Leone and explains how these experiences were influenced by the parallel administration of many peacebuilding processes. Using qualitative data it shows how the goals and procedures of these various processes overlapped and interacted in the imaginations of local people, generated unpredicted expectations, and eventually led to negative experiences of the commission’s work. I describe how Tsing’s idea of ‘friction’ can helpfully explain local experiences of peacebuilding and the new concept of ‘compound friction’ is introduced as a tool for understanding the local impacts of parallel peacebuilding processes.