Liberation from violence

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With few exceptions, history tends to forget those who make change without resorting to violence. Case in point: the 2003 toppling of Charles Taylor, brutal dictator of Liberia. Taylor, who is currently on trial for war crimes, famously won the 1996 presidential election after a decade-long civil war with the campaign slogan "He killed my ma, he killed my pa, but I will vote for him."

The story about how Taylor was removed usually centers on rebel leaders and their bloody march to the capital city, Monrovia, in 2003. But this leaves out the role of a group of women, without whom the cycle of civil war and corruption would likely have continued, just under new leadership. 

Pray the Devil Back to Hell, a documentary that is being shown around the US and was released last week on DVD, tells the story of Christian and Muslim women, fed up with watching their children die and their country disintegrate, who banded together to force Taylor into peace talks with the rebels and then forced the rebels, who had by then nearly taken Monrovia, to negotiate a peaceful transition. These bold women stood up to the very men who had murdered and raped their friends and relatives and refused to back down, and put their their lives on the line to to recreate their country.

The film is about more than simple bravery – it shows the strategic use of nonviolent action and creative tactics that these women used to force warlords to end decades of violence. We have a lot to learn from the women of Liberian Mass Action for Peace, and we should make sure their story is heard.

Find a screening near you and see the film, or buy the DVD today and spread the word.