"Pray the Devil Back to Hell"

This last weekend Monrovia has played host to an "International Women's Colloquium." It was a giant gathering of dignitaries (19 heads of state!), NGOs, and community representatives to discuss ways to empower women to improve their situations in conflict, post-conflict, and third-world countries. Cool stuff. There was also a trade fair. Cooler stuff. The fact that Liberia was able to host so many important people without anything crazy going down, is a testament to how far this country has come.

But the real cool stuff was last night. The whole event was hosted at Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, a giant football stadium. Last night they had all the chairs out on the soccer field and they showed a special screening of a new documentary, "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" on the big score screen, to a crowd of thousands, the president of Liberia in the audience.
The flick is about a group of Christian and Muslim women who came together during the Liberian civil war to pray and protest for the sake of peace. The film didn't fully grip me until I saw footage of the very stadium I was sitting in filled with displaced people seeking refuge. The proximity of it all was overwhelming.

I don't think it is out on DVD in North America yet, but when it is available, don't hesitate to watch it. It is a well told grassroots story about a group of women who managed to bring about change through their prayers and perserverence.

After the film was finished, the president spent almost half an hour wandering around the crowd, shaking hands and making quick conversation. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the first female head of state in Africa. To see a person of her position naturally mingling with the crowd was such a refreshing sight. She could easily take on a superior attitude that many past and present Liberian and African leaders have taken in the past, but instead she chooses to be a woman of the people. Fellow volunteer Chris even snuck in a handshake. Apparently she has soft hands.