THURSDAY March 19, 2009 by Joyce Marcel

PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL
A Film by Gini Reticker


Now begins the outrage films. I have to admit, I've been avoiding them. But this one, God bless it, is both outrage and joy.

Last year we loved "Iron Ladies of Liberia," which told the story of the rise to power of the first elected female president of an African county.

"Pray the Devil Back to Hell" is the back story. President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is only seen at the end.

Before we get to her, we have to go through the usual outrages: children going hungry; the rape of women as a political tool as well as one male entitlement; theft; warlords; child soldiers who haven't a clue what they're really doing; greed (diamonds); power struggles; and the big one - endless war.

There are scenes of children playing with skulls - real ones.

The women of Liberia suffered through all of this for decades. One woman tells us a story that sums it up. She met a woman who had been in her home when the soldiers broke in. They lined up her, her 12- or 13-year-old daughter who had just started menstruating, and her husband, and told the woman to dance, clap and sing a particular song. Then they started raping the daughter. Then they told the woman to look to her side. There she watched other soldiers slowly - repeat, slowly - cutting her husband's throat. The woman who told this story to the camera was crying when she said many months later, when she met the woman, she was still dancing, clapping and singing the same song.

And yes, by the way, the daughter got pregnant.

There's a lot of footage of the soldiers from both sides, of the warlords, of the dictator Charles Taylor. It's hard not to start hating all the men in the world for letting this happen. It's especially hard when one of the warlords, at the peace talks, for God's sake, says that they want to kill all the people in the capital city of Monrovia, then bring in some women and repopulate. Speechless, are you? You should be.

The women of Liberia had had enough. Led by the amazing Leymah Gbowee, they banded together, Christian and Muslim women together, to strike for peace. In the face of great danger, they showed greater courage.

"Armed only with white T-shirts and the courage of their convictions, they demanded a resolution to the country's civil war," says the website: www.praythedevilbacktohell.com. "Their actions were a critical element in bringing about a agreement during the stalled peace talks. A story of sacrifice, unity and transcendence, 'Pray the Devil Back to Hell' honors the strength and perseverance of the women of Liberia. Inspiring, uplifting, and most of all motivating, it is a compelling testimony of how grassroots activism can alter the history of nations."

When the women finally win their peace, their election, and their female president, I had chills running up and down my arms.

But questions remain. Taylor, who was forced into exile, is now being held for trial in the Hague. But what happened to the warlords? Do they still lurk, these evil bastards? And where? And who's watching them?

Think and Discuss: Should we American women have organized in the same way? Should we have printed up some t-shirts and sat in front of the White House day after day until Bush ended the war? Only one woman, Cindy Sheehan, had the courage to do this. Why didn't we all leave our comfortable lives and join her? Did we need the rape and hunger first? Could we have gotten rid of our own warlords, Bush and Cheney? Could we have prevented the disasters of the Bush Administration?