The only world you know is filled with darkness and hate: you have no home, your family is torn apart, and the only sounds you hear are gunshots and cries for help. This continues for years, It’s the only reality you know. The government raids your town, taking what little you have left. A rebellion group rises with the promise of revenge. You join their army, because you are led to believe it is the only way. You see no light at the end of the tunnel; you feel no comfort or safety, only anger and fear.
While many of us will never have to experience such horrible circumstances, for thousands of children in Liberia becoming a soldier was their only choice. These children were forced to kill while under the influence of drugs and alcohol given to them by a group of rebels and warlords. This group called themselves Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD).
Charles Taylor was the president of Liberia. He was a vicious and unjust dictator. The rebels’ goal was to overthrow the government and restore the order of the country, however, the feud lead to a civil war. This war started in 1989 between the government and the rebels. The people of Liberia were terrorized through killings, rapes, dismemberment and destruction, and the war became about power instead of peace. By 2002, over 200,000 people were killed, many of them child soldiers.
The documentary “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” tells the remarkable story of a group of Liberian women led by Leymah Roberta Gbowee, who wanted to put an end to the civil war and to restore the peace that their country once knew. Vaiba Flom, a woman involved in the peace movement, described the war as hell on earth. Some people believe the war started because of the gap between the rich and poor or the hatred between ethnic groups. Others say it started over who would control Liberia’s natural resources, but many of its citizens think it started over greed for money and power. As Flom said, “Despite the reason, nothing can excuse them for doing what they did to those children.”
Thousands of women, both Christian and Muslim, believed that Flom was right, and came together to make a difference. Gbowee, the founder of the peace movement, began with her own church, then moved on to the surrounding churches to gain support. At one of her meetings, Janet Johnson Bryant approached Gbowee and told her she also wanted to get the Muslim women involved in the peace movement.
While working together was difficult at first, the group of women accepted their differences and focused on achieving their shared goal to bring peace to Liberia and free the children. They dressed in white clothes and covered their heads to show they all were the same, despite their religions or social class. These women wanted to show Taylor they were serious, and they demanded to be treated in that way. They sat outside a fish market Taylor drove past everyday. It took two weeks until he finally acknowledged them.
On April 23, 2003, the women were given a chance to present their mission statement to the president. They demanded that Taylor would attend a peace conference with the leaders of LURD. Both parties agreed to attend. A delegate group of women, including Gbowee, went to the peace conference to ensure a resolution would be made.
Two weeks into the peace conference, no progress had been made. The rebel warlords demanded future positions in the government and access to the country’s resources. Taylor fled the country to Sierra Leone after a United Nation member tried to indict him for war crimes. The situation in Liberia continued to get worse. The leaders of LURD sent out another round of targets. This time, the children were ordered to burn everything down and leave no survivors.
The women’s anger grew as they faced more frustration. After six weeks at a stand still, the women staged a sit-in. They blocked all the doors and windows by sitting and standing together with their arms linked to prevent anyone from leaving the peace talks without a resolution. One of the members of LURD attempted to break through the women but was not able to do it. After a conversation among the women, the United Nations members and the warlords, the women decided they would give them two weeks to come up with a solution. If in two weeks a peace agreement was not drafted, they would hold another sit-in, locking the men into the building until they did.
Realizing the women were serious with their threat of trapping them in with no food or water, the talks became more serious. On August 11, 2003, a resolution was finally reached. The UN peacekeepers would move in, a transition government would serve until further notice and Taylor would be exiled to Nigeria.
The women celebrated, but they realized that their job was not over yet. They wanted to make sure that the resolutions would be implemented. After a few more obstacles, Liberia had its first female presidents under a democratic government. Peace reached Liberia at last.
“Pray The Devil Back To Hell” is the remarkable story of the thousands of women from all different walks of life that came together to bring peace back to their country.