Pray the Devil Back to Hell Movie Screening

Liberia is a country on the west coast of Africa with a unique historical background and a devastating recent past: Ravaged by two civil wars which cost countless lives and uprooted thousands, the country is now slowly recovering from those traumatic events.

The Londonmet MUN Society has screened the movie Pray the Devil Back to Hell once at City Campus and once at North Campus, because this uplfiting and inspiring story of how the courage of a group of Liberian women has helped in bringing the civil war to and end, reach a peace agreement between the warring fractions and oust then-President Charles Taylor is a must-see for everyone interested in the role of women in matters of war and peace and in non-violent protest in general.

The Women's Movement

The 2008 documentary tells the story of the 'Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace' movement which was led and organized by ordinary Liberian women, Christian and Muslim united, who were tired of the war and the atrocities connected to it. Their non-violent protests, consisting of sit-ins in public places where they prayed and danced and chanted, gathered so much momentum, that Charles Taylor had to take notice of them and could ultimately be made to attend peace talks with the rebles in Ghana.

Fearing the failure of the talks, a delegation of women followed the president to Ghana to continuesly exert pressure on the different parties, locking them into the building at some point until progress was made.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Finally, their actions helped to contribute to an agreement during the difficult peace talks and led to Charles Taylor leaving for exile in Nigeria, bringing about peace in Liberia after 14 years of civil war. Since then, Liberia has held democratic elections and was the first African country to elect a female head of state, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Their story is both hopeful and optimistic, an example of ordinary people being able to achieve the extraordinary. The documentary has won a variety of awards and tells a story which is not as widely known as it deserves!

The screenings were followed by a lively debate and were an enriching experience for everyone!

If you want to know more about future events, please email us on: munlondonmet@gmail.com to be added to our mailinglist or search for our Facebook Group: LondonMet Model UN Society!