Pray the Devil Back to Hell
Encyclopedia
Pray the Devil Back to Hell is a documentary film
directed by Gini Reticker and produced by Abigail Disney
. The film premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
, where it won the award for Best Documentary. The film had its theatrical release in New York City on November 7, 2008.
The film documents a peace movement
called Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace
. Organized by social worker Leymah Gbowee
, the movement started with praying and singing in a fish market. Leymah Gbowee organized the Christian
and Muslim
women of Monrovia
, Liberia
to pray for peace and to organize nonviolence
protests. Dressed in white to symbolize peace, and numbering in the thousands, the women became a political force against violence and against their government.
Their movement led to the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Liberia, the first African nation with a female president. The film has been used as an advocacy
tool in post-conflict zones like Sudan
, mobilizing African women to petition for peace and security.
, led by Leymah Gbowee, came together to pray for peace. Armed only with white T-shirts and the courage of their convictions, they demanded a resolution to the country’s civil war.
Under Leymah Gbowee's leadership, the women managed to force a meeting with President Charles Taylor and extract a promise from him to attend peace talks in Ghana
. Gbowee then led a delegation of Liberian women to Ghana to continue to apply pressure on the warring factions during the peace process. They staged a silent protest outside of the Presidential Palace, Accra
, bringing about an agreement during the stalled peace talks.
Asatu Bah Kenneth is featured in the film. She is currently Assistant Minister for Administration and Public Safety of the Liberian Ministry of Justice. At the time, she was president of the Liberia Female Law Enforcement Association, and inspired by the work of the Christian women's peace initiative, she formed the Liberian Muslim Women's Organization to work for peace.
Working together, over 3,000 Christian
and Muslim
women mobilized their efforts, and as a result, the women were able to achieve peace in Liberia after a 14-year civil war and helped bring to power the country's first female head of state.
from 1999 until 2003, and during post-conflict periods, Liberian women were displaced and faced the death of family members, sexual violence, and challenging economic and social environments. The recovery effort has been led by Liberian women against sexual violence with an all-female United Nations
peacekeeping force, trained in sophisticated combat tactics and weaponry, crowd and mob control, and counter-insurgency. In 2009, women made up 15 percent of Liberia’s national police force.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
directed by Gini Reticker and produced by Abigail Disney
Abigail Disney
Abigail E. Disney is a filmmaker, philanthropist, and scholar known for her documentary films focused on social themes.- Biography :Abigail E. Disney was born in 1960 and was raised in North Hollywood, California. She is the daughter of Roy E. Disney and granddaughter of Roy O. Disney, co-founder...
. The film premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
, where it won the award for Best Documentary. The film had its theatrical release in New York City on November 7, 2008.
The film documents a peace movement
Peace movement
A peace movement is a social movement that seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war , minimize inter-human violence in a particular place or type of situation, often linked to the goal of achieving world peace...
called Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace
Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace
Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace is a peace movement started by women in Liberia, Africa thatbrought an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. Organized by social worker Leymah Gbowee, the movement started with local women praying and singing in a fish market...
. Organized by social worker Leymah Gbowee
Leymah Gbowee
Leymah Roberta Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist responsible for leading a women's peace movement that brought an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. This led to the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Liberia, the first African nation with a female president...
, the movement started with praying and singing in a fish market. Leymah Gbowee organized the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
women of Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
, Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
to pray for peace and to organize nonviolence
Nonviolence
Nonviolence has two meanings. It can refer, first, to a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle It can refer to the behaviour of people using nonviolent action Nonviolence has two (closely related) meanings. (1) It can refer, first, to a general...
protests. Dressed in white to symbolize peace, and numbering in the thousands, the women became a political force against violence and against their government.
Their movement led to the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Liberia, the first African nation with a female president. The film has been used as an advocacy
Advocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
tool in post-conflict zones like Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, mobilizing African women to petition for peace and security.
Plot
A group of ordinary women in LiberiaLiberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, led by Leymah Gbowee, came together to pray for peace. Armed only with white T-shirts and the courage of their convictions, they demanded a resolution to the country’s civil war.
Under Leymah Gbowee's leadership, the women managed to force a meeting with President Charles Taylor and extract a promise from him to attend peace talks in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. Gbowee then led a delegation of Liberian women to Ghana to continue to apply pressure on the warring factions during the peace process. They staged a silent protest outside of the Presidential Palace, Accra
Golden Jubilee House
The Golden Jubilee House is a presidential palace in Accra which serves as a residence and office to the President of Ghana. It replaced the seat of government at Osu Castle. The original budget of $30m was a loan from the Indian government. However BBC journalist David Amanor reported the...
, bringing about an agreement during the stalled peace talks.
Asatu Bah Kenneth is featured in the film. She is currently Assistant Minister for Administration and Public Safety of the Liberian Ministry of Justice. At the time, she was president of the Liberia Female Law Enforcement Association, and inspired by the work of the Christian women's peace initiative, she formed the Liberian Muslim Women's Organization to work for peace.
Working together, over 3,000 Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
women mobilized their efforts, and as a result, the women were able to achieve peace in Liberia after a 14-year civil war and helped bring to power the country's first female head of state.
Title
The title of the film is drawn from Gbowee’s statement about Taylor and the rebels. Both sides were supposedly religious. The rebels frequented mosques, while Taylor claimed to be a devout Christian who, according to Gbowee, could “pray the devil out of Hell.” It was therefore the responsibility of the women in this inter-faith coalition to pray the devil (of war) right back to Hell.Cast
In alphabetical order- Janet Johnson Bryant, as Herself
- Etweda Cooper, as Herself
- Vaiba Flomo, as Herself
- Leymah GboweeLeymah GboweeLeymah Roberta Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist responsible for leading a women's peace movement that brought an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. This led to the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Liberia, the first African nation with a female president...
, as Herself - Asatu Bah Kenneth, as Herself
- Etty Weah, as Herself
Awards
- 2008 Tribeca Film FestivalTribeca Film FestivalThe Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
— Best Documentary - 2008 Jackson Hole Film Festival — Cowboy Award Winner — Audience Choice Award
- 2008 SilverdocsSilverdocsAFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival is an American international film festival created by the American Film Institute and Discovery Channel. It is held every year in Silver Spring, Maryland near Washington, D.C.. Started in 2003, the festival is held for eight days in June at...
— Witness Award - 2008 Traverse City Film FestivalTraverse City Film FestivalThe Traverse City Film Festival is an annual film festival held every late July through early August in Traverse City, Michigan. The festival was created as an annual event in 2005 to help “save one of America's few indigenous art forms—the cinema." The event was co-founded by Michael Moore, the...
— Special Jury Prize for Non-Fiction Filmmaking - 2008 Heartland Film FestivalHeartland Film FestivalThe Heartland Film Festival is a film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana. First held in 1992, its goal is to "recognize and honor filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by artistically expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life."In May 2007, Heartland...
— Crystal Heart Award for Best Documentary Feature - 2008 St. Louis International Film FestivalSt. Louis International Film FestivalThe St. Louis International Film Festival is an annual film festival in St. Louis, Missouri, which has been running since 1992. The coordinating organization changed its name to "Cinema St. Louis" in 2003...
— Best Documentary in the Interfaith Category - 2008 My Media Award from the My Hero Festival
- 2009 Tri Continental Film Festival — Jury Award for Best Film
- 2009 Palm Springs International Film FestivalPalm Springs International Film FestivalPalm Springs International Film Festival is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. It was started in 1989 and is held annually in January...
— One of the Best of the Fest Selections - 2009 Santa Barbara International Film FestivalSanta Barbara International Film FestivalThe Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a film festival and non-profit organization, established in 1985, that showcases independent American and international films. The SBIFF line-up includes 20 world premieres and 11 U.S. premieres, with newly expanded 11-day festival...
— Social Justice Award for Documentary Film - 2009 Cinema for PeaceCinema for PeaceThe Cinema for Peace initiative aims to raise awareness for the social relevance of films and to make active use of the influence of movies and documentaries on the perception and resolution of global social, political and humanitarian challenges of our time...
— The Cinema for Peace Award for Justice - 2009 One World International Human Rights Festival, Prague — Rudolf Vrba Award in the Right to Know Competition
- 2009 Women's Film Festival, Brattleboro, VT — Best of Fest
- 2009 Wilbur Award — Film Documentary for 2009
- 2009 Movies that Matter Festival — Golden Butterfly
- 2009 I Will Tell Film Festival — Ndinadsawapanga Award
- 2009 Buffalo International Film FestivalBuffalo International Film FestivalThe Buffalo International Film Festival was founded in 2003 and takes place in Buffalo, New York. It is also known as The Buffalo Film Festival.-History:The film festival became a 501c3 not-for-profit charity in January 2005....
— Audience Award: Best Documentary
Women of Liberia
As a result of the First Liberian Civil War from 1989 until 1996 and Second Liberian Civil WarSecond Liberian Civil War
The Second Liberian Civil War began in 1999 when a rebel group backed by the government of neighbouring Guinea, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy , emerged in northern Liberia. In early 2003, a second rebel group, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia, emerged in the south, and...
from 1999 until 2003, and during post-conflict periods, Liberian women were displaced and faced the death of family members, sexual violence, and challenging economic and social environments. The recovery effort has been led by Liberian women against sexual violence with an all-female United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
peacekeeping force, trained in sophisticated combat tactics and weaponry, crowd and mob control, and counter-insurgency. In 2009, women made up 15 percent of Liberia’s national police force.
See also
- Women of Liberia Mass Action for PeaceWomen of Liberia Mass Action for PeaceWomen of Liberia Mass Action for Peace is a peace movement started by women in Liberia, Africa thatbrought an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. Organized by social worker Leymah Gbowee, the movement started with local women praying and singing in a fish market...
- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
- Comfort FreemanComfort FreemanComfort M. Freeman is a peace activist in Liberia. She is head of the Liberian Women's Initiative for Peace, an anti-war women's group and the Lutheran Church Women's Committee...
- History of LiberiaHistory of LiberiaLiberia was set up by citizens of the United States as a colony for former African-American slaves. It is one of only two sovereign states in the world that were started by citizens of a political power as a colony for former slaves of the same political power: Sierra Leone was begun as a colony...
- List of women who sparked a revolution