Movie Review - Pray the Devil Back to Hell

In January 2006, Liberia elected Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as their President, the first woman president of an African country. I remember thinking it was remarkable, especially given our own country's lack of accomplishment in this area. I was interested in how a woman could rise to power, but, like most Americans probably, I was considerably ignorant of the tragic history of Liberia and the circumstances leading up to the election of Johnson-Sirleaf.

From 1989-2003, Liberia suffered through a terrible civil war. Through movies, books and mainstream press, we've all probably heard about the child soldiers, the amputations, the rapes, the murders, the corruption, etc. The stories are so horrific, I confess that I sometimes fictionalize it in my head, telling myself, "this is just a movie..." How else would I be able to sleep at night?

But Pray the Devil Back to Hell reveals the inspiring story of the real mothers, sisters and daughters who took a stand for peace and it actually worked! It is a documentary that tells how Christian and Muslim women joined together in a peace movement to demand an end to the civil war. It's not part of the mainstream story that gets told in the news and in the movies, but the documentary shows that the peace talks never would have occurred and never would have been successful without the peaceful protests of these women.

In the midst of the atrocities of civil war, the movie shows us ordinary women who accomplish something beyond extraordinary. And I can't fictionalize their story, because I relate to them - they are simply mothers who are appalled at what is happening to their families, to their children, to their country. But the movie doesn't allow the horrific acts of war to paralyze us into inaction or apathy. Instead, it provides hope for how God can use regular people as instruments of His peace.

The movie is 1 hr, 12 min long and is probably available through the larger video rental places (I got my copy through Netflix). Extras on the DVD include an interview with the the producer of the documentary and the leader of the women's movement from a PBS news show, which is worth watching for some extra background about the movement. The film was released in 2008 and received an award for Best Documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival.