WOMEN = PEACE

By Nino Ananiashvili, Georgia

There was this global 16 days of activism “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World" on November 25. On this date Women’s Fund in Georgia organised a film screening of "Pray the Devil Back to Hell". The screening was held within the scopes of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign 2014 theme is Let’s Challenge Militarism and End Gender-Based Violence! I went to see the film, very hard to watch, very touchy, very strong personalities - such an emotional film. The discussion was so live, so active; sometimes very painful but giving hope, that we will never have the world with this kind of stories; we will only have the world full of love, peace and prosperity.

“Pray the devil back to hell” is a multi-prize winner documentary of 2008 about women fighting for peace. Movie tells the story in first-person style where Leymah Gbowee – Nobel Prize winner in Peace – and other Liberian women recall the horrible memories of war. Life was a real hell for citizens of Liberia during 1989-2003 because of the Civil War, starting between Charles Taylor and governmental forces, where the victims of fighting and pressure were women and children involved unwillingly and as a result 200, 000 people were killed and raping and shooting was a daily life-style of Liberians.

Gbowee, a single mother remembers that once she had a dream where God told her to gather women in church and pray for peace and that is what happened when ladies of different age, status and even religion where united weekly in the church looking for solution for peaceful life.

Women’s Peace Movement was founded and the demonstrations and marching for peace began. Women from many places with their donations joined the movement. They were wearing white T-shirts and holding the boards with peace quotes. Finally they made Charles Taylor come out for peace-talking with them and the meeting was held in Economic Community of Western African States, in Ghana.  Members of Women’s Peace Movement sent to the dialogue to Taylor stood still to find decision against war situation in their country and the result came out soon, when Taylor was convinced to crime against humanity.

After the Taylor’s governing United Nation brought its troops for peace-keeping but it failed, until all these women, gone through the war of 14 years showed how to treat the soldier to disarm them. And the soldiers in need of rehabilitation were drugged children murdering their parents, friends and each-other later most of them being scarred in physical and mental way for rest of their lives.

Overall, movie is a chronicle about war in Liberia, which raises the issue of gender and shows the power of feminism in a country where women had opposite role. The unity of daughters, mothers, sisters or grandmothers made an unimaginable revolution from war to peace.

After two years from Taylor’s conviction Liberia became the first African country electing woman as a president and giving an example to others that men started the war which was interrupted by the peace reached by women.