Pray the Devil Back to Hell

The film Pray the Devil Back to Hell is a story of the women of Liberia’s successful protest of the civil. I found it refreshing that the women very quickly perceived problems and dealt with them. They didn’t necessarily deal with them the way I would have (such as stripping to avoid arrest) but the point is, they did something. Their instinctive actions against injustice were far removed from people like me who diagnose problems and muse in dorm rooms about possible solutions.

These women were driven by an urge for peace. They pursued it the best way they could. First the protested where the president passed by, then they moved their protest to separate a conflict between the regime and the rebels. When the president still didn’t listen, they sat in front of the parliament until the president agreed to peace talks. And when the peace talks bogged down, they sat down, barring the leaders from leaving until they had resolved the conflict. The women of Liberia were both relentless and ingenious.

It was inspiring to see what happens when people believe in something as strongly as the women believed in peace for their country. Their belief was so strong that their instant decisions as to how best get peace were so instinctive, their desire flowed over directly into action.

And yet these women were not idealists. One of the leaders said “peace is not an event but a process.” These women understood that the going would not be easy, and yet I noticed that they never felt defeated because of the strength with which they held to their convictions.

The unfaltering drive of these women is truly admirable, and I suppose something that Christians ideally have. Watching this film, I understood the value and immense good a person can do if they become a conduit for good.