education

CRY FREETOWN

Film Screening & Discussion
11am, Tuesday 14th @ The Nerve Centre Studio

We all know that a diamond is the ultimate symbol of love, yet in Sierra Leone this same symbol of eternal devotion has driven the country to an escalating civil war.

If there is one film that offers a unique, and horrific, slant on our theme of 'Love and War' it is Cry Freetown. Freetown is the capital city of Sierra Leone, a country whose relative wealth in the region derives from the sale of diamonds. The prospect of controlling such a lucrative trade has created a power struggle in the country that has become increasingly vicious: whoever controls the country gets the goodies. Cry Freetown captures the moment when Rebels and Government forces battle it out in Freetown for control of the country, a control that offers the ultimate glittering prize.

Communication and the Media
The first ten minutes of the documentary graphically detail the atrocities of the Rebels as they storm Freetown. What effect do these first moments have on you as a viewer? Do you think the filmmaker should have shown such graphic violence?

In one scene, the Rebels are seen burning a family alive in their home because they refused to come out and act as human shields for the Rebels. Why do you think the Rebels let the filmmaker, Sorious Samura, film this scene?

Who do you sympathise with at this stage?

Does this opinion change as you watch the rest of the film? If so, why?

It is a complicated conflict with many casualties. Make a note of the structure of the film, i.e. the events depicted in the order they occur in the film, and the main protagonists in each event.

Whose point of view is Sorious Samura taking with this film? In other words who, do you think, does he sympathise with?

What is the stated aim of Sorious Samura in making this film?

If you had to take one image from the film to sell this video to the governments of the West to persuade them to intervene in Sierra Leone, which image would it be? Why?

Design a video cover and poster using this image to sell the message of the film.

Ethics
"My camera has saved lives, but not this time ... Could I have done more to save him?"
Sorious Samura.

What would you do if you were confronted with a lynching?

Why do you think Sorious Samura felt he was more effective passively filming events rather than actively participating in them?

Has the filmmaker been successful? Has the West intervened since this film was made?

'Passively filming violence is ultimately active participation'. Discuss.

Do you think any group or individual is morally right to do what they are doing? Consider in your answer the actions and aims of
(a) The Government forces,
(b) The Rebels,
(c) The UN peacekeeping force, and
(d) The filmmaker, Sorious Samura. Detail your answer with examples from the film.

Government and Politics
If democracy has failed in Sierra Leone, how would you describe the political situation in the country?

Who is the legitimate power in Sierra Leone? But who, if anyone, currently holds the political power?

Can you suggest a way in which this conflict can be resolved, other than through violence, by the main antagonists?

Sorious Samura wants the West to re-introduce democracy into his country. How, do you think, Western institutions and structures of government would help the situation in Sierra Leone?

How would you deal with the Rebels if you were (a) head of the Sierra Leone government? (b) A member of the United Nations? How would you stabilise the country?

Through further research, how has the situation in Sierra Leone changed, if at all, from the making of this film?

[Visit the Cry Freetown website at http://cryfreetown.com for more information about the video.]