The woman’s movements started with a single speech in the church. Everyone was tired of the long war. One of the women confessed that her children were living in the war their entire life. They had nothing to eat they had to move and change shelters. Everybody was tired of living like that. Women were the first to get tired to listen to their children crying and knowing that they were helpless. That is why they stood up. The country has been on the war for more than a decade already. The women of Liberia did realize that men were helpless; men could do nothing to start the war. Hence, they decided to do that on their own. The main source of their power was their belief in God, in the better future and their anger against those who kill their husbands and raped their children. They were pushed to fight. Obviously, they could not take guns and fight arm in arm with their husbands. Hence, their love, belief and hope became their main weapons.
Leymah Gbowee was the first to raise the problem, to speak. She spoke in the Christian church. Although, there was many man on the mess, she addressed her speech to the women sitting there. She pointed out that women were mothers, grandmothers, sisters, wives of those who were at the war. She felt bad about being unable to stop that. On the other hand, those women whom she spoke to, had never held a gun in their lives, they did not know how to fight. She was speaking in the church, and the first thing to be done was to pray for a better future, for their husbands to come back home alive and the war to end. In my opinion, she addressed to women because women were able to understand her. There were many women in Liberia who saw their children suffering of hunger every day. There were many women in Liberia waiting for their husbands to come back home and praying for their lives. She could understand the Liberian women and Liberian women could understand her. This was the main reason to address to women and not men.
The speech has been proclaimed in the Christian church. Mr. Taylor, the dictator of Liberia, stated that he was the Christian. Forgiveness is one of the main principles of Christian life. It was difficult for the Liberian women to forgive those who raped their daughters; those, who killed their husbands, and those, who made them look at this. However, the war cannot be over when all people keep on hating each other for the past mistakes. That is why it was as significant to sign the peace agreement, as to forgive all the enemies. Forgiveness is the main way to peaceful living: the main idea the women of Liberia were trying to achieve. They managed to forgive those who hurt them. In this way, they showed their strength, the strength of their will and mind. At the end of the documentary, the women promised that if the war comes to their homes again, they know how to protect themselves. On the other hand, I think that they will be able to forgive the new enemies as well as they have forgiven these.
