War Don Don

The Xaverian Missionaries have been working in Sierra Leone, West Africa since the early 1950’s. One of the most horrible times occurred during the war in Sierra Leone from 1991-2002. By 2002 some 50-200 thousand people were killed and a third of the country’s 6 million people were forced to flee. This film, which was nominated for two emmy awards in 2011 tells the story of seeking justice after the war ended.

In the heart of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, United Nations soldiers guard a heavily fortified building known as the “special court.” Inside, Issa Sesay awaits his trial. Prosecutors say Sesay is a war criminal, guilty of heinous crimes against humanity. His defenders say he is a reluctant fighter who protected civilians and played a crucial role in bringing peace to Sierra Leone. With unprecedented access to prosecutors, defense attorneys, victims, and, from behind bars, Sesay himself, WAR DON DON puts international justice on trial for the world to see — finding that in some cases the past is not just painful, it is also opaque.

In Krio, war don don means “the war is over,” and although today Sierra Leone is at peace, the specter of war remains ever-present. Can the trial of one man uncover the truth of a traumatic past? International justice is on trial for the world to see.