The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) fought a civil war against Sierra Leone from 1991 to 2002. Succeeding in calling themselves rebels, they committed horrific acts of terror that greatly affected the African continent, reaching the same level of madness seen during the genocides in Rwanda and Uganda. The RUF is responsible for murdering thousands of people, raping women and children, forced prostitution, mutilation of genitals, amputation of arms and legs, and conscripting children as young as seven into the army. These acts of violence, along with many others, have led to the RUF being one of the people regarded as some of the worst criminals against humanity.
Rebecca Richman-Cohen’s documentary War Don Don (Kriyo for “The War is Over”) centers on the trial of Issa Sesay, the second-in-command at RUF under Foday Sankoh. The film shows both the prosecution and the defense cross-examinations of Issa Sesay during the trial in front of a Special Court of United Nations and Sierra Leone government authorities who are charging him with war crimes and crimes against humanity. Sesay presents a paradox, for though his subordinates perpetrated some dreadful barbarities, he is equally accountable for the RUF’s disarmament and capitulation. His defense contends that Sesay was an RUF member who had much less blood on his hands than the others and that the other crimes were committed without his sanction. Following the thus the defense states that Sesay is partly a victim of circumstance and of a scapegoating attitude that plagues the Sierra Leone tragedies.
War Don Don is the kind of documentary that I like the most, as it does not contain any narration and the filmmakers do not show themselves on camera. This makes the self-serving, agenda driven putting styles of Moore and Spurlock absent. Despite of dealing with problematic subject matter, it does manage to be a completely neutral examination of Sesay and the history of RUF as well as a look at the trial itself. The movie contains crashed documents including footages from the trials, citizen and survivor testimonies some of which have artificial limbs, and news footage which creates a vision not only the trial, but also the perceptions the population have towards it. With complete accounts from both sides of the defense and prosecution it assists the audience in making informed conclusions about the trial and provides a deep understanding of the political environment along with the intricacy of the country12. The interviews of Sesay himself, and other ex RUF members are the most captivating. Rather than appearing as the ferocious monsters one would picture, they exhibit calmness and keep troubling under control. This is how the audience is ultimately left to reason.
It is a fascinating yet troubling movie which brings a lot of questions to light. It is so horrible that this is one of those movies that people do not pay attention to. It is, most definitely, worth the watch, a coolly crafted yet intelligent take that is still somehow capable of expressing an element of closeness and even pity for every party that is involved in the war. War Don Don is one of those films that single-handedly open the world’s eyes to the reality of warfare and the need to understand the reasons behind every war.
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