Mount Mary Hosts Free Film Screening for International Day of Peace

On Thursday, Sept. 20 at 6:30 p.m., Mount Mary College will host a free screening of Fambul Tok: A Documentary About the Power of Forgiveness in the student lounge located in the first floor of Caroline Hall at 2900 N. Menomonee River Parkway.

The film shows how citizens of Sierra Leone are using an ancient practice, fambul tok (family talk), to help them heal and recover from the atrocities of their country’s brutal civil war.

Elizabeth Kamara, a recent Mount Mary graduate who’s from Sierra Leone, will give context to the film as she shares her insight and personal experiences of growing up, living in and ultimately leaving the country.

Fambul tok brings victims and perpetrators together in tradition-based truth-telling and forgiveness ceremonies. By reviving this ancient custom, the film shows how Sierra Leoneans are building sustainable peace at the grass-roots level, succeeding where the international community’s post-conflict efforts failed.

Filled with lessons for the West, the documentary explores the depths of a culture that believes true justice lies in redemption and healing for individuals and that forgiveness is the surest path to restoring dignity and building strong communities.

In addition to the documentary screening, Mount Mary will observe the International Day of Peace with ringing of the Notre Dame tower bell, a morning reflection at the college’s peace pole and at peace stations located throughout the campus.

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