The Long Road Back to Dodo
Filmmaker: Rodmire Taylor-Smith Larsen
Year of Production: 2011
Duration: 34 minutes.
Location: Sierra Leone
Sound: mono
Language:
English Subtitles
Samba was a fighter in the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) that was fighting against government forces during the decade long war in Sierra Leone. The war ended in 2002 and the RUF was crushed.
The Long Road Back to Dodo is an ex-combatant’s story about his journey in search of forgiveness and reconciliation among the people he offended and how living among these people has changed his life.
Copyright: 2011 Visual Cultural Studies, University of Tromsø
Thesis
ABSTRACT This thesis deals with observing how returnee ex-combatants re-integrate and live again in their societies and communities after being accepted by their community members. The reintegration of ex-combatants has been a major subject in the current development of post war Sierra Leone. It is in fact, one of the major challenges confronting the country. This thesis will, for the most part, be focussing on what happens to an ex-combatant after undergoing a traditional reconciliation ceremony and has returned to live with his family and community members. Using one ex-combatant as my main informant, I sought to find out what happens to an ex-combatant after he/she has been allowed to go back and start living among his people again.
