The
media industry holds enormous power over individuals and society. According to Kilbourne’s “Beauty and the
Beast of Advertising,” the media, especially advertising, sell values and
concepts of success, worth, love, sexuality, popularity, and normalcy. However, these values and concepts aren’t a
pure reflection of the world we live in.
Rather, the media offers a “reimagined, reinvented version of the real.”[1] This is due to the fact that the majority of
individuals in power and authority are heterosexual males. Therefore, mainstream media frequently uses
the perspective of the “male gaze”, which portrays definitions of beauty and importance
determined by the male spectator.[2] By using the perspective of heterosexual
males, women are typically sexualized and women and minorities are frequently
marginalized. This can be seen by the
use of scantily clad models and by the use of women and minorities as
“backdrop” in film.[3] Although this perspective is the most
pervasive, it does not accurately depict reality. In actuality, women and minorities have the
potential to change society and the world we live in. This can be seen in the documentary film, Pray the Devil Back to Hell. In this film, the
gender role of women became more prominent. Similarly, the message posed by and for women
was that of strength in the face of adversity. It is important and necessary to have alternative
media such as this film because it shows the strength of women and minorities
typically unseen in mainstream media. This
alternative perspective also allows people to view their capabilities in a
positive light and nurture a sense of empowerment.
The alternative media film, Pray the Devil Back to Hell documents how the civil
war in Liberia came to an end. The group
largely responsible for bringing about the end of the war is the women of
Liberia. Sick and tired of the constant
terror, hunger, rape, and murder, Leymah Gbowee gathered the women of the Christian
churches together to protest the war and violence. Not only were the Christian women interested
in putting an end to war but so were the Muslim women. With the help of Asatu Kenneth and many
others, Leymah was able to organize a mass action campaign composing of
hundreds of Christian and Muslim women to protest the war. After months of protesting at strategic
locations, the women’s protest group gained increased awareness, however, that wasn’t
enough. Violence escalade with rebels
and government enforcers alike attacking the people and committing horrendous
atrocities. The women protest group then
decided to present a position statement to the government of Liberia, demanding
them to see reason and go to the peace talks with the warring factions. Hundreds of people rallied at parliament and
refused to leave until they’ve heard from President Taylor. No longer able to ignore the protestors,
President Taylor agreed to meet with the women.
Seeing that popular support was on the women’s side, President Taylor
agreed to their demands and went to the peace talks with the warring factions. After weeks of peace talks, they were
reaching the end of the road with no real progress towards a peace
agreement. Angered, the women decided to
take action. The women stood outside the
doors and windows, not allowing anyone to come out until a peace agreement was
signed. The mood of the peace talks then
became more sober and serious. Two weeks
later the terms of the peace agreement were announced and signed. Afterwards, a transitional government was
held in place until the people can democratically elect a new President. Understanding that peace is a process, the
women of Liberia continue to build peace by promoting nonviolence and accepting
combatants back into the community.
Throughout
the film, we see a clear distinction between the gender roles of men and women
in Liberia. Nearly all of the positions
of authority were held by men. Men were
also the perpetrators of war and violence in Liberia. The role of women in Liberia was typically that
of childbearing and child caring. However,
with the women’s initiative to bring about the end of the war, the gender role
of women has changed significantly. Women
were seen as strong, capable, nonviolent, and moral. Therefore, men and women alike voted for
Ellen Sirleaf as President of Liberia, making her the first democratically
elected female head of state in Africa.
More women were also assigned positions of authority in Liberia. Peace building and community rebuilding efforts
were also led by women. With such
strength and morality displayed by women, it is likely that more women will
continue to play a prominent role in Liberia.
With
the success of women bringing about the end of the war and building peace in
Liberia, the message posed by and for women is that of strength in the face of
adversity. Despite previously not
holding any position of power or authority, “one way or another, you have power
as a women.”[4] The women of Liberia demonstrated this
message by rallying together to protest the war and influencing the men to take
stronger action against the war. One of
the ways the women influenced the men is by denying men sex and saying “if you
have any power to put a stop to the war, you go and do it.”[5] And for those men that say they weren’t
involved with the war or the events leading up to the war, the women would say
“then pick up from here.”[6] Although seemingly insignificant, the women
used all the power and influence they possessed. As a result the women had accomplished what
the men had failed to do, which is to end the war. The main message the women have conveyed is
that with the courage to speak up and not back down, women and minorities can
triumph against those with great power and make an extraordinary difference in society
such as ending a war.
With
such a powerful message and display of strength, courage, and perseverance, it
is important and necessary that there are alternative media such as this film. This display of strength and courage helps
nurture a sense of empowerment and a belief in one’s capability to make a
difference in the world despite incredible odds. Alternative media such as Pray the Devil Back to Hell gives people
something else to turn to rather than the mainstream media’s perspective of
women and minorities, which fosters insecurities and promotes destructive
habits. It is important that there are
alternative media to challenge the mainstream media’s perspective because
otherwise reality will soon absolutely reflect the mainstream’s version of
reality. This can be seen by Abigail
Disney and Gini Reticker having a hard time finding footage of the incredible
events by the women of Liberia. Why was
it difficult? “Because
these women did not look or sound or seem like they mattered. For reasons of gender, class, education, and
convention… Therefore, they were being dismissed."[7] Even journalist and photographers who were
there said, "Yes, I saw the women. They
just were so pathetic looking, there was no point in shooting them."[8] Therefore, it is necessary to have alternative
media that emphasizes the importance of women and minorities. This allows people to dispel the false
perspective that women and minorities have no power and can’t make a
difference. With media’s “capacity to
create new awareness, and to transform culture right before our very eyes,”[9]
it is important that alternative media is available. For alternative media have
the potential to change our culture and help foster a positive sense of
empowerment in men, women, and minorities alike.
Works
Cited
Disney,
Abigail, and Leymah Gbowee. Interview
with Lynn Sherr. Bill Moyers The JOURNAL. PBS, 2009.
<http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/06192009/watch.html>
Hooks,
Bell. “Making Movie Magic.” Reel to
Real: Race, Sex, and Class at the Movies.
New York: Routledge, 1996. 1-9.
Kilbourne,
Jean. “Beauty
and the Beast of Advertising.” Media&Values. California: Center for Media and Values,
1989.
Mulvey,
Laura. “Visual Pleasure and Narrative
Cinema.” Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings. Eds. Leo Braudy and Marshal Cohen. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. 833-844.
Pray the Devil Back to Hell. Dir. Gini Reticker. Prod.
Abigail Disney. Balcony Releasing, 2008.
Film.
<http://video.pbs.org/video/2155873888/>
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