Can lasting justice and peace be achieved not through punishment but reconciliation? That’s the idea central to the community-oriented organization and documentary that shares its name, Fambul Tok. It’s also a concept whose dramatic impact is undoubtedly heightened in light of the atrocities that many were forced to commit during Sierra Leone’s 11-year civil war.
Filmmaker Sara Terry follows Sierra Leonean John Caulker as he moves from village to village, persuading locals to use the country’s tradition of “fambul tok” — or family talk — to help promote the healing process between perpetrators and victims of horrible violence, and repair divided communities through ceremonies of forgiveness and redemption.
Now this award-winning film, which has been making the rounds on the festival circuit both here and abroad, is coming to Clearwater’s Capitol Theatre for a one-time screening.
