Peace is Loud
Peace is Loud, a registered 501c(3) based in New York, grew from what we learned from our experiences distributing Pray the Devil Back to Hell. We learned that movements can fizzle when not supported, that peace initiatives need to be visible in order to be inspiring to anyone, that activists need peer-to- peer communication so that they can learn from and inspire one another, and that because information about conflict and women's movements to end them is systematically scarce, the mapping of women's activism around conflict will be an invaluable resource both for activists as well as for those that support them.
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Spotlight on special projects:
VOIX DE LA PAIX (MANY VOICES FOR PEACE)
“Voix de la Paix" or "Voices for Peace” is a project within Peace is Loud focused specifically on using Pray the Devil Back to Hell in peace-building in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The DRC has been mired in civil war for the past 15 years, and is considered the deadliest crisis since WWII. Through screenings and workshops, Peace is Loud is encouraging thoughtful discussions on activism and peace-building across the DRC among community leaders, law enforcement, activists, politicians and victims of sexual violence.
Coordinated by Alissa Everett, a renowned documentary photographer and writer as well as the co-founder of the non-profit organization Care Through Action, PRAY has been screened several times in early 2010 in Kinshasa, Goma and Bukavu, in both French and Swahili, provoking compelling discussions on the role of women in the Congolese community, the origins of sexual violence, the potential role of women in peace-building, and the role of men as partners to women in peace.
| One specific screening on March 2010 for university students at the Université Protestante au Congo (UPC) in Kinshasa incited reactions such as: |
"Since I was a child, I used to say that women were more powerful than men. Most of people never believed me, but now I have confirmed that it is true." – A female university student in Kinshasa |
"I didn't understand that women could fight for peace. It's a big surprise to me." – Male university student in Kinshasa |
"The thing that is really important is that women themselves are the power. These women were not in government... they were nothing." – Male university student in Kinshasa |
"Before this movie I didn't think women could do anything. And now I know they can do something." – Male university student in Kinshasa |
In May 2010, Voix de la Paix took the project one step further, screening Pray the Devil Back to Hell to women leaders and holding two-day workshops in Kinshasa, Goma and Bukavu. Abigail Disney, Leymah Gbowee and Alissa Everett traveled to the DRC to show PRAY to nationally elected government officials, heads of women's associations, church leaders, policewomen, soldiers and activists. It was the first time women leaders across all sectors of society had come together to discuss the state of their country, region and individual lives.
Photo by Alissa Everett
The women discussed the strengths and weaknesses of their current women’s movements and created strategies for future growth. They also confronted prejudices within their own communities, as one slender, soft-spoken woman in Kinshasa roared, “You women in civil society: you are doing violence to yourselves. You do not work together. You only look after your own interests. It is not until you stop the war of women on women that you will have any chance of ending the war at all. We must end this conflict and begin to work together!!"
Photo by Alissa Everett
Our hope is that these gatherings planted a seed that will take hold and be cultivated by these women. We intend to return for more screenings when the women invite us.
