LEWISTON — Bates College will present “Fambul Tok,” an award-winning documentary depicting a journey of reconciliation in post-conflict Sierra Leone, on Thursday, March 22.

Libby Hoffman, executive producer of the film, will take part in a discussion after the screening. Open to the public at no cost, the event will begin at 7 p.m. in Room 104 of the Olin Arts Center, 75 Russell St. For more information, call 786-8295.

“Fambul Tok,” or “family talk,” is the term for an unprecedented grassroots peace-building program revived from an ancient tradition in Sierra Leone. It rebuilds communities by bringing perpetrators and victims face-to-face in ceremonies of truth telling and forgiveness.

Producer-director Sara Terry’s “Fambul Tok” follows John Caulker, a Sierra Leonean who has committed his life to the practice of fambul tok, and his team of volunteers who travel miles of destroyed roads and jungle footpaths to implement it.

Viewers will witness raw and painfully intimate moments and learn about the horrific toll of war. They will also be privy to a culture of forgiveness, one that seeks to heal the nation through the restoration of relationships and community instead of punishment and retribution.

Previously an award-winning reporter, Terry transitioned into documentary production in the late 1990s. Her work has been published internationally.  She is founder of The Aftermath Project, a nonprofit grant program that helps photographers cover the aftermath of conflict and build educational outreach.

Hoffman has developed and led conflict-resolution training programs in a variety of settings.  In 2003, she founded Catalyst for Peace, a private foundation based in Portland that supports locally rooted peace-building around the world as well as the means to share stories of this work.

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