How Long Is “War Don Don”?

A bloody civil war gripped Sierra Leone from 1991 to 2002 as rebel leader Foday Sankoh and his Revolutionary United Front led an uprising in the wake of a military coup. In 2004, a war crimes tribunal began trials in Sierra Leone in hopes of establishing responsibility for the many atrocities and human rights violations committed during the fighting. Issa Sesay found himself brought before the tribunal as he was accused of war crimes; prosecutors insisted Sesay was a high-ranking RUF commander, and became the group's de facto leader after Sakoh's departure, while widespread violence against innocent civilians happened on his watch and under his leadership. Sesay's lawyers painted a different picture; while Sesay was a member of the RUF, he was merely a C.O. in battle, not a key strategist, and he used his power to protect civilians and bring needed medical care to areas hit by the fighting. Filmmaker Rebecca Richman Cohen was on hand for Sesay's trial, and in her documentary War Don Don, she examines the evidence supporting Sesay's guilt and innocence; she also examines the Sierra Leone's war crime tribunal system, and asks what is the purpose of an elaborate show trial in a nation still dealing with crippling poverty, violence and unrest. War Don Don ("The war is over" in the Kiro language) received its world premiere at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival.