Fambul Tok

WHY?

“I see it as necessary to tell my stories, so that the tension will come down. The trauma will reduce. The stress will reduce. That’s why I decided last night to tell my story,” said the son of the former town chief of Kongonanie (in Kailahun District), who had been brutally tortured and killed by rebels during the war. Speaking of his testimony at the bonfire the evening before, he reiterated: “I am talking on behalf of our family. I am saying from the bottom of my heart that we have forgiven those that did the act, even though we will not forget it. I decided we should forgive [because] the act has been done, and if we say we are going to revenge, then there will be no peace in our community, there will be no development. So we have decided to forgive them, because when we forgive we will live together as brothers in our communities.”

HOW?

The initial focus of Fambul Tok in the districts of Sierra Leone is preparing communities for village-level reconciliation ceremonies. The ceremonies are unique to each community, but the general outline is the same. Drawing on the tradition of truth telling around a bonfire, communities host a bonfire in the evening, where victims and perpetrators have an opportunity to come forward for the first time to tell their stories, apologize, and ask for, or offer, forgiveness. The communities then sing and dance in celebration of this open acknowledgement of and resolution to what happened in the war.

The next day, the communities hold cleansing ceremonies that draw on traditional cleansing practices as well as traditions of communicating with the ancestors and pouring libations. These cleansing ceremonies culminate in a communal feast.

Dozens of reconciliation ceremonies were held throughout Kailahun, Moyamba and Kono districts through the fall of 2009.  Coming soon: A detailed map of all the places Fambul Tok has held ceremonies, and for information on those places and events.

See pictures of reconciliation ceremonies in Sierra Leone. <Link to slide show>

Support a reconciliation ceremony in a new community.