Iron Ladies From Liberia

On January 16, 2006, after fourteen years of civil war, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was inaugurated President of Liberia. Her campaign navigated a hotly-contested election, which she won with the overwhelming support of women across Liberia. As the first elected female head of state in Africa, she has appointed other extraordinary women to leadership positions. In the two decades leading up to Sirleaf's inauguration, Liberia had been victimized by two civil wars, claiming the lives of over 200,000 Liberians and displacing 1 million more. Iron Ladies of Liberia is an exceptional film that considers whether Africa’s first female president, backed by a female dominated cabinet, can bring sustainable democracy and peace to one of the continent’s most devastated countries. (52 min.)