Films
Watch the award-winning documentary Fambul Tok, about the community-based approach to reconciliation that began our work.
For nearly a decade, Catalyst for Peace worked in partnership with Fambul Tok to pioneer a ground-breaking approach to reconciliation, putting communities at the center. This feature-length documentary tells the story of that work and the people who made it possible.
We also have a shorter (50-minute) educational version of the same film, edited and produced with classroom use in mind.
Libby Hoffman is president of Catalyst for Peace and a co-founder of the Fambul Tok program, which advances peace by mobilizing communities ravaged by war in the hard work of reconciliation. Fambul Tok (“family talk” in Krio) brings victims and perpetrators from Sierra Leone’s civil war together in ceremonies of truth telling, apology, and forgiveness. Her work focuses on finding ways to help the world engage with the lessons of justice, forgiveness, and community restoration embodied by Fambul Tok.
In this TedX talk, Libby Hoffman, founder and president of Catalyst for Peace, talks about the lessons learned from a decade community-centered peacebuilding in partnership with Fambul Tok, rooted in the belief that the answers are there.
We believe that inviting people into their leadership reconnects them with their own capacities and creativity, catalyzes change in communities, and creates opportunities for sustainable peace and development.
Follow the story of Lilian and Fatim, whose journey together shows why we believe so deeply in inviting leadership forward.
Peace Mothers
All across Sierra Leone, women are leading their communities to peace. These ‘Peace Mothers’ are rising from unspeakable challenges to heal the wounds of their decade-long civil war and to generate new growth and development – person by person, village by village. Let yourself be inspired by their example in this new short film by Catalyst for Peace. Watch Now
And find more to watch on our the Catalyst For Peace Vimeo channel.
Readings
“Community Healing From the Inside Out: Systems lessons from Fambul Tok in Sierra Leone,” a chapter by Libby Hoffman that’s included in the book, Locally-Led Peacebuilding: Global Case Studies, edited by Stacey L. Connaughton and Jessica Berns. Rowman & Littlefield, 2019.
“Building Peace from the Inside Out: A Transformational Approach to Partnership,” which traces the emergence-in-practice of inside-out peacebuilding as it has been embodied through more than a decade of partnership between Catalyst for Peace and Fambul Tok in Sierra Leone.
The Wan Fambul National Framework, the Government of Sierra Leone’s national planning framework for inclusive development, which emerged from the People’s Planning Process, an initiative of the CFP-Fambul Tok partnership.
The Fambul Tok Film Educator/Facilitator Guide , with this guide, a companion to the film, Fambul Tok, we are thrilled to be inviting students and teachers around the world to join in learning from the extraordinary work that ordinary people are capable of, when given the opportunity.
The Fambul Tok Film Student Workbook, we invite you to join with us as fellow learners, and to dive into the rich culture and tradition of Sierra Leone through Fambul Tok, its companion book, and the resources in this Guide.
