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Rebecca Richman Cohen, dir. War Don Don. 2010. 85 min. In English and Krio, with English subtitles. U.S. Racing Horse Productions and Naked Edge Films. $29.95.
Freetown 2009. After five years of trial, Issa Hassan Sesay, the former RUF commander, is found guilty of sixteen of the eighteen counts for which he was indicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone. Who is Issa Sesay? What crimes did he commit? What is the RUF? What is the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and what is its purpose? These are the main questions that Rebecca Richman Cohen's documentary War Don Don is attempting to answer.
In Krio, "war don don" means "the war is over." For Sierra Leoneans, it was the announcement that declared that the decade-long civil war between the local government and the rebel forces of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was finally over. Initially, the RUF presented itself as an organization fighting government corruption and the poor living conditions in the country. However, it eventually engulfed Sierra Leone in a long and horrible conflict, during which many atrocities were perpetrated: amputations, the use of child soldiers, rapes.
War Don Don...