Beyond Policy Blueprints

War Documentary Films as Strategic Media for Peacebuilding in Africa

Bibliographic Data

ID21637264
AuthorsElinam Balimenuku Amevor (0000-0003-0012-011X, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume37
Issue3
Pages792-808
Publication date2026-05-27
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHoward Journal of Communications (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1064-6175 • E-ISSN: 1096-4649
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10646175.2025.2537249
OpenAlexW4412653133
LanguageEN
References cited72

Institutional frameworks for peacebuilding in Africa are largely shaped by policy blueprints with little consideration for alternative methods for peace. Drawing on reflexive-thematic analysis and media effects theory, this study examined how women used the Pray the Devil Back to Hell war documentary film as strategic media for peacebuilding in Liberia. The study revealed sisterhood as collective identity, prayer as communal empowerment, sex strike as a tool for peace consensus, and sit-ins as attention-getting tactics by women to force the peace deal into reality in Liberia. Findings underscore the need for a nuanced understanding of women’s role in peacebuilding, based on their lived experiences of war. This study suggests mainstreaming war documentary films as strategic media for understanding the social grammar of war-induced suffering toward sustainable peacebuilding in Africa

Art · Blueprint · Media studies · Peacebuilding · Political economy · Political science · Sociology · Visual arts · African history and culture studies · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Peacebuilding and International Security · Public Administration

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