Fambul Tok Reconciliation Project

According to the organisers, Fambul Tok is built on Sierra Leone's tradition of discussing and resolving issues within the security of a family circle. The programme works at the village level to help communities organise ceremonies that include truth-telling bonfires and traditional cleansing ceremonies - practices which have not been employed since before the war.

Fambul Tok is rooted in the understanding that reconciliation is a process and not a one-time event, and so works with communities on a long-term basis. It works to ensure full community engagement through consultations to determine whether people are ready to reconcile, and through community-led preparations and outreach for the ceremonies. The programme follows a consultative process to foster local ownership at every level and to create maximum impact in the community healing process.

Following the ceremonies, the programme continues to work with communities to organise activities to support and sustain the reconciliation process, including radio listening clubs, football games, and community farms. According to the organisers, as these activities take root, local networks within and among villages are created, helping to provide opportunities for ongoing learning, and building on local resources and capacities to foster an environment of healing.

The organisers state that the healing process of reconciliation and forgiveness is designed to address the roots of conflict at the local level, and to restore dignity to the lives of those who suffered most directly from violence. They add that Fambul Tok is distinctly Sierra Leonean, rooted in African communal sensibilities that emphasise the need for communities to be whole, with each member playing a role to achieve peace and development for the whole nation.

For more information on Fambul Tok, visit the Fambul Tok website.

Catalyst for Peace initiated a documentary film project with Tarmac Road Production Company to record the Fambul Tok process. Click here to view the trailer on the film's website.

Peace and Reconciliation

Sierra Leone entered a new era when the final phases of internationally driven institutions such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Special Court came to a close. Fambul Tok is designed to help meet the demands of this new phase in the country's post-conflict history.

Originally conceived as a chiefdom-level programme that would involve 161 ceremonies around the country, Fambul Tok evolved to include other Sierra Leoneans who asked for ceremonies to be held at the much smaller level of village groupings known as "sections". To meet this need, the project will involve thousands of ceremonies to be held over several years.