Fambul Tok

Today’s Living Folk Heroines   

Folk heroines are everywhere. Most of the time they aren’t noticed until after they have died. Sometimes, though we are lucky enough to recognize them in our midst before it is too late to celebrate their good work. Here is a woman – actually, an organization of women (and men) – who teach others how to respond to unbearable violence in a way that betters humanity. Imagine that! Want to meet some of these amazing women? One of them, Michaela Ashwood, head of the Peace Mothers group that is giving war-torn Serra Leone a second breath of air, will be in attendance at the Fambul Tok Benefit Screening in Sonoma County on July 8.

Ashwood is at the heart of Serra Leone’s postwar reconciliation. She and others works with women to help them heal. The work they do gives voice to unmentionable experiences and that process empowers them to heal their community. I hope you can attend this benefit screening, 7-9 pm, July 8 at the Rialto Cinemas Sonoma County in Sebastopol. It is a benefit for Collaborative Families, a Sonoma County organization that provides parents with collaborative professional guidance and neutral decision-support necessary to make informed child-centered decisions, reach non-adversarial mutually beneficial out-of-court family law agreements, access vocational support and microfinance resources and achieve sustainable family income.

Details: The documentary and Michaela Ashwood will be at the Rialto Cinemas Sonoma County in Sebastopol on July 8, 7-9 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased from the theater. RialtoCinemas.com. More info: 707-494-6503.