Iron Ladies of Liberia

On 23 November 2005, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf won the presidential elections in Liberia with a convincing majority. This made her the first democratically elected female president in Africa. In this film, her first year in office is followed by director Siatta Scott Johnson. She monitors, poised between hope and fear, the president's first steps towards a new democracy. The brand new president faces a daunting task. After fourteen years of bloody civil warfare, the country finds itself on the verge of moral and financial ruin. Unemployment and poverty are extensive, the country is corrupt up to the highest levels and the nation faces a towering burden of debt. Hostilities can erupt again any moment. Johnson-Sirleaf appoints a number of women to high positions, like the Chief of Police and the Ministers of Finance and Trade, and sets to work with great vigour and determination. Gradually, she gains the trust of not only the majority of the population, but also of former rebel leaders and ex-soldiers. Despite a series of setbacks, the hope of a peaceful democracy in Liberia is growing.