Beatrice Munah Sieh, the Liberian Chief of Police, moved out of her Trenton, New Jersey home to work for President Sirleaf. Picture from The Analyst.

Last night I saw a great documentary called Iron Ladies of Liberia, directed by Daniel Junge and Siatta Scott Johnson, a Liberian woman. It was part of the African Diaspora Film Festival.

The documentary followed President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Finance Minister Antoinette Sayeh, and Police Chief Beatrice Munah Sieh during their first year in office. This was fun for me, as I was in Liberia during most of the time that the documentary was being filmed. All of the events they showed I had read about in the newspapers.

My favorite part of the film showed Siatta Scott Johnson purchasing land to build her home. In a scene that is so unjust it’s almost painful to watch, a guy claims she is encroaching on his property, despite the fact that she has a deed to the land. I looked closer at the guy, and it was one of Sirleaf’s secret service guys who I once sat next to on a plane ride. He had stayed in Liberia throughout the war, and in a situation that has been played out hundreds if not thousands of times throughout the country, holds claim to land that he lived on when it was abandoned during the war.

The documentary showed the visit of the Chinese President, Sirleaf dealing with protests by former Armed Forces of Liberia soldiers, and Sirleaf negotiating between Firestone executives and workers. She comes across as hands-on, just, indefatigable, and smart. There is a great scene where she confronts a Minsitry of Foreign Affairs civil servant who issues passports, and asks why she is still receiving reports of demands for “express service” fees, aka bribes that need to be paid if you want to get your passport sometime before the next ice age. Sirleaf is shown flipping through the office’s accounts book.

The film is being shown again in New York on Thursday, December 6 at 1:50pm at the Clearview 62nd St Theatre at 1871 Broadway. For more information, call the theatre at (212) 864-1760.