Discover The Healing Power Of Surfing In Liberia: ‘we The Surfers’ At The Ocean Film Festival 2025

Published on October 24, 2025

The Ocean Film Festival 2025 has captivated audiences worldwide pinch its stunning portrayal of nan ocean’s beauty, dangers, and imaginable for healing. One of nan standout documentaries featured this twelvemonth is ‘We nan Surfers’, a compelling communicative group successful Liberia, focusing connected nan increasing surf organization successful Robertsport. This movie explores really nan Robertsport Surf Club has go much than conscionable a spot for surfing—it’s a social and economic project that has transformed nan lives of many, particularly nan younker successful Liberia.

From surfing to ocean conservation, this year’s Ocean Film Festival is packed pinch powerful stories that observe nan oceans successful each their forms. While nan show brings attraction to various aspects of marine life, ‘We nan Surfers’ offers a unsocial position connected nan ocean’s expertise to bring healing to communities affected by trauma, poverty, and conflict.

The Surf Revolution successful Liberia: A Grassroots Movement

‘We nan Surfers’ takes audiences connected a travel to Robertsport, a coastal municipality successful Liberia, wherever surfing has emerged arsenic a root of empowerment, healing, and community building. The movie beautifully captures really surfing has evolved from a recreational activity to a catalyst for change successful this region, which has agelong struggled pinch nan aftermath of civil war.

The Robertsport Surf Club, nan bosom of this transformation, is not conscionable a spot to thrust waves; it is simply a social hub that brings together locals of each ages and genders. Surfing present is seen arsenic much than conscionable a sport; it represents a chance for younker to flight nan struggles of mundane life, entree captious resources for illustration surfing equipment, and summation nan confidence to prosecute their dreams.

The film’s director emphasizes that nan Robertsport Surf Club is not simply a sporting initiative. It is, successful fact, a grassroots economic and social project that creates employment, fosters community spirit, and provides opportunities for marginalized groups. Through nan support of NGOs for illustration Protect nan Slide, nan nine provides section younker pinch scholarships, surfing equipment, and nan chance to participate successful surf therapy, each of which lend to nan healing process.

Surfing arsenic Therapy and Empowerment

One of nan astir poignant elements of ‘We nan Surfers’ is its exploration of nan therapeutic benefits of surfing, peculiarly for young girls. In Liberia, wherever women look wide marginalization, gender-based violence, and domestic abuse, surfing provides a unsocial opportunity for these young women to carve retired their ain space. The water is simply a spot wherever they tin acquisition freedom, confidence, and empowerment, acold from nan societal constraints they look connected land.

The movie highlights really surfing allows these young women to summation confidence and flooded individual trauma. It underscores nan value of community and really nan surf nine has created a safe haven for young girls to believe nan athletics alongside boys. This gender inclusivity challenges accepted gender roles and fosters a consciousness of belonging, providing a level for women’s empowerment successful a state wherever specified opportunities are often rare.

For nan young surfers of Robertsport, nan water represents overmuch much than conscionable waves. It is simply a spot wherever they tin heal from nan scars of Liberia’s civilian war, a conflict that lasted from 1989 to 2003 and near heavy affectional wounds connected nan country’s people. In nan film, these surfers stock their individual stories of overcoming trauma, building resilience, and uncovering a consciousness of peace done nan waves.

A Legacy of Healing: Surfing and Liberia’s Troubled History

The discourse of Liberia’s caller history adds different furniture of value to ‘We nan Surfers’. The country’s sadistic civilian warfare had lasting consequences, pinch countless lives mislaid and thousands of children forced to go child soldiers. These experiences near down heavy affectional scars, and nan effect of this traumatic past is still felt today.

The movie doesn’t awkward distant from addressing this difficult history. Through interviews pinch section surfers, it highlights really surfing has go a shape of escape for those who lived done nan horrors of war. For individuals for illustration Alfred Lomax, surfing represents not conscionable a athletics but a coping mechanism, offering a measurement to woody pinch nan mental health challenges faced by galore successful post-war Liberia.

By showcasing nan intersection of trauma and surfing, ‘We nan Surfers’ shines a ray connected nan powerfulness of ocean therapy. The ocean, successful its vastness and beauty, offers a consciousness of bid and tranquility that is sometimes absent from nan regular lives of those who person suffered. The documentary beautifully illustrates really surfing has go a captious instrumentality for nan healing process, some individually and arsenic a community.

Surfing Tourism: A New Economic Model for Liberia

As nan surf organization successful Robertsport continues to grow, nan region is opening to spot nan economical benefits of surf tourism. Through nan efforts of nan Robertsport Surf Club, nan municipality has begun to pull surfers from astir nan world, eager to acquisition nan untapped surf spots of Liberia’s coastline. The increasing fame of nan area has led to an summation successful tourism, providing locals pinch caller opportunities for employment and economic growth.

The economic effect of surfing tourism cannot beryllium overstated. By creating jobs related to surf tourism, including surf instructors, tour guides, and local surf cogwheel rentals, nan Robertsport Surf Club has contributed importantly to nan section economy. Moreover, it provides a sustainable model for economical development, wherever local people are empowered to negociate tourism successful a measurement that benefits their community. This is simply a acold outcry from nan accepted top-down tourism models that often time off section communities connected nan sidelines.

The growth of surfing tourism successful Liberia besides aligns pinch nan broader inclination of eco-tourism and adventure tourism successful Africa. As much travelers activity authentic and impactful experiences, destinations for illustration Robertsport are emerging arsenic cardinal players successful nan world surfing scene. This inclination not only contributes to nan section system but besides helps to raise consciousness astir nan region’s taste heritage, biology issues, and nan value of preserving nan ocean’s earthy beauty.

The Transformative Power of Storytelling

At its core, ‘We nan Surfers’ is simply a movie astir nan transformative powerfulness of storytelling. It is simply a reminder of nan important effect that sharing section stories tin person connected world consciousness and understanding. Through this documentary, nan world learns astir nan challenges faced by nan surf organization successful Liberia, arsenic good arsenic nan opportunities it has created for healing, empowerment, and economical growth.

The film’s occurrence is simply a testament to nan powerfulness of documentary filmmaking arsenic a instrumentality for societal change. By bringing nan stories of these surfers to a wider audience, ‘We nan Surfers’ has not only showcased nan value of surfing arsenic a athletics but besides highlighted nan ocean’s capacity for healing and community building.

The Ocean’s Role successful Travel and Tourism

For travelers and tourists, ‘We nan Surfers’ provides a caller position connected really nan water tin beryllium utilized arsenic a unit for good. As nan documentary demonstrates, surfing offers much than conscionable a thrilling thrust connected nan waves. It is simply a intends of healing, connection, and empowerment, making it a powerful instrumentality for those seeking some beingness and affectional wellness.

As nan world becomes much connected and nan tourism manufacture continues to evolve, destinations for illustration Liberia are emerging arsenic powerful examples of really surf tourism tin thrust some economical maturation and societal change. By embracing nan ocean’s imaginable arsenic a treatment space, Liberia is paving nan measurement for a caller era of eco-conscious tourism that prioritizes some nan situation and nan communities that dangle connected it.

Conclusion

‘We nan Surfers’ is simply a powerful documentary that encapsulates nan healing powerfulness of surfing and its expertise to toggle shape communities. Set successful nan backdrop of Liberia’s Robertsport Surf Club, nan movie offers an inspiring look astatine really surfing has go much than conscionable a sport—it is simply a instrumentality for empowerment, recovery, and economical development. For travelers and surfers alike, this movie is simply a reminder of nan transformative powerfulness of nan water and its expertise to heal not conscionable individuals but full communities.

As Liberia’s surf organization continues to grow, it stands arsenic a sparkling illustration of really surf tourism tin service arsenic a catalyst for affirmative change, making Robertsport an emerging destination for those seeking adventure, healing, and a deeper relationship to nan ocean.