Iron Ladies of Liberia

PBS/Independent Lens

March 18 at 10 p.m., ET. Check Local Listings

In 2006, following decades of civil war, the Republic of Liberia elected Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as president, making this 60-something grandmother the first woman to lead an African country. As Johnson-Sirleaf and her team of women appointees set about rebuilding and re-democratizing their country, filmmaker Daniel Junge followed to see if a gender shift could affect change.

The Iron Ladies, as they are called, have made an impact, thought it's been slow going. The new president's most important achievements have been in restructuring the country's debt, but citizens of the capital, Monrovia, might be more impressed that their Number One Iron Lady has restored electricity to the city.

More information can be found at www.pbs.org/ironladies.

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