Leymah Gbowee

Leymah Gbowee (2011)

Leymah Roberta Gbowee (born February 1, 1972 in Monrovia ) is a civil rights activist and politician from Liberia . In 2011 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Life

Leymah Roberta Gbowee grew up inland and returned to the capital at the age of 17 when the First Liberian Civil War rocked the country. Leymah Gbowee first worked as a street worker to help traumatized children and young people.

From September 1995 to March 1996 she worked as a consultant and clerk for the Ministry of Health in a facility for civil war refugees. Between December 2001 and December 2005, Leymah Gbowee was Program Coordinator for Women in Peacebuilding (WANEP). In 2002 she organized the founding of the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace movement . This action began with public prayers and protest chants in the capital's marketplaces. The actions served as a non-violent form of protest by mothers and women, they were widely accepted by the population and quickly gained a large number of visitors. The participants put on white clothing as a common distinguishing feature - a sign of purity and the will to peace. The actions were directed against the chaotic and brutal attacks by the combatants and also denounced the Taylor government.

Her call in 2003 to Liberian women for a “ sex strike ” - based on the example of the ancient Lysistrata theme, where men are forced to adopt pacifist policies through permanent sex withdrawal - also caused a stir .

Between February 2004 and October 2005 she was a member-designate of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Liberia. From June 2006 to May 2007 she was regional advisor to the Women Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-Africa) and was appointed Executive Director in July 2007.

Leymah Roberta Gbowee holds a Masters degree from Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia .

For her nonviolent struggle for the security of women and women's rights, she received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 together with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf , also from Liberia, and the Yemeni Tawakkul Karman .

Honors

Tawakkul Karman , Leymah Gbowee and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.

In recognition of the work she has done for the peace process in Liberia, she received:

• 2007 from Harvard University , Kennedy School of Government, the "Blue Ribbon Award";
• In 2008 she was the guest of honor at the gala event of the Global Fund for Women ;
• in October 2009 Ms. Gbowee received the Gruber Prize for Women's Rights in Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands ,
• in November 2009 the Crystal Award for Building Peace from the Victor E. Ward Educational Fund of Liberia .
• in November 2009 the "Honorary Prize for courageous commitment to human rights of women" from the Filmfest FrauenWelten von Terre des Femmes .
• Leymah Roberta Gbowee was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 together with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Tawakkul Karman .
• in November 2018 the International Democracy Prize Bonn

Leymah is the main character in the documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell , which was presented at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival .

literature

• Hawa Noor Mohammed: Women and Peace Building: Does Training and Empowerment make Women better builders? GRIN-Verlag, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-640-55550-5 .

Web links

Commons : Leymah Gbowee  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Leymah Gbowee in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Bill Moyers Journal of 19 June 2009 filed with Public Affairs Television , video report and an interview (English)
• The Colbert Report of July 14, 2009 , Colbert Nation Television on the "Liberian Sex Strike" - partly satirical content (English)
• Tamasin Ford: Leymah Gbowee - profile The Guardian , October 7, 2011
• Katrin Gänsler: "It's your price". Interview with Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In: the daily newspaper . October 13, 2011, accessed October 13, 2011 . 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Leymah Roberta Gbowee. (No longer available online.) In: Ara Pacis Initiative website. Archived from the original on October 10, 2011 ; Retrieved January 4, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Italian)   
2. ↑ ^{a b c} The Nobel Peace Prize 2011: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, Tawakkul Karman at nobelprize.org, October 7, 2011 (accessed October 7, 2011).
3. ↑ ^{a b} Leymah Gbowee. Center for American Progress, November 2008, accessed February 6, 2011 . 
4. ↑ Striving for Peace (Leymah Gbowee Biography). (No longer available online.) In: 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Forum at Luther College, Decorah (IA). Formerly in the original ; Retrieved January 4, 2011 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    (English)
5. ↑ http://www.frauenrechte.de/film/2009/de/ruckblick.htm
6. ↑ Leymah Roberta Gbowee awarded the International Democracy Prize Bonn 2018. International Democracy Prize Bonn, accessed on November 16, 2018 . 
7. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated December 11, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. peacewomen 
8. ↑ Womence Peace Movement of Liberia. In: Website The My Hero Project. Retrieved January 4, 2011 .  (English)