Women Peacemakers Receive the Nobel Peace Prize!
Left, Leymah Gbowee in September; center: President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, right: Tawakul Karman (photo NYTimes))
Search for Common Ground congratulations this year’s Nobel Peace prize recipients, Leymah Gbowee, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Tawakul Karman, who have been honored for “their nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights.” In the long history of the Nobel Peace Prize, most recipients have been men, but this year’s selection is an acknowledgement that true peace cannot be attained without gender equality and full participation from women. Thorbjoern Jaglan, the chairman of the Nobel Committee said, “We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society.”
Norwegian Nobel Committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland, right, and Permanent Secretary Geir Lundestad, left, hold up photographs of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen, center left, after announcing them as the recipients of the 2011 Nobel Peace prize in Oslo, Norway. (AP / Scanpix Norway, Terje Bendiksby)
Gbowee and Johnson Sirleaf have both made significant contributions toward peace in Liberia. Leymah Gbowee, whose inspiring work is the subject of the award-winning film, Pray the Devil Back to Hell organized Muslim and Christian women in a nonviolent movement called Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace. Their indomitable wills and remarkable solidarity became a powerful force against violence and the transgressions of their own government. Dressed in white t-shirts Muslim and Christian women prayed together for peace and demanded and end to the country’s long civil war.
Their struggle led directly to the election of Ellen Johnson Sirfleaf, the first African woman head of state. Among her many honors, President Sirleaf received a Common Ground Award in 2006 for her commitment to reconciliation and inclusion in Liberia. She inherited a country just emerging from a decade-long civil war and has worked tirelessly for Liberian development, stability and unity. President Sirleaf is currently in the midst of a heated re-election campaign in Liberia, where SFCG was recently unanimously selected as chair of the national Election Coordinating Committee (ECC). SFCG’s selection illustrates the trust that SFCG-Liberia is held in by Liberian civil society.
Tawakul Karman, at 32 one of the youngest Prize recipients, is one of Yemen’s most well-known non-violent activists. She organized the first student demonstrations against President Saleh’s rule. For her role she has been attacked, imprisoned and threatened with kidnapping and death. She leads the human rights advocacy group, Women Journalists Without Chains. Some of her supports have named her “The Mother of the Revolution.” Her work and impact have been chronicled in greater detail by the Common Ground News Service.
SFCG has offices in both Liberia and Yemen, but encouraging and supporting women’s leadership and participation in peace processes is a focus of our work worldwide. The selection of these three extraordinary women will hopefully encourage other would-be leaders and demonstrate the importance and value of women’s voices.
