Leymah Gbowee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leymah Gbowee
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Leymah Gbowee in 2013
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Leymah Roberta Gbowee
1 February 1972 Central Liberia
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| Nationality | Liberian |
| Education | AA degree in social work, Mother Patern College of Health Sciences, Monrovia, Liberia; MA in conflict transformation, Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA |
| Occupation | Peace activist |
| Known for | Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace and Pray the Devil Back to Hell |
| Awards | Nobel Peace Prize (2011) |
Leymah Roberta Gbowee (born 1 February 1972) is a brave Liberian peace activist. She led a non-violent women's movement called the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace. This movement helped end the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. Her efforts, along with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, brought peace to Liberia. They also helped make a free election possible in 2005. Leymah Gbowee, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Tawakkul Karman won the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. They received the award for their "non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work."
Contents
Leymah Gbowee's Early Life
Leymah Gbowee was born in central Liberia on February 1, 1972. When she was 17, the First Liberian Civil War started in 1989. This war caused a lot of trouble in the country until 1996.
After the war, Leymah learned about a program by UNICEF. It trained people to be social workers. These workers would help those who were hurt by the war. She took a three-month training course.
Later, she moved to Ghana with her partner and children. They lived as refugees and faced hard times. She then returned to Liberia with her three children. Her parents and other family members were still there.
In 1998, Leymah volunteered for a program at the Lutheran Church in Monrovia. It was called the Trauma Healing and Reconciliation Program (THRP). This was the start of her journey as a peace activist. The THRP helped people heal from the war's damage.
Leymah studied social work and earned her degree in 2001. She used her training to help former child soldiers. She saw how much the war was hurting children. She realized that "if any changes were to be made in society it had to be by the mothers." Leymah, now a mother of four, decided to gather the women of Liberia to stop the violence.
Education and Training for Peace
Leymah Gbowee earned her first degree in social work in 2001. She studied at Mother Patern College of Health Sciences in Monrovia, Liberia.
Later, she got a Master of Arts degree in Conflict Transformation in 2007. She studied at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She also received training in preventing conflict and building peace. This training came from the United Nations and other organizations.
Leymah Gbowee's Work for Peace
Leymah Gbowee started the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa in 2012. It is based in Monrovia, Liberia. This foundation helps girls, women, and young people in Liberia get education and leadership skills.
She was also the leader of the Women Peace and Security Network Africa. This group works to build connections in West Africa. It helps women prevent and end conflicts. She also helped start the Women in Peacebuilding Program (WIPNET).
From 2012 to 2014, Leymah worked on a special team for the International Conference on Population and Development. In 2013, she became a global ambassador for Oxfam.
Leymah travels the world to speak about women's rights, peace, and safety. In 2016, she spoke at a protest for peace between Israel and Palestine. She also supports A New Dimension of Hope, a group that builds schools in Liberia.
Since 2017, Leymah has been the Executive Director of the Women of Peace and Security Program at The Earth Institute, Columbia University. She also writes for The Daily Beast.
Healing from Trauma
In 1999, Leymah met Samuel Gbaydee Doe. He was a Liberian who had studied peace-building. He led Africa's first regional peace group, the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP). Leymah started reading many books about peace-building. She learned from thinkers like Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi.
In 2000, Leymah met Thelma Ekiyor from Nigeria. Thelma was a lawyer who wanted to start a women's organization. "Thelma was a thinker, a visionary... But she was a woman, like me," Leymah wrote.
Soon, WANEP helped fund the first meeting of the Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET) in Ghana. Women from many West African countries attended. They learned about conflict resolution and why women should be involved in peace efforts. Leymah shared her own difficult life story there for the first time. Thelma Ekiyor became Leymah's mentor and friend. Thelma also named Leymah as the leader of the Liberian Women's Initiative.
Leading a Mass Women's Movement
By 2002, Leymah was working on trauma healing and leading WIPNET in Liberia. One night, she had a dream where she felt God told her, "Gather the women and pray for peace!" She realized this dream was a call for her to act.
Leymah and her friends, including a Muslim woman named Asatu, started spreading their message. They went to mosques, markets, and churches. Their flyers said: "We are tired! We are tired of our children being killed! We are tired of being abused!! Women, wake up – you have a voice in the peace process!" They also used simple drawings for women who could not read.
By summer 2002, Leymah was known as the leader of the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace. This peace movement began with women praying and singing in a fish market. Women also protested the war by fasting and picketing government buildings. Leymah led thousands of Christian and Muslim women in Monrovia. They prayed for peace and held daily non-violent protests. They did this even though the president, Charles Taylor, had ordered them not to.
The women's protests made President Charles Taylor promise to attend peace talks in Ghana. He agreed to negotiate with the rebel groups.
In June 2003, Leymah led Liberian women to Ghana. They wanted to pressure the groups fighting in the peace talks. The women protested outside the hotels where the talks were held. When the talks went on for weeks without progress, Leymah led dozens of women inside the hotel. They sat down in front of the meeting room door. Their signs said: "Butchers and murderers of the Liberian people -- STOP!"
Leymah sent a message to the main mediator, General Abubakar. She said the women would hold the delegates "hostage" until a peace agreement was reached. General Abubakar supported the women. When the men tried to leave, Leymah and her allies threatened to take off their clothes. In Africa, this is a very serious curse. With Abubakar's help, the women stayed outside the room. This made the peace talks more serious.
The Liberian war officially ended weeks later. The Accra Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed on August 18, 2003. Leymah said, "what we [women] did marked the beginning of the end."
This women's movement not only helped end 14 years of war. It also led to the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as president of Liberia in 2005. She was the first elected woman leader in Africa. Sirleaf shared the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakel Karman.
Building Lasting Peace
After the peace agreement, Leymah and the other Liberian women activists were seen as heroes. But they were worried that the peace was fragile. The war had killed 250,000 people, and many more were displaced. Most of the country's buildings were destroyed.
Leymah was upset by how some United Nations agencies worked. She felt they did not involve Liberian people enough. She believed that people who had lived through conflict had good ideas about how to build peace. She wanted Liberian groups, especially women's organizations, to be part of rebuilding the country. She felt the UN spent too much money on its own staff instead of giving it to local people.
By late 2003, Leymah was asked to speak at conferences around the world. She explained WIPNET's experiences. She studied more about peace-building theories. She read books by experts like Louise Diamond and John Paul Lederach. She traveled to New York, South Africa, and Switzerland.
Master's Degree in Peacebuilding
In 2004, Leymah decided to take college courses in peace-building. She heard about Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in the United States. It had a well-known program in peace-building and conflict resolution. She found her first four weeks at EMU to be "transformative."
She studied with Hizkias Assefa and Howard Zehr. Zehr taught her about "restorative justice." This idea helps victims and offenders work together to fix the harm done. Leymah felt this was very important for Africa. She believed it could help people be held accountable for their actions. She knew she wanted to return to EMU.
Leymah went back to EMU in 2006-07 for her master's degree. She studied "conflict transformation and peacebuilding." She felt her mind grew and she understood more. She realized she could now call what she did in Liberia "strategic peacebuilding." Being at EMU, surrounded by others who had lived through conflict, helped her heal.
In September 2006, Leymah spoke at the UN in New York City. She talked about protecting women from violence and involving them in peace efforts. While there, she met Abigail Disney, a filmmaker and philanthropist. Disney wanted to make a documentary about how the women of Liberia ended the war.
Women in Peace and Security Network (WIPSEN)
Around 2006-07, Leymah and her colleagues decided to start a new organization. They wanted to be fully in charge of their work. They started the Women in Peace and Security Network (WIPSEN) in Accra, Ghana. Abigail Disney helped Leymah raise money to start WIPSEN.
Religious Views
During the Second Liberian Civil War, Leymah Gbowee used religion and spirituality to help end the war. She used religious songs, traditional songs, and other songs sung by Christian and Muslim women. After winning the Nobel Prize in 2011, she spoke about how important religion was in achieving peace in Liberia. She has given talks on "Women as Catalysts for Local and Global Spiritually-Engaged Movements for Sustainable Peace."
Documentary Film
Leymah Gbowee is the main person and narrator in the 2008 documentary film Pray the Devil Back to Hell. The film shows clips from the war. It won Best Documentary Feature at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. The film has been used around the world to inspire women in conflict areas. Leymah said, "no matter how different the country and the society, women recognized themselves and started talking about how they could unite to solve their own problems."
In the film, Leymah is shown as someone who can laugh and enjoy life, even after all she has been through. She is seen as a smart and inspiring leader who brings women together. The film shows women dancing, singing, and smiling during protests.
Awards and Recognitions
Leymah Gbowee began receiving many awards for her work. The first was from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 2006. More awards followed quickly. These included recognition by Women's eNews, the Gruber Prize for Women's Rights, and the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.
In July 2011, Eastern Mennonite University named her their "Alumna of the Year." The biggest honor came in October 2011. The Norwegian Nobel Committee chose Leymah Gbowee as one of three women to receive the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. In 2022, she was a special fellow at Cornell University.
Awards
- 2019 – Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement
- 2016 – Community of Christ International Peace Award
- 2014 – Oxfam America Right the Wrong Award
- 2013 – The New York Women's Foundation Century Award
- 2013 – Barnard College Medal of Distinction
- 2012 – Olympic flag bearer in the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
- 2012 - James Parks Morton Interfaith Award
- 2011 – Nobel Peace Prize laureate
- 2011 – University of Massachusetts Lowell Greeley Scholar for Peace Studies
- 2011 – Villanova Peace Award from Villanova University
- 2011 – Alumna of the Year, Eastern Mennonite University
- 2010 – Living Legends Award for Service to Humanity
- 2010 – John Jay Medal for Justice from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice
- 2010 – Joli Humanitarian Award from Riverdale Country School
- 2009 – Gruber Prize for Women's Rights
- 2009 – John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.
- 2009 – "Honor Award for Courageous Commitment for Human Rights of Women" by the Filmfestival Women's Worlds, TERRE DES FEMMES, Germany.
- 2008 – Women's eNews Leaders for the 21st Century Award
- 2007 – Blue Ribbon for Peace from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Honorary Degrees
- 2024 – Honorary Doctorate, Georgetown University
- 2018 – Honorary Doctorate of International Affairs from American University
- 2012 – Honorary Doctorate by Rhodes University
Other Activities
Leymah Gbowee is involved in many important groups:
- Carnegie Corporation of New York, Board of Trustees (since 2020)
- Calouste Gulbenkian Prize for Human Rights, Jury Member (since 2018)
- Ara Pacis Initiative, Council Member
- Aurora Prize, Selection Committee Member (since 2015)
- High Level Taskforce for the International Conference on Population and Development, Member
- Nobel Women's Initiative, Board Member
- PeaceJam Foundation, Board Member
- World Refugee & Migration Council (WRMC), Council Member
See also
In Spanish: Leymah Gbowee para niños
- Gender Inequality in Liberia
- Black Nobel Prize laureates
- List of female Nobel laureates
- List of peace activists
- List of women who led a revolt or rebellion
- Lysistrata
- International Women´s Day: Interview With Leymah Gbowee at * Global Education Magazine
