Leymah Gbowee
Tribute
Leymah Gbowee mobilized women for Liberia's peace while creating zones of safety, stability, and joy for her six children during the civil war, demonstrating that a mother's protective instinct can transform not just families but nations. Beyond her Nobel Peace Prize, we honour the treaties negotiated between siblings, the diplomatic solutions to homework resistance, and the peacekeeping missions conducted in teenage social dynamics, knowing that these unrecognized achievements have shaped the future as meaningfully as her public work.
Profile
Leymah Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist, social worker, and women’s rights advocate best known for leading a nonviolent movement that helped end Liberia’s 14-year civil war in 2003. She is the Founder and President of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, which focuses on education and leadership development for women, girls, and youth in Liberia. Her leadership in mobilizing Christian and Muslim women for peace played a crucial role in paving the way for Africa’s first female head of state, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. In recognition of her efforts, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 alongside Sirleaf and Tawakkol Karman. Born in Liberia, Leymah was 17 when the war began, an experience that shaped her commitment to peacebuilding. She trained as a social worker and trauma counselor, working with ex-child soldiers before becoming a founding member of the Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET). She co-founded and led the Women Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-A), a pan-African organization promoting women’s leadership in peace and security. Her activism has been documented in the award-winning film ‘Pray the Devil Back to Hell’ and her memoir ‘Mighty Be Our Powers’. She has served on various international boards and was a flag-bearer at the 2012 London Olympics. She is the proud mother of six children.2 when she performed ‘The Garden of Our Heart’ alongside Grammy Award-winning composer A. R. Rahman and the Firdaus Orchestra at the Dubai Expo, marking a significant milestone in her international exposure. She is happily married to Yinka Okeleye and blessed with a child.