Leymah Gbowee tells how she galvanized women across Liberia in 2003 to force a peace in the region after 14 years of war. She began organizing Christian and Muslim women to demonstrate together, founding the Liberian Mass Action for Peace, launching protests and even a sex strike. Her memoir, Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War, chronicles the violence she’s faced throughout her life and the peace she has helped to broker by inspiring her countrywomen and others around the world to take action to bring peace and change history.
The documentary "Pray the Devil Back to Hell," which features Leymah Gbowee, will be shown on PBS on October 18, at 10:00 pm, as part of the series "Women, War & Peace."
Guests:
Leymah Gbowee
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Comments [13]
Thank you Leymah Gbowee for all that you & the women of Liberia have done. You ALL deserve the Nobel Peace Prize even more than some who have received it. You are an inspiration, but not only to women. And, you make me proud. Proud :)) Thanks again.
@Libby Bassett from New York
Thanks for the link.
Liberian market women fed their people during 14 years of brutal civil war, while praying, protesting and negotiating for peace. To honor them the Sirleaf Market Women's Fund is building or rebuilding 50 markets. We completed 13 so far, with 9 in the pipeline. Through SMWF 500 market women have learned to read and write in the past year alone, and more than 600 women have gotten micro-credit. To learn more: www.smwf.org
What a fabulous woman!
Love Leymah Gbowee!!
She's incredible!!
The women's peace activism during the Liberian civil war was a radical movement, highly symbolic of the power in women's organizing. It was this that inspired me to go to LIberia where I lived and worked for a year in rural Liberia. What I witnessed was quite the contrary to what is publicized about Liberia. The status of women in Liberia remains that of second-class citizens and women appear disempowered. Young girls and women continue to define their worth based on their relationships with men. Can Leymah comment on the status of women in Liberia today?
Here's a great example of what can happen when women band together. And I'm NOT talking about the Michelle Bachmann's of the world!
I said it yesterday, and I'll say it again today: Elliot Forrest is doing a wonderful job! He should be the default interviewer when Lenny is out.
I AM LOVING ELLIOT FORREST. He should always be guest host.
So how does she feel about Charles Taylor bringing blood diamonds to Mandela and his guests?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Dennis
Sex strike only works against "good" men. The bad ones get it anyway.
The wars began in 1980. I was in Monrovia in July 1979 for the O.A.U. Summit, and we could see the ravages of food riots during Apr. 1979.
Thank you
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