Gbovi, Leima

Leima Gbovi was born in central Liberia. At the age of 17, when the First Civil War broke out , she moved to the country's capital, Monrovia . During the war, she studied psychology and worked with children who participated in hostilities ^[6] . She came to the conclusion that "only mothers can bring about changes in society." ^[7] She herself is the mother of six children. ^[eight]

In 2002, Gbovi, during the second civil war in Liberia , while working as a social worker, organized a mass movement of Liberian women for peace. It began with a small group of women praying and singing in the fish market ^[9] . Over time, more and more Christian and Muslim women of Monrovia became involved in the movement. Under the leadership of Gbovi, the movement managed to meet with the then incumbent President of Liberia, Charles Taylor, and secure a promise from him to attend the peace talks in Ghana .

Gbovi led a delegation of women from Liberia in Ghana, whose goal was to exert pressure on the warring parties. ^[10] One of the actions of the delegation was a silent protest outside the walls of the presidential palace in Accra . The protests also included a “sex strike” (a method of peacemaking described in the comedy of Aristophanes “ Lysistratus ”). ^[11] When they tried to detain her during the protest, she threatened to strip naked publicly (which is a terrible curse in West African culture) and this threat acted — they did not begin to detain her. ^[12]

Leyma Gbovi together with Comfort Freeman organized the WIPNET movement ( Women in Peacebuilding Network , Women in Peace Building ) and issued an appeal to the president:

In the past, we were silent, but by killing, raping, inhumane treatment, disease and the destruction of our children and families, the war taught us that the future is behind the words “NO” to violence and “YES” to the world! We will not back down until the world triumphs ^[13] .

Original text

In the past we were silent, but after being killed, raped, dehumanized, and infected with diseases, and watching our children and families destroyed, war has taught us that the future lies in saying NO to violence and YES to peace! We will not relent until peace prevails.

The official symbol of the movement was white T-shirts, the color of which symbolizes the world ^[11] . The movement managed to hold several successful negotiations to achieve peace with representatives of various governments ^[14] .

Through their efforts in 2003, the second civil war in Liberia was over, and Helen Johnson-Serleaf , the first woman president in African history, was elected president.

Leima Gbovi holds an MA in Conflict Resolution from East Mennon University in Virginia . She is the executive director of the African Women's Peace and Security Alliance , based in Accra in Ghana. ^[15] In 2008, the documentary " Drive the Devil Back to Hell " ^[16] was shot about her.

• 2007 - Blue Ribbon from the Harvard Institute of Public Administration. John F. Kennedy
• 2009 - Gruber Award for Women's Rights
• 2009 - Award “Profiles of courage” ^[11]
• 2011 - Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Tawakul Karman and Helen Johnson-Sirleaf