How Leymah Gbowee Led a Women’s Movement That Ended a Civil War

Photo by Fronteiras do Pensamento

If men start the wars, is it up to the women to end them

At the start of the 21st century, the West African nation of Liberia was embroiled in its second civil war. The war left thousands dead, many thousands of others displaced

A young single mother named Leymah Gbowee had enough, and formed a women’s group to press for peace,

Her movement quickly grew, and its peaceful, non-violent efforts – including a controversial “sex strike” – produced a peace agreement in 2003.

Get your copy of Leymah Gbowee’s book

And that, in turn, led to the election of the first modern-day female elected head of state in Africa, ElLen Johnson Sirleaf.

For their work, Gbowee and Sirleaf shared the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. That same year Gbowee wrote a memoir called Mighty Be Our Powers. That’s when I met her.

So here now, from 2011, Leymah Gbowee,

Leymah Gbowee is 52 now. And Liberia, although still facing many challenges, continues to make strides toward full democracy.

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