Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee `In Conversation' - public event June 19th

Published On Thu 12 Jun 2014 by Roddy Isles

Leymah Gbowee, co-winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for her contribution to ending a savage war in Liberia, will share her story at a public event at the University of Dundee next week.

Leymah Gbowee was a single mother of four, living in the war-ravaged nation of Liberia, struggling to feed her children and living in constant fear of brutal death at the hands of the country's warring factions. One day she decided she had had enough of this way of life, and set out to end the 14-year conflict that had devastated her nation and destroyed the lives and dreams of its people.

By day she gathered small groups of women in peaceful protest, by night she studied and taught the peaceful protest strategies of Martin Luther King and Ghandi. The women's peace movement in Liberia grew - and ultimately brought an end to the war.   For her contribution to ending the war in Liberia, Leymah Gbowee shared the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.

She now works promoting the education of women in Africa which she believes is a key strategy for the transformation of the continent and its leadership.

Leymah will be presented with an honorary degree by the University of Dundee next week. While she is in Dundee she will be taking part in an `in conversation’ event with Alyson Leslie at the University’s Dalhousie Building on Thursday June 19^th, from 2.30pm to 3.30pm.

“I am absolutely delighted that Leymah is able not just to come to Dundee but to share her story with us,” said Alyson, of the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification at the University of Dundee. “She is a truly remarkable woman and I am sure everyone who comes to hear her speak will be inspired.”

The event is free and open to all. 

Roddy Isles
Head of Press
TEL: 01382 384910
MOBILE: 07800 581902
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk