Leymah Gbowee

Morning Plenary with Response Panel

Saturday, July 16
9:00 a.m.


Leymah Gbowee

Leymah Gbowee brought peace to war-torn Liberia after more than a decade of civil war. She is the central figure in the documentary “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” which chronicles the interfaith, female-led journey for Liberian peace. Today, Leymah is the Executive Director of Women Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-Africa), based in Accra, Ghana.

A social worker by profession, she has been a case worker and peacebuilder for more than 15 years. She is a founding member and former coordinator of the Women in Peacebuilding Program/West African Network for Peacebuilding (WIPNET/WANEP). During her tenure as coordinator for WIPNET/WANEP, Leymah organized collaborative peace-building initiatives for a network of women peacebuilders from nine of Liberia's 15 counties. She also served as the commissioner-designate for the Liberia Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Additionally, Gbowee has presented on several regional and international panels, including UNIFEM’s “Women and the Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration and Repatriation (DDRR) Process.” She recently presented at the United Nations Security Council’s Arria Formula Meeting on women, peace, and security organized around the fifth anniversary of UN Resolution 1325.

In October 2007, the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government honored Leymah with the Blue Ribbon Peace Award. This annual award is given to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to peace-building through innovative strategies that promote women’s leadership in peace processes on local, national or international levels. In 2009, Leymah and the women of Liberia were awarded the Profiles in Courage Award by the Kennedy Library Foundation.

Leymah holds a M.A. in conflict transformation from Eastern Mennonite University and is a mother of five.

Imagine standing up for your rights amidst the tyrannical leadership of a civil war-torn country. Most of us are called to lead people on church committees, work teams or PTO groups. We don’t usually find ourselves battling brutal warlords or demanding peace for a nation. But social worker and peacemaker Leymah Gbowee found herself called to lead Liberia on a mission for peace, and she responded.

Philippians 4:9, one of our theme verses, tells us, “the God of peace will be with you.” Gbowee assembled an interfaith group of women to campaign for Liberian peace. Hear a first-hand account of her journey at a screening of the documentary “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” (see the Schedule at a Glance section for viewing times), and learn about the transformation of a country from peril to peace.