Leymah Gbowee (pronounced LAY–mah, BEAU-wee) led the Liberian Mass Action for Peace, bringing thousands of Christian and Muslim women together to nonviolently demand that dictator Charles Taylor go to the peace table after 14 years of civil war. The women’s historic achievement of bringing peace to their war-torn country was featured in the acclaimed 2008 documentary, Pray the Devil Back to Hell.
Ms. Gbowee is recognized as a leader in current conflict resolution. She has been given awards such as the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award® and the World Association of Girls Guide 1st Centenary Award, and was recently included in Newsweek and The Daily Beast’s “150 Women Who Shake the World.”
Leymah is presently the co-founder and executive director for Women, Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-A) a women-focused, women-led Pan-African Non-Governmental Organization with the core mandate to promote women’s strategic participation and leadership in peace and security governance in Africa. She holds a MA in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University. She is the mother of six and resides in Accra, Ghana.
