Tonight, the Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord sat down with Leymah Roberta Gbowee, the Liberian peace and women’s activist, as part of the Los Angeles Library’s ALOUD speakers’ program at the Mark Taper Auditorium in downtown. View the evening's discussion here.
About 100 people gathered for an hour and a half as Dr. Guibord and Gbowee had an intimate and compelling conversation about Gbowee’s organization and her leadership of the Liberian Mass Action for Peace, a coalition of Christian and Muslim women who sat and fasted in public protest to confront Liberia’s ruthless president, Charles Taylor, and rebel warlords in an effort to end the fighting.
Highlighting stories from her new book “Mighty Be Our Powers,” Gbowee spoke about the impact of the horrific atrocities Liberians faced, especially the women and children, and what ultimately led the women, both Christian and Muslim, to band together and act once they realized “we are the hope for our community. We are fighting for the future of our children.”
Drawing strength from Scripture, specifically the Book of Esther and from stories of strong Muslim women, such as Khadija, Prophet Mohammed’s wife, this courageous and unshakeable movement of women eventually brought an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003 and with it Gbowee emerged as an international peacemaker.
“Sometimes you need water and sometimes you need fire to do something,” said Gbowee, who discussed the difficulties the women faced from the average Liberian to those wielding great political power. “We intended to fast for only a few months, and we ended up fasting for two years. “ This then led the women to start a sex strike, knowing it would be a powerful tool in getting Liberia’s men to join the movement.
The movement opened the door in 2006 for the first women, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, to be elected as president of Liberia. Gbowee said she is returning to her country to vote in the election, and is hopeful that her friend will be re-elected.
The evening ended with a Q and A and a special preview trailer of the 2009 documentary film “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” which will be released as one of a five-part series on women and war scheduled to air on public television on Oct. 10, 2011. The segment tells the story of the Liberian Civil War and of the advocacy tools used in mobilizing women to petition for peace and security throughout such conflict zones in Africa.
When asked for final thoughts to end the evening, Gbowee said “I don’t begrudge God for
any of the trials I’ve gone through, I see it as a rite for God’s favor. I want to help; I need to help here.” She stressed that there is so much healing and sustaining power in creating a community, leaving those gathered with the invitation and challenge of looking around to see what you can do to build community and help right where you are.
