Leymah Gbowee

Liberian peace activist who mobilized women to end Liberia's civil war through nonviolent protests.

Leymah Gbowee (born 1972) is a Liberian peace activist and Nobel laureate whose 2003 Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace movement helped end her country's 14-year civil war. As a young mother during the conflict, she organized Christian and Muslim women in daily protests that included a sex strike and sit-ins outside the presidential palace. Her efforts pressured President Charles Taylor into attending peace talks that led to his exile. Gbowee's 2011 memoir Mighty Be Our Powers details her activism. She co-founded the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, training youth leaders in conflict resolution. The 2008 documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell chronicles her work. Gbowee's TED Talk "The Price of Peace" has over 2 million views. She currently serves as UN Women's African Regional Director for Peace and Security. Her work inspired similar movements in Kenya and Sudan, earning her the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 alongside Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Tawakkol Karman.