On 10th December two African women will receive Nobel Peace Prize
The Human Rights Day will be marked on 10th December 2011. On the same day, this year’s Noble Peace Prizes will be given to three women: Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman, a leading figure in Yemen’s pro-democracy movement.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said that the women won the prize “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.”
“We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women obtain the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society,” the Committee added.
Nobel Peace Prize for African Women (NOPPAW) Campaign that proposed giving the Noble Peace Prize 2011 to all African women is calling for a national celebration in honour of the work African women do to promote peace in the continent.
The Campaign is urging all who supported the candidacy of African women to celebrate this achievement on 10th December by organizing events in various Italian cities.
Guido Barbera, President of Solidarietà e Cooperazione Cipsi and Eugenio Melandri, coordinator of ChiAma l’Africa, the two organisations behind NOPPAW, are making a special appeal to all, including entertainment and sports personalities to take part in such celebrations.
The main event will be held in Rome, where throughout the day, it will be possible to enjoy songs, dances, lectures, theatrical presentations, and speeches from artists who backed the Campaign.
All who would like to either organize the celebrations in their cities, or take part are encouraged to contact NOPPAW by dialing 06.5414894 or sending an email to:
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NOPPAW managed to nominate the African women for the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.
The idea of proposing African women for the Nobel Peace Prize was aimed at making the international community recognise that without the hidden and hard work of African women, most African societies would be poorer both economically and socially.
African women are the backbone of Africa. They are responsible for 75% of agricultural production and produce 85% of Africa’s consumer goods. The Campaign highlighted the fact that thousands of African women’s organizations deal with political and social issues, provide healthcare and promote peace.
It observed that during war, African women endure the massacre of their fathers, brothers, husbands and sons, and are forced to watch as their children are taken from them and obliged to fight.
“Women are indeed the backbone of Africa in all the areas of life; from homemaking and raising children to the economy, politics, culture, the arts and the environment. Indeed, it is impossible to conceive of any human future in Africa without their essential, active participation. Without their far-reaching contribution today, there can be no Africa of tomorrow,” NOPPAW said, adding that “In our modern world, plagued by human as well as (the well documented) economic crisis, we believe that the humble woman of Africa and the pivotal role that she plays can help pave the reconstruction of a more just human society – not just in Africa, but across the globe.”
By Stephen Ogongo Ongong’a
