“We defeat our cause if we choose not to identify ourselves.” Standing true to one’s cause, Nobel Peace Laureate, Leymah Gbowee tells a crowded Helix theatre, is the foundation for evoking change.
It is just a day since Hilary Clinton announced her candidacy for President of the United States of America. The feminist political figure stood on this stage just over two years prior to this day, April 15, in which political activist Leymah Gbowee is about to begin her address. DCU President Brian MacCraith mentions Clinton while introducing the Nobel Laureate, he aptly quotes the former First Lady’s assertion that women’s right should be treated as human rights.
‘Living peace, leaving peace’ is the title of the vibrant Liberian peace activist’s lecture. Renowned for her efforts to band together a female movement to bring to an end the Liberian civil war, Gbowee has been kept busy since being awarded the Nobel Prize for peace. She jokes that she pities the prize’s youngest winner and 2014 recipient, Malala Yousafzai. “I’m 39 I can retire. I feel sorry for Malala, she can’t retire any time soon.”
Gbowee’s talk touches on a myriad of issues from gun violence in the US to the education of girls in Africa. The consistent theme of legacy underscores her lecture. She discusses how the legacy we leave behind us is a product of the way in which we choose to live our lives. She explains that by living a life governed by the pursuit of peace, we leave peace behind as our legacy: living peace, leaving peace.
Katie O’Neill
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