Leymah Gbowee: Thank you very much to you Javier. The pleasure is mine.
JCR: As an inherent specialist in Human Rights, Woman Rights and Peacebuilding, do you think 90´ Liberian woman experiences is a good example of Human Rights and Gender flight for other countries around the world, especially in Africa?
LG: The Liberian women peace movement demonstrated to the world that grassroots movements are essential to sustaining peace; that women in leadership positions are effective brokers for peace; and the importance of culturally relevant social justice movements. Liberia’s experience is a good example to the world that women—especially African women—can be drivers of peace.
JCR: I believe you. When we met last month of September in Salvador de Bahía, Brazil, during your conferences “Fronteiras do Pensamento” (Boundaries of Thought), I felt all your enormous courage comes from your ideological convictions and specially from your role as Mum. Mother of six children, you said that social changes must be performed by mothers. What kind of message could we send today to support their role as engine of change of the world-society?
LG: There are three things women can do as engines of change. First at the family level, we have to go back to the space as mothers. We lay down the values and principles for our children; we show them what is right and how to care for others. Many times and in many places, mothers think of their children as friends, and don’t enforce the values and principles of healthy living, of leading a healthy life. Second, mothers understand the challenges and ills of their communities. They know what is wrong and what is right in their communities. It is incumbent upon mothers to work on the issues that can derail the safety of their communities; if left untouched, the values and principles of family are undermined. At the national level, mothers must keep their eyes open on the political dynamics because the personal is the political. Politics affect the prices in the market, the maternal mortality rate, whether our children can obtain a quality education. Politics even decide the reproductive rights of women. Therefore, we must ensure that our political representatives expand and protect our rights.
JCR: There are not doubts you see the world-society with a rich and interesting approach after your long theoretical and pragmatically experience. In this sense, how do you imagine the closed future? What are the hot points that human being should be focused to improve the current world?
LG: The issue of rights will continue to be a source of tension well into the future. If we look at the situation of conflict in many communities, a lot of it derives from individuals not respecting the rights of others whether its determining the sexuality of others or what happens to the bodies of people. We must recognize that the way you treat your neighbors extinguishes or ignites conflicts. Essentially, the hot point is: How do we respect the rights of individuals?
JCR: It is a good question and it is more interesting if we take a look to the humankind future. In fact, following some statistics from different studies, such as United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs inform of 2012, DESA, what kind of challenges we will have in 2050, for example, when the number of citizens arrive to 9,600 thousand of millions?
LG: There are two major challenges we now face that will continue to define our future: the environment and youth unemployment. The environment—specifically climate change— impacts the way we relate to the Earth and to each other. The scramble for environmental resources will continue to be a source of conflict exacerbated by youth unemployment. Our failure to provide meaningful opportunities for the youth makes conflict more attractive which has a destabilizing affect.
JCR: In this sense, it is also interesting to link your reflections with the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations (MDGs), because it is the first time in the history of humanity in which almost all the countries around the world signed deals to work together under the same premises. What do you think about them? Will we see them achieved any day?
LG: The Millennium Development Goals are an important effort to address issues of gender-parity, opportunity, and safety. However, the MDGs are a little too ambitious. Unfortunately, we will likely not achieve the MDGs according to the timeline. This is evidenced by the limited commitment of national governments to fund education and gender parity programs. Instead, competing interests often override the national political will to adhere to the MDG which further delays itsfull implementation.
JCR: Dear Ms. Gbowee, thank you very much for your time and inspiring words, it was a real pleasure for me to know you and also to share your reflections today, International Women´s Day.
LG: Your welcome, the pleasure was me.
Reference
- http://www.globaleducationmagazine.com/international-women´s-day-interview-leymah-gbowee/
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