The GREAT Inititiative - Gender Right & Equality Trust

Liberia - women bringing peace to the country

February 10, 2011  

“I am not a politician but an educator, whose profession only allows her to nose in and out of the political arena, guide politicians and would-be politicians in the positive knowhow of political life…..,” Mary N. Brownell.

Mary N. Brownell is a household name not only in Liberia but across the sub-region and even beyond the continent. She is an educator and was among 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005.

Mother Brownell, as she is affectionately called by many, has a claim to fame as an activist and a women’s rights advocate because of the pivotal role she played in advocating nothing but peace during the Liberian civil war. She founded the Liberian Women Initiative (LWI), the only vocal and effective women’s organization during the heat of the war which dared to dare warlords, through peaceful demonstrations, attendance at all peace negotiations conferences without official invitations.

With the sole aim to denounce atrocities, especially those committed against women, children and the youth, Mother Brownell got involved in efforts to mobilize women and create a women’s movement to be a peace or pressure group. She started this challenging task with a small group of women, but a need for creating a national women’s movement soon arose. At the crux of her advocacy was one message: Peace and Respect for the rights of women in times of conflict.

Her LWI advocated for a ceasefire by staging a stay-home action for all women in the country.

Mother Brownell is also a founding member of the Mano River Women Peace Network (MARWOPNET), a network created thanks to the support of Femmes Africa Solidarité. Her incessant and unwavering advocacy for disarmament and peace transcended the borders of Liberia into other parts of the West African sub-region and beyond by networking with other women peace crusaders in the Mano River Union (MRU) countries. It takes a certain kind of woman to threaten to lock up two African Presidents who had a major influence on the prospect of peace in the sub-region. With Brownell at the forefront, this group accomplished the seemingly impossible task of bringing together the then three heads of state of the Mano River Union (MRU) to negotiate terms of peace on a regional level. Convincing them to agree to meet, was a feat all be itself and, when accomplished, was a major milestone in the path to peace in the Mano River Union (MRU) region because a major wall had been broken down.

For her, the survival of her people was probably the greatest challenge.

In Africa, it is strange for women to have such influence on Presidents because it is usually the men who do all the negotiations. These women didn’t have it easy but they stood strong in their resolve to see this happen even to a point where one of the women stood up in front of Conteh and threatened to lock him up in the same room with Taylor and sit on the key until they both made a commitment to peace.

Extract from article published in Liberian Observer, ‘Women who inspire’.

Comments are closed.