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<\/a><\/div>\nOslo City Hall is a simple, austere and unremarkable building on a hill, across from the Nobel Institute which constitutes the heart of the government district of the small downtown area. \u00a0\u00a0 The outside fa\u00e7ade however is in total contrast to the space it holds. \u00a0 The hall itself is magnificent in size and depth — the ceilings so high, the walls so wide and long, that you feel its space is infinite. \u00a0 The room was set for the Royal affair it was; a 113-year tradition as dictated by the will of Alfred P. Nobel; the front row reserved for the Norwegian Royal Family, King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.<\/p>\n
With teeth chattering, I tried to think back to the inauguration six years ago– what felt different? \u00a0\u00a0 Both were celebrations historic in nature, where I was in the company of President Sirleaf’s family, her close friends and VIPs from around the world. \u00a0 So what else?<\/p>\n
The difference I sensed was that this prize, with all of its rewards, with all of its global recognition, and with its $1.5 million dollar purse, also carried with it an awesome burden for the few in the world who are privileged to carry it. \u00a0\u00a0 How do you live every day in the spirit of Alfred P. Nobel and measure your life against those heroic men and women who came before?<\/p>\n
Moments later, President Sirleaf expressed exactly this sentiment, “History will judge us not by what we say in this moment in time, but by what we do next to lift the lives of our countrymen and women. It will judge us by the legacy we leave behind for generations to come.”<\/p>\n
Four Trumpeters from His Majesty’s Band opened the procession of the Nobel Laureates led by President Sirleaf and the Nobel Committee. \u00a0\u00a0 The blaring of the horns was such a powerful moment, my emotions ranging from joy, to pride, to a deep sense of gratitude for being allowed to play a small part in Liberia’s historic journey.<\/p>\n
As I watched the Nobel Laureates pace with deliberation down the red carpet, I noticed how what they chose wear that day spoke to who they were, and gave me a reference point to tie what I saw, felt and understood on that day.<\/p>\n
President Sirleaf wore a rich deep purple African dress with a matching headdress, accompanied by a contrasting cr\u00e8me colored sash, and her signature pearl jewelry. \u00a0\u00a0 She looked, as always, regal, confident, proper, and most appropriate for a grandmother of six. \u00a0 Even as the world celebrated the Liberian President’s achievements, which such tradition and majesty, I imagined President Sirleaf thinking to herself, “\/I have so much work to do!”\/<\/p>\n
President Sirleaf was in the middle of a business meeting on Friday morning, 7 October, when she received the phone call from the Nobel Committee informing her that she would share the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011. \u00a0 What did President Sirleaf do? \u00a0 She accepted the obligatory hugs and congratulations, placed a couple of calls to her close family, and then reconvened the meeting and went back to her schedule!<\/p>\n
In her lecture, President Sirleaf spoke to the women of the world. \u00a0 She appealed to them to “find their voice” and “let yours be the voice of freedom.” \u00a0 She also spoke to her own young people, many of whom did not vote for her in the recent elections. \u00a0 “We heard the cry of our young population that they are impatient for their lives to improve. They want to make up for the time and opportunities lost during years of conflict and deprivation. They have found their voices, and we have heard them,” said President Sirleaf.<\/p>\n
And so, I thought, President Sirleaf was anxious to return home, to vest the young people in the institutions of democracy she is struggling to build.<\/p>\n
Leymah Gybowee dressed in a gold blouse with a subtle shimmer and sparkle. \u00a0 Her long skirt and head adornment were of a more traditional African cloth of white, gold and blue. Her head wrap had sat high on her head with flair. \u00a0 I thought that Leymah’s outfit, particularly her stunning blouse, sitting slightly on her shoulders, reflected her openness and her power. \u00a0 She made a striking complement following behind President Sirleaf.<\/p>\n
Leymah’s speech was so impassioned. \u00a0 She seemed to almost relive her struggle in sharing her words with the world. “We were the conscience of the ones who had lost their consciences in their quest for power and political positions. We represented the soul of the nation,” said Leymah.<\/p>\n
“When confronting warlords we did so because we felt it was our moral duty to stand as mothers and gird our waist, to fight the demons of war in order to protect the lives of our children, their land, and their future.”<\/p>\n
As President Sirleaf said of Leymah, “You redefined the front line of a brutal civil conflict — women dressed in white, demonstrating in the streets — a barrier no warlord was brave enough to cross.”<\/p>\n
Leymah announced prior to going to Oslo that she would return to Liberia from Ghana to spearhead an effort to encourage national reconciliation. \u00a0\u00a0 I suspect that Liberia will need to share Leymah with the women of the world.<\/p>\n
And then there was Tawakkul Karman whose youthful energy and passion electrified Oslo and the world-wide media.<\/p>\n
Tawakkul’s wore a traditional long black abaya covering; her neck, arms and even feet hidden. \u00a0 She too covers her head, revealing only the outline of her face. \u00a0 Her petite frame seemed to almost disappear in her coverings. \u00a0 But her scarves were works of art, bursting with color and vibrant patterns and I felt Tawakkul’s personality. \u00a0 I found myself looking forward to her simple change of scarf that day- she wore three: \u00a0 one for the ceremony, one to the CNN live interview and then a third to the Nobel Banquet. \u00a0\u00a0 At the banquet, her scarf, deep burgundy, green and gold had a touch of sequins which I found as magnificent as any of the long gowns at the black tie affair.<\/p>\n
Tawakkul’s words poured from her like rushing water released from a damn. \u00a0 She had so much to say and she went almost 15 minutes over her allotted lecture time. \u00a0 But no one seemed to pay notice. \u00a0 She was the conscience of the world at the ceremonies.<\/p>\n
Said Tawakkul, “The Arab people have, for so many decades . . . been oppressed and suppressed by regimes of authoritarian tyrants who have indulged themselves deeply in corruption and in looting the wealth of their people.”<\/p>\n
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