THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
A Gambian activist, Jaha Mapenzi Dukureh, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in the area of helping combat Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a Norwegian portal has reported.
Jaha Dukureh is the founder and executive director of Safe Hands for Girls. She is also a regional goodwill ambassador for the United Nations women bloc.
Jaha Dukureh was nominated for the award by a Norwegian politician Jette Christenssen who met the Gambian during the launch of her film ‘Jaha’s Promise’ in 2017. “Her case is incredibly important not only for what’s happening in Gambia, but for the rest of the world too,” Christenssen stressed in an interview with the portal.
The film is about how Jaha Dukureh – a victim of FGM and early marriage – rallied support to challenge the age old tradition of female circumcision in the West African country that has a predominantly Muslim population.
Former president Yahya Jammeh banned the practice in 2015 even though activists say some communities continue to engage in the practice.
“The most important thing about Jaha’s struggle is that the law was changed and it is actually being followed up in Gambia. I have nominated Jaha because she is a living proof that the belief of a single person can cause them to change the world,” she added.
At the level of being nominated, there will be another process for the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to shortlist a nominee. All living persons can be nominated to receive the award but not everyone can nominate.
Among persons eligible to submit nominations are members of national assemblies and national governments and people who are previously recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize. University professors, active or retired, among others may also nominate.
Africa had a nominee in the 2017 edition when the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, was nominated for their work in facilitating a peaceful democratic transition in The Gambia after the country’s former president Jammeh refused to accept a December 2016 poll loss.
In 2011, ex-Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemeni journalist Tawakkol Karman for ‘their nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and women’s right to full participation in peace building work.’ // Adira Kallo with agency
