Revolutionist mother of three

2011-10-10

One of 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates is the Yemeni journalist and rights activist Tawakul Karman. Hana Al-Khamri is a Yemeni journalist who is a fellow at the Centre for Middle East Studies at Lund University, Sweden. This is her reaction and thoughts about the Peace Price.
“I couldn’t hold back my tears the very first moment I read that Tawakul Karman, a Yemeni rights activist and journalist was one of recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize this year. I had to read the news over and over again to ensure that I was not caught by overwhelmed historical moment for the poorest country in the Middle East. Yes it’s poor in resources yet rich of an extraordinary human capacity. A capacity that is full of wisdom and passionately advocate for a peaceful change - despite all the excessive use of force by a corrupted and manipulative regime, who has done nothing but drain the resources of our beloved country.
It´s extraordinary that a Yemeni woman could win the prize, when from a country where female illiteracy has been estimated to 61 percent. But those women, they were the ones who took over the streets during the beginning of the longest and youngest revolution in the Middle East and North Africa. They are the ones who are bold enough to shake the throne of the autocratic regime.
This moment provoked me to recall the image of a Yemeni woman on Aljazeera who were rallying with her counterparts in Sanaa’, the capital city of Yemen. She was pointing to her pregnant belly, saying “I don’t want my son to come out before we gain a free Yemen”.
Tawakkul Karman is a mother of three, so she rocks the cradle with her right hand and the world with her left. She is the only female member of the opposition party. She’s the founder of Women Journalists without Chains organization, promoting freedom of expression and protecting journalist’s rights and she has been a prominent participant of the uprising in Yemen since it´s start. Moreover she led a couple of protests to call for an end of the brutal regime. She is continously a very intellectual and outspoken woman who stands up for her opinions, whatever the cost may be. She´s an inspiration for Yemeni women and the story of Yemen´s first Nobel prize, gained by a woman, will be a powerful story to tell for many years to come.
This prize is a great recognition of the Yemeni women who have been neglected and marginalized for many years. The women who are taking their grievances into the streets to demand a better future for their country. It´s a recognition for women empowerment, courage and persistence and the determination in leading the ongoing peaceful path of resistance, despite all obstacles and threats. Furthermore, it’s an opportunity for the whole world to shed the light on one of the most peaceful revolutions in the region and on women´s hardship within the country.
The Yemeni state TV has been portraying Yemeni women protesters, during the past month, as dishonorable because of them being in the street rallying alongside their male counterparts. So needless to say, this prize is a slap in the face of the Yemeni regime and a great reminder for the whole region that women should not be neglected and forgotten in the midst of the political negotiations in the post-revolution phase. Women’s rights must not be compromised for the sake of political stability or to please certain political parties.
The Nobel Peace Prize, as well as the Yemeni revolution, is a golden opportunity to remind people that freedom can’t be complete without equality and social justice for women and all vulnerable groups in the society.“


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