Truth, Womanhood & Free Speech: Can We See the Bigger Picture?

President considers Ms. Gbowee’s critique 

as an exercise of free speech 

It was extremely amazing how the women of Liberia put up an elaborate welcoming ceremony for President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on last Wednesday as she hit the ground from Tokyo, Japan, where she attended the annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund.

The motive behind last Wednesday’s elaborate thanksgiving and welcome program indeed went far beyond celebrating the President’s achievements in Tokyo – including the assurance from the Japanese to help expand Somalia Drive to 8 lanes. It had all to do with layered domestic affairs – ceasing the opportunity to create a platform where they would rebuff criticisms emanating from a fellow woman.

The thing is that the President has undertaken countless foreign trips during which she effectively conducted Liberia’s foreign policy of development diplomacy – putting forth Liberia’s development agenda and soliciting partners’ assistance. And true enough, she has emerged with resounding successes in the majority of such endeavors.

So, what was so extra about this particular visit that warranted such exceedingly overwhelming welcoming extravaganza by the women?  Well, the response is just too simple and clear. Some call it an expressed women’s solidarity since Nobel laureate Leymah Gbowee had publicly denounced the Sirleaf Administration for “failing to fight graft and nepotism.”

The women in their statement presented the President upon arrival at the Roberts International Airport said, “…We also thank God for your courage and humility in leadership that you continue to show in the midst of the challenges you face including the most recent and unfortunate statement made by Ms. Leymah Gbowee.”

Outraged by Ms. Gbowee’s pronouncement, the women went to work to release a statement in which they described the President's fellow Nobel laureate Gbowee’s statement as a “disgrace to womanhood.” Also, a release issued by the Ministry of Gender said "The women in their collective wisdom acknowledged that it was most unfortunate for Nobel laureate Gbowee, to have issued what may be termed 'derogatory remarks' during the launch of her book in Paris, when in fact women around the world have expressed pride that two women from Liberia emerged for the first time as Nobel laureates.”

Though one may be tempted to frown at Ms. Gbowee for choosing an international platform to let her voice heard when she could have simply expressed similar sentiments right here at home, what supersedes it all is one’s right to unrestricted access to freely speak your mind.  

In fact I’m left to wonder what the right to freely exercise one’s right to freedom of speech has got to do with “womanhood”.  Are these women now insinuating that if you are a woman you must never dare to dare? Or are they insinuating that no woman should dare to differ with the President, herself a woman? Is that how this whole women’s solidarity thing will now proceed? Come on, women! We’ve got to rise above these kinds of things.

The good thing, however, is that the President herself refused to walk the path of the women in her response to Ms. Gbowee’s condemnation of her (the President’s) leadership. She rather described Gbowee’s statement as an exercise of her (Gbowee’s) right to freedom of expression as enabled by the Constitution.

As enshrined in the 1986 Constitution of Liberia, Articles 15A and B provide for unfettered access to the right to free speech for all citizens and at all times – regardless of who they may be.  These constitutional provisions do protect the freedoms of expression and of speech; underlining that “Every person shall have the right to freedom of expression, being fully responsible for the abuse thereof. This right shall not be curtailed, restricted or enjoined by government save during an emergency declared in accordance with this Constitution.”

Responding to a question from a member of the Japan National Press Club regarding last week’s resignation of Ms. Gbowee which birthed an intense public debate across Liberia, President Johnson Sirleaf began by highlighting Liberia as an open society in which its citizens are free to express their opinions about the government.

Gbowee (sandwiched by members of WIPNET) claimed history would judge her if she didn’t speak out now

So, why do the women of Liberia still think Ms. Gbowee’s statement was a ‘disgrace to womanhood”? I think to react that way was a far extreme case.

 Like I said before, Gbowee, at this point, is no stranger to butting heads with her fellow female Liberian peace workers.  Back in April of this year, Mother Mary N. Brownell, Theresa Leigh-Sherman and other eminent Liberian women peace workers accused Gbowee of not recognizing their trail-blazing work for peace in Liberia and the Mano River sub-region during her Nobel Prize acceptance speech. Gbowee, for that matter, “[did not even] deserve the Nobel Peace Prize” because “she was nowhere to be found when we were organizing women” across the country and the Mano River Union sub-region and bringing together rival heads of state to dialogue for peace”, they said. 

Gbowee countered that she had chosen to immortalize the names of “ordinary women, soon to be forgotten,” rather than credit stalwarts and other activists who, after talking the talk and walking the walk, will likely be the subjects of books and documentaries in the years to come. “My only response is that is: God is the only one who rewards.  I didn't lobby for it and I am not deterred.  My work still continues,” she added.

Her latest bout, involving the Liberian President and fellow Nobel Peace Laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has many wondering about the prospects of peace in Liberia, “especially with two of the ‘peacemakers’ at butting heads with each other.” 

So, women, why try make this thing so deep?  We know that many of us women have this “innate beef” with our gender-mates (for reasons only we know), but on this topic, let the intra-gender division and the public cat-fighting stop.  That itself is a disgrace to womanhood as well as peace-building.  We all need to grow some thick skin to tolerate healthy criticism – even from a fellow woman – to help us all see the bigger picture. 

Please let’s not start using this “disgrace to womanhood” thing (simply because one woman differs with the other) as a censorship tool against one another. To stand in solidarity doesn’t mean playing a devil’s advocate. Remember, freedom of expression remains the cornerstone of any democracy.