Ellen Johnson Sirleaf(1938 — ?)
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
Liberia
7 min read
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf est devenue en 2006 la première femme élue présidente d'un État africain, dirigeant le Liberia après une longue guerre civile. Économiste de formation, elle a œuvré pour la reconstruction du pays et la réconciliation nationale, recevant le prix Nobel de la paix en 2011.
Frequently asked questions
Famous Quotes
« En Afrique, les femmes sont le pilier de la société. Elles font le travail, elles nourrissent les enfants, elles maintiennent les familles ensemble. »
« Si vos rêves ne vous font pas peur, c'est qu'ils ne sont pas assez grands. »
Key Facts
- Née en 1938 à Monrovia (Liberia), elle étudie l'économie aux États-Unis, notamment à Harvard.
- Emprisonnée deux fois sous les régimes autoritaires libériens avant d'être contrainte à l'exil.
- Élue présidente du Liberia en janvier 2006 — première femme chef d'État élue en Afrique.
- Reçoit le prix Nobel de la paix en 2011 avec Leymah Gbowee et Tawakkol Karman pour leur lutte non violente pour la sécurité des femmes.
- Réélue en 2011, elle gouverne jusqu'en 2018, soit deux mandats consécutifs.
Works & Achievements
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf rebuilt Liberian institutions after fourteen years of civil war: restoring the rule of law, fighting corruption, reviving the economy, and attracting foreign investors.
She secured the cancellation of more than 4 billion dollars in debt under the HIPC initiative, freeing up considerable resources for the country's reconstruction.
She continued democratic consolidation and managed the 2014–2016 Ebola crisis, strengthening the Liberian health system with the support of the international community.
A memoir published in English, tracing her journey as a female politician in Africa, her imprisonments, her exiles, and her rise to power; translated into several languages.
Following the Ebola epidemic, she co-chaired this international commission to strengthen fragile health systems and prevent future pandemics in low-income countries.
The first peaceful transfer of power between two elected presidents in Liberia since 1944, hailed as a major democratic milestone for West Africa.
Anecdotes
In 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first woman elected head of an African state, winning the presidential election in Liberia. Her victory was celebrated worldwide as a historic turning point for democracy and women's rights on the African continent.
Imprisoned twice under the military regimes of Samuel Doe and Charles Taylor, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf never yielded to intimidation. During one of her detentions, she was sentenced to ten years in prison before ultimately being released under international pressure, which strengthened her resolve to fight for democracy.
In 2011, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf received the Nobel Peace Prize, which she shared with Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkol Karman. The Nobel Committee honored their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and their right to participate fully in peacebuilding.
Nicknamed the "Iron Lady" by her supporters, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf had to contend with a devastating Ebola epidemic between 2014 and 2016. She coordinated the national and international response, mobilizing resources to contain a health crisis that threatened to destabilize the entire region.
An economist by training, she studied at Harvard before returning to Liberia to serve her country. Her command of financial matters allowed her, once in power, to renegotiate a massive national debt inherited from the civil wars, securing the cancellation of more than 4 billion dollars in debt.
Primary Sources
I have always believed that Africa's salvation lies in the hands of its women. We are the ones who bear the burden of conflict, who rebuild after war, who hold families and communities together when everything else falls apart.
We know what we want. We want peace. We want freedom. We want prosperity. And we are determined to work hard to achieve these goals, because Liberia is worth fighting for.
This prize belongs to all the women of Liberia — the market women, the church women, the women who risked their lives to stop the war. I share this honour with each and every one of them.
Liberia is at a crossroads. With your continued support, we will transform our nation into a beacon of democracy and development for all of Africa.
Key Places
Capital of Liberia and the site of her inauguration in January 2006; it is here that she governed for twelve years, rebuilding the institutions of a state devastated by two civil wars.
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf earned a master's degree in public administration here in 1971; this training gave her the intellectual tools to manage public finances and negotiate with international institutions.
The city where she received the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 2011, recognizing her fight for democracy, peace, and women's rights on the international stage.
Site of the peace negotiations that ended the Liberian civil wars in the 1990s and 2000s; Sirleaf played a role there as a mediator and voice of Liberian civil society.
The Ghanaian capital where the Accra Peace Agreement was signed in 2003, ending the second civil war and paving the way for the 2005 elections won by Sirleaf.
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
Présidence du Liberia (premier mandat)
2006–2011
Renégociation de la dette extérieure libérienne
2006–2010
Présidence du Liberia (second mandat)
2012–2018
This Child Will Be Great (autobiographie)
2009
Co-présidence de la Commission de haut niveau sur la santé dans les pays en développement (OMS)
2015–2016
Passation démocratique du pouvoir à George Weah
2018
