This year’s Geuzenpenning award goes to Ugandan peace advocate Betty Bigombe. The medal is awarded to people or organisations that campaign for democracy and fight dictatorship, racism and discrimination.
Betty Bigombe has been given the award for her work as a mediator in the conflict between the Ugandan government and the rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army. The organisation which awards the medal says that as chief mediator in the northern Uganda conflict, “she has tirelessly played the role of peace advocate and advisor to the warring factions” and praises her as a “valued advisor” to the Sudanese government, currently hosting Ugandan peace talks.
The Geuzenpenning, which literally means “beggars’ medal”, is awarded annually by the Geuzen Resistance 1940-1945 foundation. The organisation takes it’s name from a resistance group that fought Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during the Second World War.
Last year the prize went to two human rights organisations, the Palestinian Al-Haq and the Israeli B’Tselem. Past winners include the Anne Frank Foundation and the French-Colombian politician Ingrid Bétancourt.
Photo: Betty Bigombe (bettybigombefoundation.com)
Betty Bigombe (bettybigombefoundation.com)
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Just wanted to clarify - Ms. Bigombe is also co-founder of the Arcadia Foundation, a non-profit organization aiming to curb corruption in governments and give a platform to aspiring political activists worldwide.
www.arcadiafoundation.org
Congratulations Betty!
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