Rene Ngongo, winner of the 2009 Right Livelihood award
For as long as I can remember, I have played a game with myself - imagining what it is like to be someone else in a different time or a different place. It's just a bit of fun and kept me entertained for hours on long train journeys before I got my laptop. Sometimes though I wonder whether I would have the courage to stand up for what I believe in if I didn't have the luxury of being here in the UK, at this moment in time.
Would I have joined the White Rose movement, students at Munich University who were executed after spreading anti-Nazi leaflets during the height of the Third Reich regime? Would I have had the courage to sit at the back of the bus like Rosa Parks did or demonstrate in the streets in Tehran following the election results?
Whilst I feel proud of the work we do at Greenpeace here in the UK I often look for inspiration from colleagues working in other offices across the world where working conditions are harder and being an activist is a much scarier prospect.
I have been very lucky to work with many inspirational people at my time at Greenpeace, and one highlight has been working with Rene Ngongo from our office in the Democratic Republic of Congo when he came to the UK a few weeks ago. So I was delighted to hear that he has won the 2009 Right Livelihood Award which is the alternative Nobel Peace prize.
You can read more about Rene's amazing achievements on our Africa website. The thing that really stands out for me is, aside from his tireless work with local communities to help them protect their forests, is the way that he chose to stay in the DRC during the terrible civil war (which lasted from 1996 to 2002) to continue his work. It's something that I am not sure that I would have had the courage to do and is truly inspirational.
Congratulations Rene from everyone here in the UK.
