Unsung Icons of Liberation

Abstract

This essay explores the theological school and legacy of liberation theology through the exemplary witness and prophetic deeds of two African Nobel Laureates for Peace: Congolese doctor Dennis Mukwege and Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai. The author argues that, although neither leader possess academic theological credentials, their prophetic witness to truth and justice, in the context of sexual gender-based violence and environmental degradation, validates the ideals and principles of liberation theology and offers important lessons on the vocation of a theologian.