President Barack Obama joins the ranks to a small list of African descents who have won the world’s most prestigious award for peace-making. Past African winners of the prize are former United Nations chief Kofi Annan, Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai, Chief Albert Luthuli, leader of South Africa’s African National Congress, former President Anwar al-Sadat of Egypt, the then Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk of South Africa, for their work in taking South Africa towards democracy. The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced in Oslo that it had decided to award the 2009 prize to Obama "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
Fallowing is the press conference Presidnet Obama held this morning, fallowed by statement of the Nobel Committee:
This morning, Michelle and I awoke to some surprising and humbling news. At 6 a.m., we received word that I’d been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009. To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who’ve been honored by this prize — men and women who’ve inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.
