I am a woman with convictions. I am convinced of the future, convinced of life, convinced of people - but I think there are millions of people who can’t express their feelings, their opinions and their knowledge. And therefore I believe it is so important to be a socially active person: someone who can make suggestions, who can listen to others and also who can give a little energy to those persons who in some moments feel abandoned or who have lost their self-esteem …

Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Maya-Quiché Indian, born 1959, Guatemala
Rigoberta Menchú was born as the daughter of a poor Indian farming family. As a child she was already working in farming and on coffee plantations. As a teenager she was involved in social reform initiatives of the Catholic Church and in the women’s movement … Since 1979 Menchú has played a decisive role in the carrying out of strikes and demonstrations for better living conditions for farm workers. In 1981 she had to emigrate to Mexico. From her exile she organised the opposition to the suppression in Guatemala, and championed the rights of the indigenous population in her country and throughout the whole of Latin America. For her continuous involvement she was awarded, as the first woman of indigenous origins, the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize.