Nobel Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú Tum gets Gandhi Mandela Award

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum has been conferred the Gandhi Mandela Award 2020. The award was given on Nelson Mandela's 106th birth anniversary, yesterday. According to the Gandhi Mandela Foundation, the award is bestowed for promoting the values of Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, including community service and social development. The foundation said the award is given for the promotion of peace and harmony. His Holiness Dalai Lama received the Gandhi Mandela Award for the year 2019.

This year, the award has been given to Guatemalan human rights activist Rigoberta Menchú Tum, who has dedicated her life to advocating for Indigenous rights. Rigoberta Menchú's work has earned her numerous accolades, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 and the Princess of Asturias Award in 1998.

Born on January 9, 1959, to a poor peasant family, Rigoberta worked on family farms and later engaged in social reform activities. Her activism began in her teenage years despite significant opposition. During the Guatemalan Civil War, Rigoberta's family endured severe losses due to military oppression. She joined the Committee of the Peasant Union (CUC) in 1979, advocating for farm workers' rights and educating the Indian peasant population. Her activism led to her exile in Mexico in 1981, where she continued her efforts by co-founding the United Representation of the Guatemalan Opposition (RUOG) in 1982.


The Gandhi Mandela Award was established by the Gandhi Mandela Foundation to honor individuals who embody the principles of Gandhi and Mandela. The award includes a gold medal crafted by the India Government Mint, a pine wood box, and a certificate signed by a distinguished jury of former Chief Justices from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.