Italy: The Guardian Post Columnist wins Martin Luther King Freedom Award.

The distinction is from the Foundation for World Peace. This was during the second edition of the Peace, Freedom and Human Rights International Award. 

The award ceremony held at the Norman-Swabian Castle of Sannicandro di Bari. In attendance were international voices united by a common commitment to peace, equality, human dignity, freedom and the protection of fundamental rights.

The event also formed part of activities surrounding the annual International Day of Peace, observed globally on September 21.

Rosaline Obah was recognised alongside Marta Lescano of Argentina, who received the Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award 2026.

The organisers, Massimo Massa and Cheikh Tidiane Gaye, expressed satisfaction with the event, noting that the awards recognise Rosaline Obah and Marta Lescano’s commitment to equality, dialogue and peace. 

They described the awards as a means of recognising individuals whose civic, professional, cultural and humanitarian contributions translate universal principles into practical action. 

“It is with immense pride that we at the Foundation for World Peace held the awards ceremony for the Peace, Freedom and Human Rights International Award. Building on the excellent work, the evaluation committee selected two extraordinary individuals to receive the Gandhi and Martin Luther King Awards: Marta Lescano and Rosaline Obah,” they said. 

Organisers extended their congratulations to both awardees for accepting the invitation and honouring the award with their presence, while also expressing appreciation to the wider organising and supporting teams, including Global Peace Let’s Talk, GPLT.

Enter laureates 

Speaking after receiving the honour, Rosaline Obah said the Martin Luther King Freedom Award has provided international recognition to her for plus two decades work across journalism, strategic communication, community development, peacebuilding, gender and human rights.

“This recognition is both an honour and a responsibility. I receive it on behalf of the many journalists, women, young people, civil society actors and peacebuilders who continue to use their voices to promote dialogue, dignity and reconciliation. It strengthens my commitment to building bridges where division exists and ensuring that communication becomes a pathway to peace rather than a source of further conflict,” Obah said. 

On her part, Lescano who is President of the FEPAIS Foundation in Buenos Aires and Executive Director for Education at Global Peace Let’s Talk International, said the Gandhi award represents a continuation of a long journey using education as a tool for peaceful coexistence. 

Lescano expressed gratitude while emphasising that the recognition should not be viewed as an individual achievement.

“I receive this recognition with profound gratitude, but I do not feel that this is an individual award. It is part of a journey built together with schools, educators, communities, institutions and people from different countries who believe that peace must become a daily practice,” she said. 

The ceremony also recognised other peacebuilders from Italy and beyond through certificates of recognition for outstanding contributions to peacebuilding and social transformation.

To recall that in a letter addressed to Rosaline Obah, organisers had said she was singled out in honour of her affirmation of equality among all human beings.

The organisers had said the award was for her “courageous and tireless commitment to the promotion of peace, human rights, reconciliation and civil coexistence, through peace journalism, responsible communication and the strengthening of community media in contexts marked by conflict, social tensions and the vulnerability of civilian populations”. 

They had added that the award also “represents a significant example of how words, information and testimony can become instruments of dialogue, prevention of hatred, rebuilding of trust and defence of human dignity”. 

Organisers had detailed that the award “is inspired by the universal values of peace, justice and equality”.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3920 of Friday September 25, 2026