I landed back in New York on Tuesday after heading off for the airport at 4:40 am in Oslo with Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long” still ringing in my ears. I resisted the impluse to tell everyone I met about the Nobel ceremony but I wondered if they knew. The people at SAS Airlines who checked me in had watched the Nobel Concert. They loved it and commented on how touching it was to hear Monica Yunus sing. They told me stories about their Princess (who has quite a past!) and the royal family.

DEBATES IN US?

Amy Goodman of Democracy Now wanted an interview for her Wednesday morning show so I agreed to do it. It turned out to also be a debate with well known activist Vandana Shiva from India. Had I known that in advance, I might not have gone! You can check out their website and judge the debate for yourself.

WHOLE FOODS IN OSLO

John Mackey, founder and CEO of Whole Foods, and his partner Deborah attended the festivities. Sitting next to me at the concert, John said that “Yunus spoke from his heart at the banquet Sunday night when he said he felt like he was in a dream….There is no higher honor for him. Now we should see a real acceleration of this movement around the world. It is one of the most important ways to end poverty. A lot more capital should flow into this movement now. Yunus has been so humble - there is almost no ego in it. And so gracious - and yet utterly confident and poised. He is a great role model in the public limelight. I’m really glad I came. As a businessman, I doubt if I’ll have the chance to come again.” And Deborah generously added, “One of the best things about coming here and being in this group is all the amazing people - doing what they can to be of service to the world.” Whole Foods’ foundation is backing Grameen Trust to build, operate and transfer a microfinance institution in Guatemala and Costa Rica.

LUNCH WITH THE BOARD, AUTOGRAPHING MY BOOK

One of my most tender memories is from my lunch on Monday that Grameen Foundation hosted for the Grameen Bank Board of Directors and staff and the visiting family members of Professor Yunus. I sat with the 9 Board members who come from the villages of Bangladesh. With the help of Jannat Quanine, one of the original students and the second highest ranking female staff person after Nurjahan Begum, I talked with the members about their lives and experience traveling to Oslo.

In addition to Taslima Begum who represented the Grameen Bank as the official Nobel Laureate, I spoke with Rukmiya from Sylhet who recounted her life story and the death of her father when she was just a baby. She spoke about the hard life her mother faced as she struggled to send her school to class 5 and the poverty she faced. Another member, Rohima was from Mushiganj. She asked, “how can I narrate my life? So terrible was my childhood I hate to remember it.” She also spoke about the loss of her father when she was very young and then the death of her mother 3 months later. Rohima struggled as most of the board members did with being married as a child, divorcing and being remarried. She also struggled to go to school and managed to get to class 8.

While all sharing common hardships and extremely difficult lives, Grameen Board members are generally the better educated members. Knowing this, I asked if the 9 women would do me the honor to autograph my copy of “The Poor Always Pay Back,” by Dipal Barua, Deputy Managing Director of Grameen Bank and Asif Dowla, now a professor at the University of Maryland. Both were students with Yunus in the original village of Jobra in 1976. Each member signed her name beautifully in Bangla, slowly drawing the characters with a deep reverance and pride.

I asked the Board members how they were enjoying this visit to Oslo, knowing that it was their very first time on a plane, and visiting any other country. It was their first time to see a Western-style hotel room and bathroom with tub and shower, to see a huge TV with remote and mini refrigerator. So many, many firsts! They drank it all in with amazement and delight. They each shared a room with a Grameen Bank staff person to help them adjust. While we had arranged Bangladeshi food for them for most meals, a few of them complained that they needed “green chiles” to make it tasty; it was just too bland!

They proudly proclaimed that they were heading from Oslo on to London, then Paris before returning to Bangladesh. Never before had they imagined such a trip! Their tour to ‘put poverty in the museum’ was certainly historic and most likely full of amusing moments and poignant memories.

At the Nobel concert, I looked over and saw half of them dozing off as the rock music blared. I smiled as they lept to their feet and began waving at the crowd when Yunus acknowledged them all to the crowd.

At the intermission, I carried back a bunch of gold medals with the face of Alfred Nobel on it that were filled with chocolate inside and distributed them to all the board members. With great curiosity they wondered what this was, probably hoping it was real gold. At least one of them discovered it was chocolate and ate it.

The Green Children

Another great moment was at the University of Oslo where the program was kicked off by a music video made by two Norwegian young people, Tom and Mille Sunde. To see it, go to their website www.thegreenchildren.org. It is a beautiful song, Hear Me Now, that has gorgeous footage of Bangladeshis in the village. These talented young people captured something essential about the beauty of the countryside and the people, no matter how poor in material terms. They want to continue to build a movement and engage more young people. Check it out.

www.muhammadyunus.org

Another fabulous organizing initiative by young people is the new website, www.muhammadyunus.org, that was established by Bangladeshi expatriates living in Japan, Korea, China, the US and other countries. They are young, well educated and idealistic. They seek to support and follow Dr. Yunus and do something for their country. Consider joining their Muhammad Yunus Support Association and getting a chapter going in your city. It is a spontaneous, genuine initiative worth supporting.

GANDHI?

The Chairman of the Nobel Committee mentioned something about Yunus being like Gandhi. Several news articles have made the same point. It made me recall my interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes in 1989 or so when I dared to compare Yunus to Mahatma Gandhi, or I said, in US terms, “Martin Luther King or Kennedy.” Many people at the time thought the comment was ‘over the top.’ But this insight had actually come to me like a thunder bolt some time earlier, in June 1987 when Yunus and me were visitng the Gandhi Ashram together in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. I recall looking over at him, carefully studying the exhibits - photographs of Gandhi’s campaign and life. I realized in a flash that this is what it must be like to be witnessing history in the making. That someday there would be exhibits chronicling his life and movement. From that point on, I had a clarity of conviction that never departed.

Now, back from Oslo, I meet friends in New York who tell me that they’ve seen his photos and can tell from those alone that he had a spiritual quality. He seems to radiate joy. His energy touches people in a way that moves them deeply. They feel his sincerity, his passion and compassion. They want to participate. They warn me people may want to use him now. They urge him to be careful.

I am moved listening to these stories. I feel hopeful. They ask me what Yunus’ agenda is now, post-Nobel. I reply in the best way I can. I tell them that he is serious about creating a world free from absolute poverty. He wants to scale up the microcredit movement and get people to participate in the Microcredit Summit Campaign. He also believes social business entrepreneurship is the best way to build sustainable solutions and alternatives. It is easy to critique. It is much harder though better to construct the alternative. Yunus wants us all to do what we can. He truly believes in the inherent potential of every person. He wants this power unleashed.

MUSLIM MAGIC

I think one of the most powerful messages of the Nobel Committee was to honor Yunus as one of the world’s greatest leaders and do it explicitly as a bridge to the Muslim world. When the word Muslim is often used in the same breath as ‘terrorist’ it is extremely significant that the Peace Prize go to a Muslim leader who has a different message. I happily follow his leadership and hope that the world understands the full import of his words and actions. Yunus lives his values. He is the real deal.

BLOG SINS

I fear I have now committed a real sin as I am told bloggers should keep their posts short and sweet. I have gone on way beyond this so I beg your forgiveness. This was my first time blogging and I confess that I loved it because so many people told me they’d read it and enjoyed it. Over 30,000 have read it even though only a few brave souls have posted comments. Alex, Sam and me all loved your comments. Feel free to post whatever you want. Someday this may end up as an exhibition in the world’s first poverty museum. Inshallah!

Susan

Today had a little bit of everything: a children’s performance honoring Dr. Yunus; a photo exhibition about Grameen Bank; and a luncheon for the Grameen delegation at an Italian restaurant owned by … a local Bangladeshi. But the highlight was the annual Nobel Peace Prize concert. Sharon Stone and Angelica Houston were the co-hosts. Performers included Simply Red, Rihanna, and Lionel Richie. Yusuf (formerly Cat Stevens) played “Peace Train” which was a big hit with the huge crowd in the Spectrum in Oslo. Some said afterwards it may have been the first time he has played that song in decades.

But two moments during the concert were the most memorable for me. When Dr. Yunus spoke, he mentioned his colleagues from Grameen Bank and asked them all to stand. Emily and I were sitting amongst the biggest group of Grameen staff in the hall, and to see them stand and receive a huge ovation was a thrill. Microcredit is clearly a team effort and it was terrific to see this recognized and some of the most accomplished “foot soldiers” of the movement saluted. Second, Monica Yunus, Dr. Yunus’ daughter who is a highly regarded soprano, performed and in the process brought many to tears as her father looked on a few feet away on stage. A night to remember…

We were at an event at Oslo University tonight. The MC from the Stomme Foundation in Norway said two things that particularly struck a chord. He said, “When I heard that Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize I felt like I had won the Prize.” I think that lots of hardworking practitioners and supporters around the world feel the same way!

Then he said, “In 1979 the Nobel Peace Prize went to Mother Thersa for her work to help the poor die with dignity. This year the Prize went to Muhammad Yunus for his work to help the poor live with dignity.”

The Nobel Peace Prize Concert was tonight and Monica Yunus sang. She was fabulous!

Lionel Ritchie sang his classic song, All Night Long, as the finale for the Nobel Peace Prize Concert a short while ago, leaving everyone on their feet clapping, dancing and singing out of sheer joy. It was a beautiful ending to an incredible concert highlighted by Sharon Stone introducing Monica Yunus who came out on stage to sing for her father just after he finished addressing the 4,000 people filling the stadium and the worldwide television audience. Her beautiful soprano voice, trained at Juillard, one of the best music schools in New York City, filled the air and made my heart swell. Dressed in a gorgeous full length red dress, she stole the show. The other musical celebrities were all incredible, don’t get me wrong. But the emotional high point was this touching intimate moment that we all could share.

Yunus was feted all night long by every star and applauded by the crowd with numerous ovations that made the place vibrate. His addess to the crowd was filled with joy and generous laughter. He shared his private thoughts with us all, that he felt was in a dream. But he invited us all to share his dream of making a poverty free world and then told us stories of what it meant. He described with detail how they began making housing loans in 1984 for a maximum for 300 dollars….and what a difference it could make to a poor woman and her family to have a solid roof over their heads with four strong concrete pillars and a sanitary latrine. He said this is their daily reality in Bangladesh, not some 100 years ago. As he talked, I felt this wave of energy pass through the crowd as they connected to his vision, his courage, his conviction that we can make a different kind of world, a just world where no one lives in dire poverty.

The day was filled with so many different activites, from children’s performances and musical recitals for Yunus in City Hall, to a photography exhibition of Grameen Bank photos by Norwegian Linda Næsfeldt. My favorite number at the Norwegian schools’ performance was the song ‘war.’ Remember that oldie but goodie? It goes ‘war. what is it good for? absolutely nothing.’

Thank you to the kind readers who have posted comments. I appreciate you taking the time to read and share your feelings. I am thrilled to know that the DC embassy had a huge party to watch the Nobel ceremony together and celebrate. I hear that people did the same all over the world. Also thanks so much for posting your comments and wishes to Dr. Yunus on the Grameen Foundation site. He appreciates this so much and they all will find a place in his archives I am sure, as well as his heart.

It is past midnight in Oslo and I feel like I could on all night long….

Susan

“Little Bangadesh” is a big tent in the main promenade in Oslo. Sponsored by TeleNor, there is free refreshments and a warm place to gather and watch cultural performances and the Nobel ceremony on large screen tvs.
Yunus and his wife and daughter just arrived. Everyone lept to their feet and started chanting “Bangladesh! Bangladesh!” Channel I is covering the tent.
>Yunus’ brothers are here with their wives and children. Mohammed Ibrahim is sitting next to me. “I feel we are experiencing historical moments. There are layers of experiences - world media, Bangladeshi exuberance, family.” Said Ibrahim

Amos Bose, Mushfiqur Rahman and his wife, Fahima are students studying in Oslo social welfare and health. Mushifqur used to work with Grameen Phone.

“Wow! We have a big family. We are half of Norway,”Yunus joked as he introduced all his family who have accompanied him to Oslo.

Earlier he introduced the Grameen Bank board and staff and brought them to the stage.

Yunus appreciated the children here and the warm hospitality of Telenor.

The atmosphere is festive, everyone smiling and clapping

It is Bangladesh’s moment in the sun.

The pride is everywhere. Flags have popped up in the Nobel ceremony, CNN taping and on the street.

Susan

I just had breakfast with Professor H. I. Latifee, the head of Grameen Trust who is also a person of great historical importance for Grameen Bank. He was an economic professor in the department chaired by Professor Yunus in the 1970s. Their visits together to villages near the campus led to several experiments in rural development, one of which became Grameen Bank. Professor Latifee’s easy way with people of all social classes paved the way for fruitful dialogues that identified lack of credit at affordable rates as a key barrier. Today, the Grameen Trust has more than 100 partner microfinance institutions around the world, including quite a few well-known MFIs that are market leaders today (e.g., the Kashf Foundation in Pakistan) that got their first seed capital from the Trust.

Professor Latifee gave me an update of the “build-operate-transfer” projects where they start MFIs on a fast track around the world by deploying Grameen staff for a specific period (after which the organization is turned over to local management and ownership). According to my notes, the approximate outreach of the BOT’s currently underway are Burma: 90,000+ (which has been completely handed over now), Kosovo: 6,000, Zambia: 2,000, Turkey: 4,500, Costa Rica: 1,400, and Guatemala: 800. Discussions are underway to bring this approach to other countries, and the potential is vast.

Also with us at breakfast was Shahjahan, the always pleasant and super-competent chief financial officer of Grameen Bank. He told me that Grameen opened 600 branches this year (surpassing a target of 500) and made a profit of 132 crore taka which is about US$20 million. Grameen Bank had a Board meeting in Oslo on December 9 (since all nine elected representatives from among the clients are here) where, among other things, the 2007 budget was passed. Clearly, the bank never lets a moment pass without doing something to advance its bold anti-poverty mission, even on the weekend it receives the Nobel Prize!

[Latifee and Shahjahan are the two on right of second picture, and are pictured together in the first.]

Yesterday began and ended with activities related to a candlelight vigil for peace that seems to be a tradition around the Nobel Peace Prize celebration. In the morning, Dr. Yunus took part in an event in an auditorium with several hundred children where he lit the candle for a procession that ended later that day in a candlelight vigil outside the Grand Hotel. With the vigilers gathered, he, Taslima Begum, and his immediate family waved to the people (including many Bangladeshis) from a balcony and the crowd naturally roared (and some broke out into Bangladeshi songs including the national anthem).

A few minutes before he appeared on the balcony, my wife Emily and I were walking through the hotel and bumped into Dipal Barua, Dr. Yunus’ colleague of 30+ years. Suddenly, Dipal invited us into a room with Dr. Yunus as he prepared to go to the balcony and wave to the crowd. Before we knew it we were with him. Affable and unpretentious as ever, he fell into easy conversation with Emily, a nutrition specialist for the U.S. government, about the exciting joint venture with the Danone Group and his strategy for ensuring it has a massive impact on malnutrition in Bangladesh.

Then Dr. Yunus’ two daughters (Monica and Deena) arrived and I had the presence of mind to take a picture of them soaking up the moment that had been so long in coming. What a day!

[Monica, Dr. Yunus and Deena; Dr. Yunus waving to the candlelight vigil from the balcony of the Grand Hotel.]

[Dr. Yunus with schoolchildren just before he lit the torch for the procession and vigil to follow.]

Given a hundred+ years of practice, let me say the Norwegians know how to give a party! This was the first year however that the King and Queen of Norway came to the banquet tonight, along with the Prime Minister and other leaders. After serving reindeer and other local delicacies, the Norwegians struck up a band and had everyone out on the dance floor.

Sharon Stone, Anjelica Houston, opera diva Rene Fleming and other stars were in orbit. But the Nobel laureates were in fine form –surrounded by his wife Afrozi and daughters Monica and Deena, Yunus’ smile never faded all night. And board member Taslima Begum must have felt a bit like me: Cinderella! It was a magical night with men in black tie and women in gowns and saris.

Susan

Yunus spoke for 10 minutes at the Peace Prize Banquet and said he felt like he was in a dream and he had to pinch himself to see if it was real. He said it reminded him of another dream, the end of poverty. He said that some people dismiss the talk about ending poverty but you have to believe it can be done if we are to do it.

He then spoke about the 1997 Microcredit Summit. He said he was talking with journalists at the 1997 Summit about the 100 million poorest goal and the journalists said, “You don’t have the money, you don’t have the bank workers, you don’t have the infrastructure,” and they dismissed us.

Yunus said it would have been like me giving $27 to 42 people in 1976 and calling a press conference to announce that I would reach 3 million by 1997. The journalists would have said, “You’ve just reached 42 people. You couldn’t possibly reach 3 million by 1997,” and they would have dismissed that too. But we did it. You have to believe something can be done before you can hope of doing it.

Amen

AsmaBegum and Rohima Begum, two Board members of Grameen Bank are sitting in front of me watching CNN interview Yunus live, broadcast around the world. In unison they said we have no fear…we were not afraid to take the plane here.” Asma added that “I am seeing things I have never seen in my life!”.

Asma has been a member of Grameen for 18 years. She runs a small shop. Rohima has a sewing machine and runs a small tailoring business. Their lives used to be very hard. Now they say it’s ok. And today, they are overjoyed. “For all poor people in the world, this is an incredible day.”

In the same room earlier Taslima Begum, another board member and borrower, accepted the Nobel prize on behalf of 7 million members and 20000 staff. Breaking the rules, Taslima spoke out spontaneously before the whole crowd filling the packed Oslo City hall. Taslima’s voice had no fear. She spoke out loud and proud.

Quite honestly her empowered spirit touched me in a way that I’d never felt before and reduced me to tears.