Well, as regards a person who deserves the award right now more than Bono does...taking a look at that list, I find it nothing short of criminal that Vaclev Havel has not won the Prize. It seems every major activist "star" over the last 40 yrs that was a houseold name at the time of their activities has won, from MLK and Desmond Tutu to Jimmy Carter to Gorbachev, the Dalai Lama, etc. But come on....how can Lech Walesa win the Prize in 1983, less than 3 years after he began his protests, while Havel had been rotting in a jail in Chekoslovakia for several yrs by then. He suffered far worse tnan Walese, and like him, led his country to freedom from the very same Communist yoke. I've read his"Letters to Olga" (his wife), and believe me, he suffered as much as Mandela in prison, at some points. If we are prepared to give the prize to such shysters as Henry Kissinger, than we can surely give it to those quieter individuals who suffer silently and desrve it all the more.
Regarding Bono...I see one of the modern winners listed as "architect, sculptor, and human rights activist." A sculptor is an artist, right? So this blows a hole in the theory about there being a barrier for Bono simply b/c he is a rock star. Why can't we have a winner listed as "rock musician, human rights activist"?
I think, though, that political leaders get the prize sooner than non-political figures, because being a politican gives them gravitas and they are seen as being "experienced." I guess. They're a higher status on the international food chain, more ready for earlier recognition. Whereas someone like Bono or the Dalai Lama has to slowly work his way upward. So I imagine in aobut 15 yrs time, when DATA's impact--and his own legacy--has had time to grow, they will be more ready to award him for being an inpirational figure for a lifetime of work.
