Wangari Muta Maathai was a Kenyan-born environmental activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. She is also among the first female scholars in East and Central Africa.
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Prof. Wangari Muta Maathai |
Molding of a world-renowned EnvironmentalistWangari was born in the rural of Nyeri County, Kenya, in 1940. She was lucky to secure a scholarship that contributed to her earning a degree in Biological Sciences from Mount St. Scholastica College in the United States of America in 1964.
She then studied for her Master of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh (1966), and later on pursued doctoral studies in Germany. In 1971 at the University of Nairobi, she obtained a Ph.D. where she also lectured on veterinary anatomy.
Apart from being a senior lecturer, she held top positions in many social organizations. Wangari became the director of the Kenya Red Cross Society - Nairobi chapter in 1973.
Her journey to becoming an iconic environmentalist was given a boost when she joined the Environment Liaison Centre in 1974, later becoming its board's chairperson. The organization's main aim was to influence the participation of non-governmental organizations in the works of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).
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Wangari Maathai at a UNEP summit |
Thinking of turning her passion for the environment into a business idea, Wangari came up with Envirocare Ltd. in 1974. Her main aim was to create employment opportunities from the establishment of the company which was responsible for planting trees to conserve the environment. It was during this time that she planted her first nursery in Karura Forest.
Even though the company failed, her contributions to previous environmental issues were enough to make her a guest at the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, Habitat I, in June 1976.
From the conference, she formulated more ideas that included planting more trees in Nairobi City, Kamukunji Park, and later, the establishment of the Green Belt Movement in 1987. Kenyan women were encouraged by Wangari's efforts which resulted in them adopting a tree-planting culture in their communities.
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Wangari Maathai at a UN meeting |
In her writings, Wangari stresses a close relationship between the African Spiritual System and the conservation of the environment. She adds that religions consider the act as a religious practice that carries blessings.
The Green Belt Movement and the Nobel Prize
Through the movement, Wangari was able to make international friends. She also participated in key global forums on environmental issues. The Green Belt Movement received support from other established organizations like the Norwegian Forestry Service and the United Nations Voluntary Funds for Women.
The support plus her commitment made it possible to establish the movement out of Kenya. This is when the Pan African Green Belt Network was established in 1986, expanding the initiative of environment conservation to the continent.
In 1989, Wangari Maathai and many of her followers held a protest at Uhuru Park (a historical site in Kenya) attempting to stop the construction of a 60-storey business complex in the area. To her, Uhuru Park was a national heritage and an environment worth protecting for the future generation.
"When I see Uhuru Park and contemplate its meaning, I feel compelled to fight for it so that my grandchildren may share that dream and that joy of freedom as they one day walk there." - Unbowed page 102.
This was among the political activism that led her into longer heads with the Moi government. She was forced to vacate her office and was vilified in parliament, but her protests steered foreign investors to cancel the Uhuru Park Project.
Again in 1992, the government was planning on privatizing a large piece of land in Karura Forest. Wangari led a team of the movement's members to protest against the plan by planting trees in the area that was intended to be a golf field. As a result, they were attacked by a group of men. Sadly, reports confirm that the police did not take any action.
However, the act spurred demonstrations and attracted international attention. The government later banned the allocation of public land. Wangari continued opposing the government anytime it threatened Kenya's environment.
In Kenyan politics, she represented the Tetu constituency in parliament (2002–2007) and served as Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources in Kenya’s ninth parliament (2003–2007).
In 2004, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy, and peace. Wangari Maathai made a record of being the first African woman and the first environmentalist to win the prize.
Her activism intensified both locally and globally. She was appointed the goodwill ambassador for protecting the Congo Basin Forest Ecosystem in Central Africa. The United Nations Billion Trees Campaign was also spearheaded by her. Along with other Nobel laureates, she founded the Nobel Women's Initiative.
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Wangari in a Nobel Women Initiative forum |
Wangari authored four books: The Green Belt Movement; Unbowed: A Memoir; The Challenge for Africa; and Replenishing the Earth.
She later died on 25th September 2011 after a long battle with ovarian cancer. According to her will, she was cremated.
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