by Robert Wilkinson
Wangari Maathai, the first African female Nobel Peace Prize winner who inspired the planting of billions of trees, has just died from cancer at 71.
We learn of this sad news courtesy of MSNBC. From that story by Jason Straziuso and Tom Odula, a small bit about this modern hero:
... Maathai won the Nobel in 2004 for combining environmentalism and social activism. She was the founder of the Green Belt Movement, where over 30 years she mobilized poor women to plant 30 million trees....Maathai said during her 2004 acceptance speech that the inspiration for her life's work came from her childhood experiences in rural Kenya, where she witnessed forests being cleared and replaced by commercial plantations, which destroyed biodiversity and the capacity of forests to conserve water.
Although the Green Belt Movement's tree-planting campaign did not initially address the issues of peace and democracy, Maathai said it became clear over time that responsible governance of the environment was not possible without democracy.
"Therefore, the tree became a symbol for the democratic struggle in Kenya. Citizens were mobilized to challenge widespread abuses of power, corruption and environmental mismanagement," Maathai said....
The United Nations Environment Program called Maathai one of Africa's foremost environmental campaigners. The U.N. agency recalled that Maathai was the inspiration behind UNEP's Billion Tree Campaign, which was launched in 2006. To date, more than 11 billion trees have been planted as part of the campaign.
"Wangari Maathai was a force of nature. While others deployed their power and life force to damage, degrade and extract short term profit from the environment, she used hers to stand in their way, mobilize communities and to argue for conservation and sustainable development over destruction," said Achim Steiner, the executive director of UNEP....
Her quest to see fewer trees felled and more planted saw her face off against Kenya's powerful elite. At least three times during her activist years she was physically attacked, including being clubbed unconscious by police during a hunger strike in 1992....
... Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Monday called Maathai a "true African heroine." The Nelson Mandela Foundation also expressed sadness over Maathai's death. The foundation hosted Maathai in 2005, when she headlined the foundation's annual lecture.
"We need people who love Africa so much that they want to protect her from destructive processes," she said in her address. "There are simple actions we can take. Start by planting 10 trees we each need to absorb the carbon dioxide we exhale."
A former member of Kenya's parliament, Maathai was the first woman to earn a doctorate in East Africa — in 1971 from the University of Nairobi.....
May this powerful woman of color be an inspiration for millions more to carry on this urgent work of making our world more sustainable for future generations. RIP Wangari Maathai. You were/are one of the best that Mother Africa has ever produced.
© Copyright 2011 Robert Wilkinson
Thank you, Robert, for honoring this magnificent woman - long a heroine of mine. One might even say, an embodiment of Mother Africa.
Posted by: Judith | September 27, 2011 at 12:42 PM
May she rest in peace and become a light in the dark and help others follow her courage to love and serve our beautiful mother Earth! Very moving piece Robert. Thanks
Posted by: Micheline | September 27, 2011 at 03:23 PM