september-2018

34 / PEOPLE / Nobel Laureates
PEOPLE / 35
“It’s the little things
citizens do. That’s
what will make the
difference. My little
thing is planting trees”
Peacemakers
Africans have inspired the continent to be
better, to do better in order to make the world
a better place. For that they have been
honoured with the NOBEL PEACE PRIZE.
text Jackson Biko
Wangari
Maathai
Country
Kenya
Born
1940 (died in 2011)
Education
PhD in veterinary anatomy from the
University College of Nairobi
Highlights
Created the Green Belt Movement of
Kenya
Nobel Peace Prize
Awarded in 2004, “For her contribution
to sustainable development, democracy
and peace.”
IT DEFIES COMPREHENSION that for the
longest time, Wangari Maathai was considered a
villain in her own country. She was beaten and
locked up for fighting for human rights and for
her environmental activism. Her determination,
drive and passion saw her create a reforestation
programme that was widely recognised and adopted
in some countries worldwide. She was an intellectual,
and, effectively, the first woman in East or Central
Africa to earn a doctorate, which she did in 1971.
One of Maathai’s notable achievements was the
creation of the Green Belt Movement of Kenya in
1977, a non-governmental organisation that focuses
on environmental conservation, community development
and capacity building. She mobilised communities
for purposes of reforestation, which also have
an impact on poverty alleviation. She did this while
at loggerheads with the government. In an interview
with Grist, she said, “We are women [in this organisation].
We did not have any guns and we were not
going to use force, even when they used force to try
to stop us. We realised that all we needed to do to
empower ourselves was to understand that we are the
ones who can change government, we are the ones
who can decide what kind of leaders to put in place.”
Maathai herself became a member of the government
as the assistant minister of environment and
continued pushing her environmental agenda.
Her movement has been responsible for the
planting of more than 51 million trees in Kenya, and
providing thousands of women with new skills and
opportunities. She was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize in 2004, “For her contribution to sustainable
development, democracy and peace.”
Hollandse Hoogte