The prevailing cultural attitudes toward Western education and especially education for girls were hostile. Thus, the NCWK provided an appropriate platform to develop and experiment with innovative ideas such as the GBM. Instead the state officials preferred to create divisions among the GBM leadership rather than banish it. Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, in recognition of her work with the Green Belt Movement, a group that organizes disadvantaged women in Africa to plant trees in order to preserve the environment and improve women' quality of life. The accompanying population explosion also meant more people needed to be fed, educated, and their various needs provided for. She was not deterred by personal abuse and threats, and today this open space in the center of Nairobi is a testimony of her courage, persistence, and foresight. Maathai was born in a small rural village known as Ihithe in the Tetu division in what was then the Nyeri District. in biology, 1964) and at the University of Pittsburgh (M.S., 1966). Working for the GBM widened her horizons and provided a canvas upon which Maathai painted her broad vision for sustainable development, peace, democracy, gender equality, and grassroots empowerment in Kenya and Africa. A church allied to President Moi withdrew from the NCCK in similar circumstances.34 Thereafter Maendeleo ya Wanawake was integrated within the ruling party, the Kenya African National Union (KANU), until the overwhelming defeat of the party in the general elections of 2002.35, Secondly, in 1982 for the first time, Maathai ventured into electoral politics. That the GBM withstood and survived harassment from the government of Kenya and its security apparatuses was a testimony to the strength and capacity of these networks. An interview with Prof. Cyrus Mutiso indicated that Prof. Mathaai built the GBM on existing self-improvement womens groups such as the Nyakinyua Mabati womens groups located in the Nyeri and Muranga Counties. With Wairimu Nderitu, Mukami Kimathi: Mau Freedom Fighter (Nairobi, Kenya: Mdahalo Bridging Divides, 2017); and Caroline Elkins, Britains Gulag: The Brutal End of Empire in Kenya (London: The Bodley Head, 2014), 237238. Dr. Samuel Kobia, Annetta Miller, Harold Miller, Ms. Lillian W. Mwaura, Mr. Joshua S. Muiru, Ms. Njeri Muhoro, Prof. Gideon Cyrus Mutiso, and Mr. Titus K. Muya. In 2005 ten heads of state of countries bordering Congo Basin recognized her by giving her the title of goodwill ambassador for the Congo Basin rainforest ecosystema responsibility which she cherished.61 I remember once visiting her office to find her immersed in the study of French so as to discharge the responsibilities of the new position. She also had close relationships with other African regional institutionsfor instance, the African Development Bank (AfDB). These events were critical to the formation of Maathai, who became an environmental champion, an engaged intellectual, a Nobel laureate, and an icon of grassroots activism. 2. 55. Among them were the activists and the brokers of power. Some of her most important speeches can be found on the GBM website, including: Bottlenecks to Development in Africa, Fourth UN World Womens Conference in Beijing, China, August 30, 1995; Speak Truth to Power, May 4, 2000; Noble Lecture during the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo, Norway, December 10, 2004; Rise Up and Walk! Maathai was a pragmatic rather than a dogmatic figure, with no rigid ideological stance in her engagement with the environment and the politics of Kenya. Elsewhere, especially in the Rift Valley, where people were embroiled in state-sponsored ethnic conflicts since the early 1990s, Maathai joined with the churches, democratic activists, civil society organizations, international and local press to highlight atrocities committed against nonKalenjin ethnic communities in various parts of the Rift Valley. Henry Okullu, The Quest for Justice: An Autobiography of Bishop John Henry Okullu (Kisumu, Kenya: Shalom Publishers and Computer Training Centre, 1997); and Kabiru Kinyanjui, The Christian Churches and Civil Society in Kenya, in Local Ownership, Global Change: Will Civil Society Save the World? 54. Wangari recognised rural women's primary interest and role in maintaining a productive landscape, for assuring food needs as well as making daily household necessities - water and fuel - easier to collect. The World Conference on Women held in Mexico (1975) and subsequent ones in Copenhagen (1980), Nairobi (1985), and Beijing (1995) set the stage for fundamental changes in gender policies, relations, and for womens participation in development and leadership.49, International discourse on the environment and climate change also advanced after the Stockholm conference through a series of initiatives culminating in the United Nations Conference on Environmental Development (UNCED), Earth Summit (1992), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), Johannesburg, South Africa (2002).50 Such discourse broadened debates on development, giving critical attention to issues surrounding the environment and climate change. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, Wangari Maathai spent her life fighting for and promoting democracy and peace, sustainable development, and the empowerment of women. The list of supporterswomen, men, and institutions in Kenya and elsewherewould be long. A number of factors and circumstances seem to have contributed to the emergence, rise, and success of the GBM as a development actor. The first attempt in 1982 was blocked; in the 1997 attempt, she failed to secure a seat. Wangari Muta was born on April 1, 1940, in Ihithe, Nyeri Province, Kenya during British colonial rule. In 1971 she received a Ph.D. at the University of Nairobi, effectively becoming the first woman in either East or Central Africa to earn a doctorate. She straddled academic activities and civic engagement as a member of the NCWK and as a board member of the Environment Liaison Centre.45 As a highly educated woman, she gained visibility and much appreciation. He eventually became a member of parliament for a constituency in Nairobi. During the period when Maathai was acquiring her education in Kenya and the United States (19521966), the respective colonial and independent governments were undertaking far-reaching agricultural reforms in central Kenya. However, both were interested in Western education.5 They realized the value of education and encouraged their children to attend school. Wangar Maathai was a Kenyan social, political and environmental activist who was a leading figure in the environmentalist movement in Africa and across the world. Interviews held on various dates in 2018 and 2019 with Prof. Wanjiku Kabira, Rev. xc```b``b`a``f`0$2,~6#\31f3F0f``//^^$bZdQ#n(f`dbg`cX76lb> U) M. P. K. Sorrenson, Land Reform in Kikuyu Country (London: Oxford University Press, 1967). Upon entry into St. Cecilias Intermediate Primary School, she embraced Roman Catholic teachings, especially the Legion of Mary. endobj AfDB, Eminent Speakers Program, Wangari Maathai Underscores Importance of Good Governance in Poverty Reduction Efforts, October 27, 2010. This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Wangari Maathai, and supports the standard of individuals' achievements and contributions to environmental preservation. Maathai had been successful in building a grassroots movement, but she fell into the trap of competitive politics as the best way forward. endobj During this period the GBM thrived, leading to the recognition of Maathai. Their divorce was highly publicized. of the University of Nairobi, March 11, 2005. The continued existence of the Karura Forest in the outskirts of Nairobi city is another hallmark of her courage. Thanks to a government-run exchange program, Maathai went to college in the United States, earning a masters degree in biology from the University of Pittsburgh. xcbdg`b`8 $1{0@@"$Q$x;A,u me`b H5 dw Maathai seems to have been aware of these tensions as she juggled the roles of mother, politicians wife, and university teacher, as well as affirming herself as an African womanin manner of dressing, hospitality at home, and speaking local languages to meet the expectations of her husbands constituents.28 Hence her marriage might have become a theater of contestations of different perceptions of womanhood in independent Kenya. The overall objective was to control the politics of womens empowerment.33 The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) was also a victim of a similar tactic when it became a fierce critic of the authoritarian tendencies of the Moi regime. %PDF-1.5 Dr. Wangar Muta Maathai. She began teaching in the Department of Veterinary Anatomy at the University of Nairobi after graduation, and in 1977 she became chair of the department. Other influential circumstances include an encounter on a settlers farm in the Nakuru region of Kenya, engagements with women in tree-planting ventures, and intense protracted struggles for the democratization of Kenya. At college in the United States, she found it confusing to be referred as Miss Wangari. It's teamwork. With hindsight this move was misguided and diversionary. endobj These changes were advocated by the R. J. M. Swynnerton Plan of 1954. First, it is necessary to interrogate and appreciate the less than ideal circumstances under which the GBM rose and flourished. This source is a well-written and detailed autobiography from the topic, Wangari Maathai. She resigned from her comfortable position at the University of Nairobi to contest a by-election in a rural constituency. This article has benefited a great deal from discussions and interviews held toward the end of 2018 and in 2019 with Prof. Wanjiku Kabira, Rev. It is important to acknowledge that those relationships gave her work legitimacy, visibility, and recognition, and thereby ensured funding for the GBM and provided Maathai a measure of personal protection from the authoritarian regime. Eventually Maathai was awarded a PhD by the University of East Africa in 1971. Wangari Maathai held her Nobel Lecture December 10, 2004, in the Oslo City Hall, Norway. She was tasked with domestic chores as was expected of young girls in traditional society. The resulting dislocation and labor migration initiated an environmental transformation that was accelerated in subsequent decades. Lillian Mwaura interview, November 2018. ed. Maathai was born in polygamous family. Justin Chang reviews Showing Up.Groban first auditioned to . 26 0 obj While working for the National Council of Women of Kenya in 1976, Maathai came up with . The Green Belt Movement, an organization she founded in 1977, had by the early 21st century planted some 30 million trees. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice). They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Perchance they helped Maathai consolidate her thinking and understanding of environmental issues in Kenya and helped her to identify follow up actions that needed to be taken. Murungi, In the Mud of Politics, 196199. Born on April 1, 1940 Wangari Maathai grew up in Nyeri County, located in the central highlands of Kenya. These skills stayed with me wherever I went from then on.20 However, this educational experience failed to expose Maathai to the ongoing civil rights struggle or the intense debates in the United States at that time on the vagaries of the Vietnam War. The Green Belt Movement, Wangari Maathai: Key Speeches and Articles, November 11, 2020. It was an area populated by the Gikuyu people who lived in scattered homesteads around which they cultivated food crops and kept livestock.1 British settlers engaged in large-scale farming within the district, while colonial administrators entrenched colonial rule. I am sure that this honour will now usher in a new beginning with new sensibilities to match. . 25 0 obj stream She also became a keen and influential player in the spectrum of international conferences.51, Maathais life was intricately related to the predicament of women. As a result of the movements activism, similar initiatives were begun in other African countries, including Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe. They are, however, not responsible for the views expressed herein or the interpretations given in the article. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Her adage that when we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and hope remains an inspiration. Hence the dynamics of local and international forces coalesced in the work of the GBM. These agrarian reforms were adopted and intensified by the postcolonial government, leading to the increased degradation of rural areas. Wangari Maathai went to college in the United States, earning degrees from Mount St. Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas (1964) and the University of Pittsburgh (1966). In the 50s, for purposes of controlling insurgency in central Kenya, cash crops such as coffee and tea, and the keeping of dairy animals were introduced. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). On this farm she interacted with ordinary people from other ethnic communities as well as foreigners. She benefited mainly from the tide of change which was sweeping the country, not because she had articulated her own political ideas.42. The couple had their upbringing and initial education in colonial Kenya before going to the United States for university education. Maathais campaigns to empower women may have been rooted in these experiences of gender inequalities and marginalization.53, In the 80s most African countries underwent structural adjustment policies leading to economic and social reforms, the privatization of state enterprises, and the limitation of the role of the state in development activities.54 These externally initiated reforms impacted negatively on the provision of health, education, and other social services. But years later Published March 28, 2023. 24 0 obj In 1966, Maathai returned to Kenya confident and with high hopes for making a contribution to the newly independent country. On her demise, she was accorded a state funeral by the Kenyan government. All the girls in the school came from the same community, but were prohibited from speaking their language. 31. The couple had similar family backgrounds. These experiences emboldened her to fight against ethnic discrimination and gender inequalities which she encountered in the same institution and in the country generally. Wangari Maathai. The GBM was launched under the auspices of the National Council of Women of Kenya (NCWK), an umbrella organization which brought grassroots womens organizations together for the advancement of women. Leaders of the Green Belt Movement established the Pan African Green Belt Network in 1986 in order to educate world leaders about conservation and environmental improvement. xZF}W907s!d!c%:U]mT{/$uo_N>Br4@~{O[O^}ovp]n |~VJ[GOPZWer9_\RN.gz}z4bot#'t:U1m1bU.h]Y HRkC`X:w63u4_Hg~4R~0)(Jc)& AV{-1j$sNDD~OnyL>Re,LF*!j' M{1e%-lh O:0q|V6M1+a|k>>H.p`T@v5{b-. Primary Sources. When she was growing up, her father, a truck driver, made sure she was brought into family discussions and valued her opinions. She had become a global figure. Ecologist Wangari Maathai won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for her years of work with women to reverse African deforestation. In 2007, the region would explode into postelection violence, something which she had foreseen and tried hard to mitigate by cultivating a culture of peace for almost two decades. While colonial and Western education at times alienated her from her mother tongue, culture, and home environment, it paved the way for her to achieve the highest academic distinction and many honors. With Maathais guidance, the program went from a series of local womens activities into a national and international phenomenon. Suffice it to say, she mobilized local and international communities to save Uhuru Park from being turned into a concrete jungle. The experience of discrimination at the Department of Zoology led Maathai to look for opportunities elsewhere. In 2004, Prof. Maathai became the first African woman to be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize "for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace". In 1977, Maathai founded a grassroots organization, the Green Belt Movement, focused on reforestation to promote sustainability and establish financial income for women in the region. Although seen by some as an ill-advised move, in retrospect it proved a boon for the development of the GBM and the career of Maathai in environmental advocacy. In the last three decades it has become the cosmopolitan and partially urbanized County of Nyeri. However, they were still straddling the line between their traditional culture and Western values.27 Their wedding was solemnized according to Gikuyu traditions and Western Christian trappings. Located between the Aberdares Mountains and Mount Kenya, the Nyeri District was well known as the epicenter of Gikuyu resistance to colonialism and the imposition of colonial taxation. Wangari Maathai came from a family of Athomi (Maathai, Unbowed, 1112). She summarized her experiences at Mount St. Scholastica College in the following manner: My four years at the Mount, and experiences I had both on and off campus, nurtured in me a willingness to listen and learn, to think critically and analytically, and to ask questions. Wangari Maathai, the most prominent environmental activist in Africa, was the 2004 recipient of the Alfred Nobel Peace Prize. Her books and speeches were often enriched by illustrations from her cultural background despite the onslaught it had undergone during the exposure to missionary education and religion. 50, Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi, 1987; and Njuguna, Ngethe and Karuti, Kanyinga, The Politics of Development Space: The State and NGOs in the Delivery of Basic Services in Kenya, Working Paper, Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi, 1992. When she tried to withdraw her resignation letter from the University of Nairobi, she was bluntly told that the position had been taken by another person! Further information about these conferences can be found in the Links to Digital Materials section. . endobj It is imperative to appreciate how engagement with the GBM widened Maathais horizons and capacity to confront authoritarianism, interrogate democratic governance, gender inequality, conflicts and peace, and engage with broader concerns of sustainable development and climate change. Anyone can read what you share. In her final years, she battled ovarian cancer. 21. After completing her high school education in 1959, at Loreto School, Maathai embarked on another educational journey, this time to the United States. The subsequent handling of the divorce proceedings by the judiciary and the press seem to point out the quandary of how marriages of educated women were then perceived. Describing her experience at St. Cecilias Intermediate Primary School, Maathai writes: I really enjoyed learning and had a knack for being an attentive listener and very focused in the classroom, while being extremely playful outside of it.10 However, colonial education also exposed her to contradictions and challenges with regard to African cultures and in particular with regard to her mother tongue.11 In her school, speaking in her mother tongue was a punishable offense. The death of Wangari Muta Maathai on September 25, 2011, left a rich heritage that continues to inspire men and women, old and young, and indeed the entire world as it grapples with the challenges of sustainable development goals and climate change. 1 Her homeland was established by the British as the East Africa Protectorate in 1895 and then became the Kenya Colony in 1920; the independent Republic of Kenya emerged in 1964 after gaining internal self-government the prior year. 27 0 obj endstream Maathais elder brother Nderitu was the first in the family to attend school, thereby creating a positive image of schooling and serving as an inspiration to his sister. In her writings, Maathai refers to Maasai influence on her mothers side.3. Maathais election to parliament was almost an anticlimax. Fresh Air Weekend Fresh Air Weekend: NPR host Mary Louise Kelly; Josh Groban. Daniel Branch, Kenya: Between Hope and Despair, 19632012 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012), 249251; and Karuti Kanyinga and Duncan Okello, eds., Tensions and Reversals in Democratic Transitions: The Kenya 2007 General Elections (Nairobi, Kenya: Society for International Development and Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi, 2010), 169. This was a rare occurrence in her male-dominated society. Wangari Maathai. 41. Dr. Samuel Kobia, Annetta Miller, Harold Miller, Ms . In the later stages of her life, as she worked for the restoration of the environment, she often recalled this period nostalgically as a source of inspiration and renewal.7 Field work provided hands-on experience with nature and nurtured a strong attachment to plants, animals, and rivers in the immediate environment. Relationships with other African regional institutionsfor instance, the NCWK provided an appropriate to. A family of Athomi ( Maathai, Unbowed, 1112 ) funeral by early! 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