It thus became a critical constituency for experimenting with new ideas. At the same time, Maathais life was greatly influenced by the splendor and simplicity of rural Gikuyu community life, values which subsequently engaged with Western education and religion, with ethnic and gender biases, and with state power and international development thinking. Wangari Maathai, in full Wangari Muta Maathai, (born April 1, 1940, Nyeri, Kenyadied September 25, 2011, Nairobi), Kenyan politician and environmental activist who was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize for Peace, becoming the first Black African woman to win a Nobel Prize. Addressing enormously complex challenges of deforestation and global climate change, the movement partnered with poor rural women who were encouraged, and paid a small stipend, to plant millions of trees to slow . 25 0 obj In his memoir, Dreams in a Time of War: A Childhood Memoir (Nairobi, Kenya: Kenway Publications, 2010), 110, Ngugi Wa Thiongo narrates similar experiences in regard to speaking Gikuyu in school. The survival of the GBM under these circumstances may be attributed to the international stature that Maathai had acquired as an environmental warrior, and the existence of supporter networks and admirers scattered all over the world. When conflict engulfed central Kenya and some men went into the forest to fight and others detained, it was women who took care of their families: providing food, building houses, and in some cases educating children.52 When Maathai came home during the school holidays, this was the reality that confronted her. One of Maathais remarkable gifts and indeed a notable strength was her ability to build alliances between local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and international NGOs, with environmental celebrities, activists, and the press, thereby raising local and global awareness of grassroots environmental issues. You could not be signed in, please check and try again. As more funds were secured and more international attention gained, the GBM was assured of survival, both financially and politically. I used this source to add more variety to my sources and to get more specific details about Maathai's life. While Maathai was cloistered in Catholic schools, the country was undergoing the turbulence of Mau Mau resistance against British colonialism. The separation between the NCWK and the GBM that occurred in 1987 as a result of political pressure from the Moi regime, proved another milestone in the development of the identity and stature of Maathai as an environmental activist. When she was globally recognized with the award of the Nobel Peace Prize, she became an instant national icon.59 Duncan Ndegwa, an outstanding public servant from Nyeri County, brought out this ironic situation in his congratulatory letter to Maathai when he wrote: Lest you forget, and far away from any vestiges of dignity, we have seen you being shoved aside if not totally ignored by the government, labeled feminine chauvinist and treated like a common criminal all for being principled and living for a cause. endobj Her impact and influence had extended well beyond her constituency in Tetu, Kenya, and far beyond Africa. Among these were the rapid transformation that took place in the countryside, especially in central Kenya where Maathai grew up, and the impact this transformation had on the environment, which in turn shaped the concerns that the GBM raised. Primary Sources Overview . Kenyan politician and environmental activist Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2004 for her involvement in "sustainable development that embraces democracy, human rights, and women's rights in particular." She became the first Black African woman to achieve such an honor. The life of Wangari Muta Maathai (1940-2011) was strongly shaped by her rural environment, missionary education, and exposure to university education in the United States and Germany. 1. Their divorce was highly publicized. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 29. 2003), detailed the history of the organization. 24 0 obj Wangari Maathai: storyteller She affirmed earth and water, air and the waning fire of the sun combine to form the essential elements of life and reveal to me my kinship with the soil.63. << /Filter /FlateDecode /S 128 /Length 115 >> endobj Hence, she decided to correct the confusion by adopting her full name, Mary Josephine Wangari Muta. 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. 24. Murungi, In the Mud of Politics, 196199. Kiraitu Murungi, In the Mud of Politics (Nairobi, Kenya: Acacia Stantex Publishers, 2000), 110 and 185187. Wangari Muta Maathai o o tshotsweng ka kgwedi ya Moranang e tlhola gangwe ka ngwaga wa 1940, mme a tlhokafala ka kgwedi ya Lwetse e le malatsi a le masome le botlhano ka ngwaga wa 2011, e ne e le molwela ditshwanelo tsa selegae, tikologo le polotiki wa ko lefatsheng la Kenya, o o simolodisitseng mokgatlho wa Green Belt Movement, o e leng mokgatlho o o ikemetseng ka nosi o o itebagantseng le go . 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. Nevertheless, it was not easy balancing bringing up three children, earning a living, carving her identity, as well as navigating through turbulent political waters.29. The attendant inequalities in the country were analyzed and flagged by the International Labour Organization Report of 1972. In 2004, Maathai was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her contribution to protecting the environment and empowering women in Africa. This formal education opened unparalleled opportunities in colonial and postcolonial Kenya. . When they got married, she changed her name to Wangari Mathai, which she initially resisted, but did so on the insistence of her husband. Both families migrated from the Nyeri District to the Rift Valley province in search of employment and land to cultivate. These factors, together with the limited number of schools in colonial Kenya, meant that the young Maathai was very fortunate. As the first African woman to . 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. Fresh Air Weekend Fresh Air Weekend: NPR host Mary Louise Kelly; Josh Groban. Our school calendar. They are, however, not responsible for the views expressed herein or the interpretations given in the article. endstream Then she was confronted with the fact that she had no job nor house to live inhard realities. At that time, she was working as an assistant lecturer at the University College, Nairobi. 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. Agricultural cooperatives were established in rural areas to ensure that quality agricultural commodities were produced and marketed. She was allocated a mini garden by her mother to cultivate and to learn practically how to care for plants. The experience of discrimination at the Department of Zoology led Maathai to look for opportunities elsewhere. Upon her return to Kenya in 1966, she dropped her Christian names and retained her African names, Wangari Muta. 44. With Maathais guidance, the program went from a series of local womens activities into a national and international phenomenon. Interviews held on various dates in 2018 and 2019 with Prof. Wanjiku Kabira, Rev. She was given a scholarship for PhD studies and research in Kenya and Germany. When she was growing up, her father, a truck driver, made sure she was brought into family discussions and valued her opinions. However, no healing of the scars inflicted on you, I am convinced, can equal the soothing of the Nobel Peace Prize you have now won. Forest cover was also decimated as large-scale farms were subdivided and select forest reserves were hived off for settlement purposes. Her venture into politics plunged her into new controversies and, ironically, resulted in more publicity for the GBM. 2021 marks 10 years since Prof . Thus, the NCWK provided an appropriate platform to develop and experiment with innovative ideas such as the GBM. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. 51. 49. 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. There was an aspect of independence in the women Maathai associated with. To all of them, I am eternally grateful, as I am to the powerful who were willing to use their positions to protect me.37. Maathai is internationally renowned for her unrelenting efforts in advocating democracy, environmental conservation and human rights. She published an autobiography, Unbowed, in 2007. 31. Wangari Maathai. Maendeleo ya Wanawake, an organization for the progress of women, started during the colonial period, was dedicated to support the welfare of African women, but in the postcolonial period became a vehicle for the participation of women in development. In addition to her conservation work, Maathai was also an advocate for human rights, AIDS prevention, and womens issues, and she frequently represented these concerns at meetings of the United Nations General Assembly. Political activist and environmentalist Wangari Maathai was trained to be a leader. 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. All the girls in the school came from the same community, but were prohibited from speaking their language. 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. 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. Later, when she was denied the opportunity to participate in elective politics, she invested her energies into the development of the GBM which became her signature lifetime achievement, widely honored on numerous occasions for its pioneer tree-planting ventures and the related empowerment of women. 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. Further information about these conferences can be found in the Links to Digital Materials section. Wangari Maathai held her Nobel Lecture December 10, 2004, in the Oslo City Hall, Norway. 3. Maathai, Unbowed, 7. 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-. Thus she became Wangari Muta Maathai, asserting her African identity and freedom to be known and called by the names she wanted (Maathai, Unbowed, 147). When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and seeds of hope. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wangari-Maathai, The Nobel Prize - Biography of Wangari Maathai, Wangari Muta Maathai - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Wangari Maathai - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Duncan Ndegwa, Congratulatory Letter, December 2, 2004, in Ndegwa, Walking in Kenyatta Struggles, 595. Maathai was born in a small rural village known as Ihithe in the Tetu division in what was then the Nyeri District. << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1638 >> 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. These experiences emboldened her to fight against ethnic discrimination and gender inequalities which she encountered in the same institution and in the country generally. Maathai played an active part in the struggle for democracy in Kenya, and belonged to the opposition . 5. It's teamwork. stream She was narrowly defeated in the race for the top position, but was consoled by being appointed vice-chairperson, elected by an overwhelming majority. Maathai was born in polygamous family. In her lifetime, Dr. Wangari Maathai authored four books and numerous scientific publications. There, Maathai changed her first baptismal name and became a staunch member of the Legion of Mary, which encouraged the values of service and volunteering. Wangari Maathai. But years later The first attempt in 1982 was blocked; in the 1997 attempt, she failed to secure a seat. Maathai was educated in the United States at Mount St. Scholastica College (now Benedictine College; B.S. Often their phone calls, faxes, lettersor, later, e-mailsor simply their presence made the difference at a crucial moment. She was also the first female scholar from East and Central Africa to take a doctorate (in biology), and the first female professor ever in her home country of Kenya. Suffice it to say, she mobilized local and international communities to save Uhuru Park from being turned into a concrete jungle. Maathais knowledge of the German language (which was a minor subject during study for her first degree) became useful as it enabled her to interact with the German lecturers who were assisting with the establishment of a school of veterinary medicine. The life of Wangari Muta Maathai (19402011) demonstrates the complex interaction of constructive historical circumstances with the development of an individual. 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. She was elected to Kenyas National Assembly in 2002 with 98 percent of the vote, and in 2003 she was appointed assistant minister of environment, natural resources, and wildlife. 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. Another volume, The Challenge for Africa (2009), criticized Africas leadership as ineffectual and urged Africans to try to solve their problems without Western assistance. These changes started with the alienation of large tracts of land for white settlement at the onset of British colonialism. 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. The document argued that by creating a class of privileged rural farmers, the radicalization of peasants would be minimized, thus denying support for Mau Mau and other radical political elements. In 1977, Wangari Maathai started a campaign that came to be known as the Green Belt Movement in her home country of Kenya. Wangari Maathai. The plan recommended land consolidation and registration of individual ownership to create a landed class which would form a buffer between the radical Gikuyu members and the colonial government, thereby minimizing support for the Mau Mau rebellion. Dr. Samuel Kobia, Annetta Miller, Harold Miller, Ms . Timothy Njoya, We the People: Thinking Heavenly Acting Kenyan (Nairobi, Kenya: WordAlive Publishers, 2017). 30. 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. She was recognized at once for doing no harm and for not upsetting the status quo. Hannah Wangechi Kinoti, African Ethics: Gikuyu Traditional Morality (Nairobi, Kenya: Catholic University of Eastern Africa Press, 2013). She was baptized Miriam at the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, Ihithe, to become Miriam Wangari. 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. The Ndegwa Report of 1971 legitimized such practices.46 These practices tended to concentrate wealth and power among few elites, predominantly from one ethnic group. Early Life Further information about these conferences can be found in the Links to Digital Materials section. 34. Wangari Muta was born on April 1, 1940, in Ihithe, Nyeri Province, Kenya during British colonial rule. The impact of these policies was felt mostly in the 60s and 70s as landless poor were settled, necessitating the cutting of trees on small-scale farms and reducing forest cover in districts like Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia, Nyandarua, Laikipia, and Kirinyaga. In 1947, she returned to Ihithe, for lack of educational opportunities at the farm. Her marriage brought another challenge in terms of what she could be called. 50. Your recognition as a Nobel Peace Prize laureate has without doubt now confirmed your extraordinary identity in Tetu, Nyeri, Kenya, East Africa, Africa and the World.60. Maathais mother, her brother Nderitu, and another member of the family made this critical decision, which would open the doors for Maathai to quality education in Kenya and eventually in the United States, thus introducing her to international networks which were to shape her future. First, it is necessary to interrogate and appreciate the less than ideal circumstances under which the GBM rose and flourished. Unbowed: A Memoir . She is the recipient of 15 honorary degrees in science, law, humane letters, and public service, and 50+ awards and recognitions . In discussing her childhood in her autobiography, Maathai paints a picture of an idyllic life set in a pristine and lush rural environment. The couple had their upbringing and initial education in colonial Kenya before going to the United States for university education. These changes were advocated by the R. J. M. Swynnerton Plan of 1954. Kabiru Kinyanjui, ed., Non-Government Organizations (NGOs): Contributions to Development, Occasional Paper, no. Her work was often considered both unwelcome and subversive in her own country, where her outspokenness constituted stepping far outside traditional gender roles. Maathai, Unbowed, 5960; and Ndegwa, Walking in Kenyatta Struggles, 8791. Colonialism in Kenya was a major force for social differentiation. But as land consolidation and registration went on in central Kenya, it was men who were registered as owners, although it was women who cultivated the land. 61. These groups played critical roles in shaping the values and politics that she espoused for social justice, sustainable development, and climate change. Women were in control and were making the vital decisions at home, in the village, and at school. Modern farming methods were introduced to small-scale farmers through the provision of extension services and credit facilities. Researching ticks at the University of Nairobi also exposed Maathai to the environmental degradation taking place in rural Kenya and its impact on the livelihoods of rural women. She could then be addressed as Miss Muta. Maathai was of Kikuyu ethnicity. The Green Belt Movement, Wangari Maathai: Key Speeches and Articles, November 11, 2020. The prevailing cultural attitudes toward Western education and especially education for girls were hostile. Mwangi, on the other hand, was working for a private corporation and was a business entrepreneur with political ambitions. This was a rare occurrence in her male-dominated society. A Tiny Seed: The Story of Wangari MaathaibyWritten by Nicola RijsdijkIllustrated by Maya MarshakIn a village on the slopes of Mount Kenya, a little girl work. In Gikuyu, they were known as Athomi. Ndegwa, Walking in Kenyatta Struggles, 6264, refers to the divisions this category of people brought into in the society. Maathai and other writers have described at length the methodologies and approaches utilized by the GBM to reach out to rural women, building awareness regarding the needs of the environment and the adoption of relevant innovations.31 Such were the modalities and characteristics of the movement, resulting in a culture of tree planting that was nurtured widely among Kenyans. It is here that the GBM mobilized women, self-help groups, and communities into tree-planting networks.44 Its reputation soared in the context of environmental advocacy, tree planting, and the raising of awareness of poverty at grassroots levels. Once again finding her options limited, she went on to pursue a doctorate from the University of Giessen in Germany. In her final years, she battled ovarian cancer. Omissions? In the forests of Aberdares and Mount Kenya, guerilla warfare was intense. Use these quotes in discussing Wangari Maathai's life and how her views and activities changed over the course of her lifetime. As a young girl growing up in Kenya, Wangari was surrounded by trees. Maathai is still remembered for her determined and persistent efforts to safeguard Uhuru Park and the Karura Forest for future generations, for her solidarity with mothers of political detainees, as well as her relentless efforts for peace and to end election-related violence in the Rift Valley region and in the country since 1992 when multiparty politics were allowed. 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. 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. Wangari Maathai was able to achieve a large degree of educational and professional successes despite her rural beginnings in a fiercely patriarchal society and within a male . Later in life, as she became more engaged with various communities, her respect and appreciation of Gikuyu language, culture, and indigenous knowledge deepened and widened.17. She was tasked with domestic chores as was expected of young girls in traditional society. Wangari's Words to Live By . The NCWK nurtured this initiative, enabling it to reach out and empower rural women. An interview with Ms. Lillian W. Mwaura, former chairperson of NCWK, 1987 to 1996, November 15, 2018. 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 left the NCWK in a precarious financial situation and effected the severing of relationships with many grassroots organizations. Wangari Maathai Lesson Plan: Write and Deliver a Persuasive Speech Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8 In this lesson plan, adaptable for grades 3-12, students explore BrainPOP resources to learn about Wangari Maathai, a global leader for women's rights and conservation. Wangari Maathai, the most prominent environmental activist in Africa, was the 2004 recipient of the Alfred Nobel Peace Prize. Wangari Maathai, environmental activist and politician, born 1 April 1940; died 25 . 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. The University of Nairobi, which had denied her a job in 1982, honored her with an honorary doctorate in 2005 and hosts the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies (WMI), which promotes research on land use, peace, and sustainable development. The accompanying population explosion also meant more people needed to be fed, educated, and their various needs provided for. She observed: Working for justice and freedom is often a lonely and dispirited business. While her father was formally educated, her mother was not. 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. She creatively defied this by changing her last name to Maathai, by adding an a to her ex-husbands surname. 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. Population explosion also meant more people needed to be fed, educated, belonged. Than ideal circumstances under which the GBM rose and flourished more funds were secured and more international gained! 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