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". Her entire life was thus characterized by learning, critical observations, engagement, interactions with people, and advocacy for change. Omissions? Maathais exposure to other Kenyan ethnic communities broadened when she moved onto a settlers farm in the Nakuru area where her father was employed. AfDB, Eminent Speakers Program, Wangari Maathai Underscores Importance of Good Governance in Poverty Reduction Efforts, October 27, 2010. In her lifetime, Dr. Wangari Maathai authored four books and numerous scientific publications. While Maathai was cloistered in Catholic schools, the country was undergoing the turbulence of Mau Mau resistance against British colonialism. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The genius of Maathai and other women leaders was to turn this elite organization into a vehicle for the empowerment of rural women. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Childhood & Early Life. Children like Maathai, who were born near a missionary settlement, and whose parents allowed them to venture into the new teachings by Christian missionaries, had early access to Western education. Ecologist Wangari Maathai won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for her years of work with women to reverse African deforestation. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. She appealed to environmental and peace constituencies in the global development establishment and was heartily recognized. It also diffused opportunities for deepening an understanding of environment challenges in the country. . M. P. K. Sorrenson, Land Reform in Kikuyu Country (London: Oxford University Press, 1967). She sat for the Kenya Primary Examination in 1951 and scored Grade One. I used this source to add more variety to my sources and to get more specific details about Maathai's life. Her venture into politics plunged her into new controversies and, ironically, resulted in more publicity for the GBM. 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. << /Contents 27 0 R /MediaBox [ 0 0 612 792 ] /Parent 43 0 R /Resources << /ExtGState << /G3 38 0 R >> /Font << /F4 39 0 R /F5 40 0 R /F6 41 0 R /F7 42 0 R >> /ProcSet [ /PDF /Text /ImageB /ImageC /ImageI ] >> /StructParents 0 /Type /Page >> The drift toward authoritarianism had emerged in the late 60s and 70s under Kenyas first President, Jomo Kenyatta, and was consolidated in the 80s with the ascendancy of the Moi regime.47 One party rule was legalized, and dissent was punished by arbitrary arrests, torture, and detention without trial.48 Maathai took up the leadership of the NCWK and subsequently as a coordinator of the GBM as state control and surveillance was intensified. stream 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. As a national school, Loreto High School provided Maathai with the opportunity to interact with girls from other ethnic groups in Kenya. At college in the United States, she found it confusing to be referred as Miss Wangari. 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. She saw how missionaries perpetuated false dichotomies between Christian values and aspects of African cultures.21 This revelation was to shape and indeed strengthen Maathais appreciation of her Gikuyu cultural background and heritage, enabling her to interact and learn from ordinary people in her advocacy for sustainable environmental practices and the empowerment of women. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History, Early States and State Formation in Africa, Historical Preservation and Cultural Heritage, Formal Education in Kenya and the United States, The Place of Wangari Maathai in Kenya, Africa, and the World, https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.480, United Nations Conference on Human Environment, World Conference of the International Womens Year, United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development, Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, United Nations Conference on Environmental Development (UNCED), Earth Summit, World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace, World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), Wangari Maathai: Key Speeches and Articles, Women, Gender, and Sexuality in East Africa. The GBM is thus credited with developing a culture of planting trees during important family, community, and national events. The United Nations (UN) conferences in the 70s provided the base for global debates on environment and equality for women that dominated the rest of the 20th century and beyond. Wangari Maathai, the most prominent environmental activist in Africa, was the 2004 recipient of the Alfred Nobel Peace Prize. 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. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Upon her return to Kenya in 1966, she dropped her Christian names and retained her African names, Wangari Muta. 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. In her final years, she battled ovarian cancer. 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 was the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize. A. While undertaking her studies, Maathai learned how Christianity practiced in American, European, and African societies blended well with their dominant cultures. In 1955, people were moved to concentration villages to pacify the region and to sever access to vital supply lines and community support that had supported the resistance fighters.18 It was in the context of the Mau Mau freedom struggle that Maathai received her education at St. Cecilia Intermediate Primary School and later Loreto High School, Limuru. 42. Alan Fowler, Striking a Balance: Guide to Enhancing the Effectiveness of Non-Governmental Organizations in International Development (London: Earthscan Publications, 1997). 49. The Green Belt Movement, an organization she founded in 1977, had by the early 21st century planted some 30 million trees. 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). While working for the National Council of Women of Kenya in 1976, Maathai came up with . 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. This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Wangari Maathai, and supports the standard of individuals' achievements and contributions to environmental preservation. xcbdg`b`8 $1{0@@"$Q$x;A,u me`b H5 dw 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. The first attempt in 1982 was blocked; in the 1997 attempt, she failed to secure a seat. She was tasked with domestic chores as was expected of young girls in traditional society. It focused on the value of tree-planting programs, as well as dealing with environmental deterioration in rural areas resulting from the intensified cultivation of cash crops and population growth. She was an Honorary Councillor of the World Future Council. The most important dates and events in the current school year can be found in our calendar. Modern farming methods were introduced to small-scale farmers through the provision of extension services and credit facilities. Interviews held on various dates in 2018 and 2019 with Prof. Wanjiku Kabira, Rev. ed. That she accompanied mothers of political detainees at the Freedom Corner to fight for the release of their incarcerated children is indicative of how she identified with the struggles of ordinary Kenyans in confronting an authoritarian regime. The attendant inequalities in the country were analyzed and flagged by the International Labour Organization Report of 1972. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. It became known as the home of renowned Mau Mau freedom fighters, outstanding postcolonial leaders, and intellectuals.4 Leaders such as the legendary freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi, former President Mwai Kibaki, and Wangari Maathai had their beginnings in the district. 47. She even gave a speech at the AfDB Groups Eminent Speakers Program in Tunis, Tunisia, on October 27, 2009.62, In Africa she made history in many respects. Later Years and Death. 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. Accounts from friends indicate that both parents were devoted to the well-being and education of their children. Maathai was born in polygamous family. An interview with Ms. Lillian W. Mwaura, former chairperson of NCWK, 1987 to 1996, November 15, 2018. 56. A decision to send Maathai to school was made by her mother at the instigation of Nderitu, an elder brother. By mobilizing women to plant and care for trees, Maathai changed the thinking and practices of conserving the environment at a time when dominant global thinking on the environment and womens role in society was grappling for transformation. This affinity with the soil became a great asset when she led tree-planting campaigns. 17. The encounter with expatriate Germans opened a unique opportunity for Maathai. In the last three decades it has become the cosmopolitan and partially urbanized County of Nyeri. It diverted her critical energies from the issues that were dear to the GBM. 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. As more funds were secured and more international attention gained, the GBM was assured of survival, both financially and politically. 2. Anyone can read what you share. Justin Chang reviews Showing Up.Groban first auditioned to . She was presented by Professor Ole Danbolt Mjs, Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. 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. The socioeconomic impact of policies of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund on the environment and poverty in Africa should be noted at a time when the thinking within UN circles was questioning the prevailing development orthodoxy. Her achievements were appealing to all ideological shades. Maathai was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree. In 1977, she founded the Green Belt Movement, a non-governmental organization, which encourages women to plant trees to combat deforestation and environmental degradation. 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