Prof. Wangari Maathai, Kenya
Prof. Wangari Maathai. Photo credit: Citizen TV
The late-Prof. Wangari Maathai was a renowned Kenyan politician, environmental activist, and Nobel Peace Prize winner. She was the founder of the Green Belt Movement, a non-governmental organization focusing on environmental conservation (through the planting of trees) and women’s rights.
Since Wangari was staunchly devoted to environmental conservation and the fight against deforestation in Kenya, she often found herself in trouble with the Kenyan government, which was notorious for grabbing indigenous forests for private development.
Wangari authored the book “Replenishing the Earth: Spiritual Values for Healing Ourselves and the World.” Throughout her life, Wangari encouraged Kenyan women to plant trees, promising to pay them a small stipend for each seedling they planted.
In 2004, Prof. Wangari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy, and peace. In her will, Wangari requested that her body be cremated and her ashes be buried in a traditional coffin to ensure no tree was destroyed for her casket. Wangari died in 2011 after a prolonged fight with ovarian cancer.
Watch Prof. Wangari’s Nobel Peace Prize speech here:
