The first time I heard about the Green belt movement, I was less than 10 years old visiting my grandmother in Muranga, Kenya. The women were pumped about planting trees and had the most beautiful forests in some pretty remote places. When I asked my grandmother why they had so many trees, she told that trees are important because they bring rain and we should keep planting them. My grandmother and her friends were not educated but were rallying around a cause which they understood in their own terms.
As I grew older I discovered that Wangari Maathai was involved in the Green Belt Movement which was an environmental non-governmental organization. It focused on planting of trees, environmental conservation and women's rights. Here are some of the lessons that Wangari's life has taught me
Education makes a difference: Wangari Maathai was well educated. She was the first East-african woman to receive a PHD. Her education gave her a passion for the environment by providing information and also gave her platform from which to speak from. It gave her credibility which was important in mostly male circles.
One person can make a big difference: I am still amazed at how much Ms. Maathai gave a voice to the voiceless. She helped rural women in Kenya stand taller as they learned about the difference they could make in their environment. Despite her challenges, she pressed on and gained an international platform for her message of conservatism and human rights.
Never be afraid of being the first: If Wangari Maathai was bashful about being the first, she would not have got her PHD, accepted appointments for senior positions at the university or received the nobel peace prize among many others. She set a great example for paving the way for women in a patriachal society. I bet many people thought" how dare she?"
Dining with kings does not have to change who you are: Wangari Maathai was exposed to kings and the poor alike and still remained unmoved. She often talked about not always knowing protocol yet she remained graceful in awkward situations and continued to relate the people in her village like she always had.
Let your voice be heard: If you have a message,speak to all those who will listen. Do not give up fighting for what you believe in. One of the most profound memories I have of Wangari Maathai is when she joined other mothers of political prisoners for a hunger strike. They were beaten and jailed and did not relent until the political prisoners were finally released. She stood against the Kenyan government at the time, something that many people had failed to do because they felt they had too much to lose.
Activism has a cost: Wangari Maathai lost jobs, a husband and even spending time with her children while living for her cause. I can only imagine how hard some of those decisions were yet she continued to press on. It is great to know that one can be called a wayward women, too strong a wife to be controlled and still accomplish a great deal.
Wangari Maathai is a great example of an immigrant (US and Germany) who took her opportunities and made them something bigger than herself. She was an amazing woman of courage and will be greatly missed by her country and the world. What a legacy! What will yours be?
To learn more about her life, check out the following links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/09/26/mckenzie-maathai-nobel-prize.cnn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGMW6YWjMxw
http://greenbeltmovement.org/index.php
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