Wangari Maathai, the woman who had tens of millions of trees planted

Born on April 1, 1940, in Kenya, Wangari Maathai is one of the great figures of African ecology. As a scientist, activist, and later a politician, she linked the protection of the environment, women's rights, and democracy in a single struggle.

A pioneering scientist

She studied in the United States, Germany, and at the University of Nairobi, where she earned a doctorate in 1971. She is generally presented as the first woman in East Africa, or East and Central Africa depending on the source, to earn a doctorate. She then taught veterinary anatomy at the university.

The Green Belt Movement

In 1977, she founded the Green Belt Movement to respond to deforestation and its effects on village life, primarily by mobilizing women to plant trees. The number of trees planted is difficult to establish: the Nobel Committee mentions more than 30 million, while other sources cite more than 50 million.

A political struggle

Under the presidency of Daniel arap Moi, she was arrested several times for her commitment to democracy. In 1989, the mobilization, supported by international pressure, helped to abandon a real estate project at Uhuru Park in Nairobi. She was elected as a member of parliament in 2002 with 98% of the vote, and then became Assistant Minister for the Environment from 2003 to 2005.

The Nobel Peace Prize

In 2004, she received the Nobel Peace Prize "for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy, and peace." She was the first African woman to receive this honor. She died on September 25, 2011, in Nairobi, at the age of 71, following a battle with cancer.

Key takeaways

Wangari Maathai showed that a simple gesture, planting a tree, can become a political act. Her legacy: the link between ecology, women's rights, and democracy.