Wangari
Maathai, Kenyan Environmental and Political Activist, “Nobel Lecture,” Oslo
City Hall, Oslo, Norway, December 10, 2004, www.nobelprize.org
Wangair
(April 1, 1940 - September 25, 2011) was an empowering Kenyan environmental and
political activist. In 1977, she founded the Green Belt
Movement: a grassroots non-governmental organization that promotes
environmental conservation and community in Kenya. The Green Belt Movement
advocates for sound natural resource management and livelihood improvement
through tree planting, women’s rights, civic empowerment and good governance
training throughout Africa. As the missions of The Green Belt Movement grew
stronger, Maathai gained support of other organizations under the UN.
In 1986, with
funding from UNEP (look up acronym), the movement expanded throughout Africa
and led to the foundation of the Pan-African Green Belt Network. Forty-five
representatives from fifteen African countries travelled to Kenya over the next
three years to learn how to set up similar programs in their own countries to
combat desertification, deforestation, water crises, and rural hunger. The
attention the movement received in the media led to Maathai's being honored
with numerous awards including the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize:
“As the first African woman to receive this prize, I accept it on behalf
of the people of Kenya and Africa, and
indeed the world. I am especially mindful of women and the girl child. I hope
it will encourage them to raise their voices and take more space
for leadership. I know the honor also gives a deep sense of pride to our
men, both old and young. As a mother, I appreciate the inspiration this
brings to the youth and urge them to use it to pursue their dreams.
Although this prize comes to me, it acknowledges the work of countless
individuals and groups across the globe. They work quietly and often without
recognition to protect the environment, promote democracy, defend human rights
and ensure equality between women and men. By so doing, they plant
seeds of peace. I know they, too, are proud today. To all who feel
represented by this prize I say use it to advance your mission and meet
the high expectations the world will place on us.
This honor is also for my family, friends, partners and supporters
throughout the world. All of them helped shape the vision and sustain our work,
which was often accomplished under hostile conditions. I am also
grateful to the people of Kenya - who remained stubbornly hopeful that
democracy could be realized and their environment managed sustainably. Because
of this support, I am here today to accept this great honor.
I know that African people everywhere are encouraged by this news. My
fellow Africans, as we embrace this recognition, let us use it to
intensify our commitment to our people, to reduce conflicts and poverty and
thereby improve their quality of life. Let us embrace democratic
governance, protect human rights and protect our environment. I
am confident that we shall rise to the occasion. I have always believed
that solutions to most of our problems must come from us...
In 1977, when we started the Green Belt Movement, I was partly
responding to needs identified by rural women, namely lack of firewood, clean
drinking water, balanced diets, shelter and income.
Throughout Africa, women are the primary caretakers, holding significant responsibility
for tilling the land and feeding their families. As a result, they are often
the first to become aware of environmental damage as
resources become scarce and incapable of sustaining their families.
The women we worked with recounted that unlike in the past, they were
unable to meet their basic needs. This was due to the degradation of
their immediate environment as well as the introduction of commercial
farming, which replaced the growing of household food crops. But international
trade controlled the price of the exports from these small-scale
farmers and a reasonable and just income could not be guaranteed. I came
to understand that when the environment is destroyed, plundered or
mismanaged, we undermine our quality of life and that of future
generations.
Tree planting became a natural choice to address some of the initial
basic needs identified by women. Also, tree planting is simple, attainable
and guarantees quick, successful results within a reasonable amount time.
This sustains interest and commitment.
So, together, we have planted over 30 million trees that provide fuel,
food, shelter, and income to support their children's education and household
needs. The activity also creates employment and improves soils and
watersheds. Through their involvement, women gain some degree of power
over their lives, especially their social and economic position and
relevance in the family. This work continues.
Initially, the work was difficult because historically our people have
been persuaded to believe that because they are poor, they lack not only
capital, but also knowledge and skills to address their challenges. Instead
they are conditioned to believe that solutions to their problems must come
from ‘outside’. Further, women did not realize that meeting their
needs depended on their environment being healthy and well managed. They were
also unaware that a degraded environment leads to a scramble for scarce
resources and may culminate in poverty and even conflict. They were also unaware
of the injustices of international economic arrangements.
In order to assist communities to understand these linkages, we
developed a citizen education program, during which people identify their
problems, the causes and possible solutions. They then make connections
between their own personal actions and the problems they witness in the
environment and in society. They learn that our world is confronted with a
litany of woes: corruption, violence against women and children, disruption and
breakdown of families, and disintegration of cultures and communities.
On the environment front, they are exposed to many human
activities that are devastating to the environment and societies. These include
widespread destruction of ecosystems, especially through deforestation,
climatic instability, and contamination in the soils and waters that all
contribute to excruciating poverty.
In the process, the participants discover that they must be part of
the solutions. They realize their hidden potential and are empowered to
overcome inertia and take action. They come to recognize that they are the
primary custodians and beneficiaries of the environment that sustains
them.
Entire communities also come to understand that while it is necessary to
hold their governments accountable, it is equally important that in their own
relationships with each other, they exemplify the leadership values they
wish to see in their own leaders, namely justice, integrity and trust.
Although initially the Green Belt Movement's tree planting activities
did not address issues of democracy and peace, it soon became clear that
responsible governance of the environment was impossible without democratic
space. Therefore, the tree became symbol for the democratic struggle in Kenya.
Citizens were mobilized to challenge widespread abuses of power, corruption and
environmental mismanagement. In Nairobi 's Uhuru Park, at Freedom Corner,
and in many parts of the country, trees of peace were planted to demand
the release of prisoners of conscience and a peaceful transition to
democracy.
Through the Green Belt
Movement, thousands of ordinary citizens were mobilized and empowered to take
action and effect change. They learned to overcome fear and a sense
of helplessness and moved to defend democratic rights.
In time, the tree also
became a symbol for peace and conflict resolution, especially during ethnic
conflicts in Kenya when the Green Belt Movement used peace trees to
reconcile disputing communities. During the ongoing re-writing of
the Kenyan constitution, similar trees of peace were planted in many parts
of the country to promote a culture of peace. Using trees as a symbol of
peace is in keeping with a widespread African tradition...
Such practices are part of an extensive cultural heritage, which
contributes both to the conservation of habitats and to cultures of peace. With
the destruction of these cultures and the introduction of new values, local
biodiversity is no longer valued or protected and as a result, it is quickly
degraded and disappears. For this reason, The Green Belt Movement explores the
concept of cultural biodiversity, especially with respect to indigenous seeds
and medicinal plants.
As we progressively understood the causes of environmental degradation,
we saw the need for good governance. Indeed, the state of any county's
environment is a reflection of the kind of governance in place, and
without good governance there can be no peace. Many countries, which have
poor governance systems, are also likely to have conflicts and poor laws
protecting the environment.
In 2002, the courage, resilience, patience and commitment of members of
the Green Belt Movement, other civil society organizations, and the Kenyan
public culminated in the peaceful transition to a democratic government
and laid the foundation for a more stable society.
It is 30 years since we started this work. Activities that devastate the
environment and societies continue unabated. Today we are faced with a
challenge that calls for a shift in our thinking, so that humanity stops
threatening its life-support system. We are called to assist the Earth to
heal her wounds and in the process heal our own – indeed, to embrace the
whole creation in all its diversity, beauty and wonder. This will happen if
we see the need to revive our sense of belonging to a larger family of
life, with which we have shared our evolutionary process...
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has challenged the world to broaden the
understanding of peace: there can be no peace without equitable
development; and there can be no development without sustainable
management of the environment in a democratic and peaceful space. This
shift is an idea whose time has come.
I call on leaders, especially from Africa, to expand democratic space
and build fair and just societies that allow the creativity and energy of their
citizens to flourish...
Africans, especially, should re-discover positive aspects of
their culture. In accepting them, they would give themselves a sense of
belonging, identity and self-confidence.
There is also need to galvanize civil society and grassroots movements
to
catalyze change. I call upon governments to recognize the role of
these social movements in building a critical mass of responsible
citizens, who help maintain checks and balances in society. On their part,
civil society should embrace not only their rights but also
their responsibilities.
Further, industry and global institutions must appreciate that ensuring economic justice,
equity and ecological integrity are of greater value than profits at any cost.
The extreme global inequities and prevailing consumption patterns
continue at the expense of the environment and peaceful co-existence. The
choice is ours.
I would like to call on young people to commit themselves to activities
that contribute toward achieving their long-term dreams. They have the energy
and creativity to shape a sustainable future. To the young people I say,
you are a gift to your communities and indeed the world. You are our hope
and our future.
The holistic approach to development, as exemplified by the Green
Belt Movement, could be embraced and replicated in more parts of Africa and
beyond. It is for this reason that I have established the Wangari Maathai
Foundation to ensure the continuation and expansion of these activities.
Although a lot has been achieved, much remains to be done...”
Maathai’s
speech inspired me. Her mission for a better world embodies many important
aspects for healthy domestic and international relations. Maathai looked at the
problems of her country from a personal level and troubleshooting different
avenues of change for everyday lives. Her work demonstrates how much
non-governmental organizations advocacy can make an impact on politics and
exemplify how organizations around the world can make change happen.
--
Desi Hartman
No comments:
Post a Comment