The whole Agrid team defends ecological values but also egalitarian ones, especially concerning women's rights. So, on the occasion of the International Women's Rights Day, we thought it was important to share with you the portrait of a woman who carries the same values as us on a daily basis: Wangari Maathai, the woman who planted trees.
Portrait of Wangari Maathai: Agrid's favorite for Women's Rights Day
March 8, 2022
International Women's Rights Day
The one who planted trees
Wangari Muta Maathai is a woman biologist and environmental activist born in 1940 in Kenya. The daughter of farmers and the eldest of six children, she entered elementary school at the age of eight thanks to her mother's wishes. Indeed, at the time in Kenya, few girls had access to schooling. In 1964 she became the first woman in East Africa to obtain a doctorate in biology. After her studies, she became a professor of anatomy, then a research assistant in veterinary medicine, and finally dean of the faculty of Nairobi, Kenya.
The 1st woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize
Wangari is not known for her half measures, she is very committed to ecology and sustainable development. As the founder of the "green belt movement", she has become the spokesperson for all Kenyan women. Indeed, in Kenya, the collection of firewood and fodder to feed animals is a woman's business. Deforestation and soil erosion in Kenya are forcing women to travel greater and greater distances. The solution put forward by Wangari is to plant trees around towns and villages by creating real green belts. This movement has resulted in the planting of approximately 50 million trees. This earned her the nickname of "the one who planted trees". In 2003, she became Deputy Minister for the Environment and the following year received the Nobel Peace Prize for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace".
Activist until her death
Wangari never abandoned her ecological and political ideals. When she died in 2011, she was buried according to her wishes, in a coffin made of bamboo and hyacinth fibres. Indeed, Wangari could not bear the thought of killing a tree to make it her final resting place. On the day of her burial, a tree was planted in her honour in Uhuru Park, the "freedom park", which she had saved from destruction through her political commitment.
We will end with this quote from Wangari's book "She who planted trees":
"The future of the planet concerns us all, and it is everyone's duty to protect it. And, as I was telling the foresters and women, you don't need a degree to plant a tree."