Wangari Maathai in London, December 2004. Photo by Ricardo Medina (www.mifotografia.com).
Wangari Maathai projects anything but fear. Pictures and her actions show she is a woman determined, joyful, educated, concerned. She stands on a hillside, gazing over the expanse of Africa, a catalyst for change. She stands looking the world directly in the eye, challenging us to care for and love this Earth we call home.
Maathai, born in Nyeri, Kenya, 1940, graduated from Mount Saint Scholastica College (now Benedictine College) in 1964 with a degree in Biology. From there, she went to the University of Pittsburgh where she received a Master of Science in Biological Sciences. Upon returning to Africa, she attended the University of Nairobi, completing her Ph. D. in Anatomy in 1971.
In 1976, Maathai thought of creating a movement to plant trees in order to curb the deforestation that was taking place in Kenya. Since 1977, this foundation, the Green Belt Movement, has planted over 30 million trees with the help of Kenyan women who want “to conserve the environment and empower themselves by improving their quality of life.”
Maathai’s decision to use trees in order to further the cause of peace is multidimensional. First of all, trees provide many resources for humans. They give food, fuel, beauty, and other materials necessary for life. Second, trees have an ecological value. They protect the soil from erosion, thus protecting streams and rivers.
Finally, trees represent peace. As Maathai says, “[The tree] is living and it gives hope. Trees are actual places of peace. Many African communities—including my own, the Kikuyu—have special trees under which individual and community conflicts are resolved.”
It is this final purpose of the tree that I find so enlightening. In a world torn apart by war, poverty, and hunger, we need a universal symbol of healing. Maathai’s mission is to further the cause of peace one tree at a time, step by step, projecting nurturance and love into the future. This is not an easy journey, but we are called to walk with Wangari on this road toward peace.
This year we dedicate Loomings to Professor Wangari Maathai as a symbol of our solidarity with her purpose. We, too, will be catalysts for change as she has given us such a powerful example.
We thank you, Wangari, and we honor you for the inspiration that you are for us.
Maathai, born in Nyeri, Kenya, 1940, graduated from Mount Saint Scholastica College (now Benedictine College) in 1964 with a degree in Biology. From there, she went to the University of Pittsburgh where she received a Master of Science in Biological Sciences. Upon returning to Africa, she attended the University of Nairobi, completing her Ph. D. in Anatomy in 1971.
In 1976, Maathai thought of creating a movement to plant trees in order to curb the deforestation that was taking place in Kenya. Since 1977, this foundation, the Green Belt Movement, has planted over 30 million trees with the help of Kenyan women who want “to conserve the environment and empower themselves by improving their quality of life.”
Maathai’s decision to use trees in order to further the cause of peace is multidimensional. First of all, trees provide many resources for humans. They give food, fuel, beauty, and other materials necessary for life. Second, trees have an ecological value. They protect the soil from erosion, thus protecting streams and rivers.
Finally, trees represent peace. As Maathai says, “[The tree] is living and it gives hope. Trees are actual places of peace. Many African communities—including my own, the Kikuyu—have special trees under which individual and community conflicts are resolved.”
It is this final purpose of the tree that I find so enlightening. In a world torn apart by war, poverty, and hunger, we need a universal symbol of healing. Maathai’s mission is to further the cause of peace one tree at a time, step by step, projecting nurturance and love into the future. This is not an easy journey, but we are called to walk with Wangari on this road toward peace.
This year we dedicate Loomings to Professor Wangari Maathai as a symbol of our solidarity with her purpose. We, too, will be catalysts for change as she has given us such a powerful example.
We thank you, Wangari, and we honor you for the inspiration that you are for us.