Wangari Maathai

The Green Belt Movement
The Green Belt Movement (GBM) is a grassroots non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Kenya that focuses on environmental conservation, community development and capacity building

Green Belt Movement
P.O. Box 67545
Nairobi, KENYA

En Janvier 1999, le Courrier de l'UNESCO s'entretenait avec Wangari Muta Maathai, Propos recueillis par Ethirajan Anbarasan, journaliste au Courrier de l’UNESCO.

Les précédents prix Nobel de la Paix attribués à des Africains
- 2001: Le secrétaire général des Nations unies Kofi Annan (Ghana).
- 1993: Nelson Mandela et F.W. de Klerk, Afrique du Sud.
- 1984: L'archevêque sud-africain Desmond Tutu.
- 1978: Anouar el-Sadate, Egypte (conjointement avec le Premier ministre israélien Menahem Begin)
- 1961: Albert John Lutuli, Afrique du Sud.
 

Les précédents prix Nobel en Littérature attribués à des Africains
- 2003: John Maxwell Coetzee (Afrique du Sud)
- 1991: Nadine Gordimer (Afrique du Sud)
- 1988: Naguib Mahfouz (Égypte)
- 1986: Wole Soyinka (Nigéria)


Les précédents prix Nobel en Médecine attribués à des Africains
- 1951: Max Theiler (Afrique du Sud)

 
Les précédents prix Nobel en Chimie attribués à des Africains
- 1999: Ahmed Zewail (Égypte)

Agée de 64 ans, Mme Maathai a fondé en 1977 le "Mouvement de la ceinture verte", principal projet de plantation d'arbres en Afrique qui vise à promouvoir la biodiversité, tout en créant des emplois pour les femmes et en valorisant leur image dans la société.
"Le comité Nobel norvégien a décidé d'attribuer le prix Nobel de la paix 2004 à Wangari Maathai pour sa contribution en faveur du développement durable, de la démocratie et de la paix", a fait valoir le comité Nobel dans ses attendus.
Biologiste, professeur, elle est également une ardente avocate des droits de l'homme.
Elue écologiste au parlement kényan depuis Janvier 2002, Mme Maathai a été nommée en Juin 2003 ministre-adjoint à l’Environnement, aux Ressources naturelles et à la Faune sauvage.
Se déclarant "bouleversée" après avoir appris "la plus grosse surprise de (sa) vie" vendredi, l'écologiste kenyane a rappelé que la défense de l'environnement et la promotion de la paix étaient étroitement liées.
La cause écologique "est un aspect important de la paix parce que, lorsque les ressources se raréfient, nous nous battons pour nous les approprier", a-t-elle déclaré à la radio-télévision publique norvégienne NRK.
"Nous plantons les graines de la paix, maintenant et pour le futur", a-t-elle ajouté.
Grâce à l'action de son mouvement contre la déforestation, facteur de sécheresse et de pauvreté pour les populations locales, plus de 30 millions d'arbres ont été plantés au Kenya et des dizaines de milliers de personnes, dont beaucoup de femmes, travaillent dans les pépinières du mouvement.
Mais, malgré ses efforts, le problème demeure: les forêts recouvrent aujourd'hui 1,7% de la superficie totale de son pays alors que l'Onu recommande un minimum de 10%.
Les engagements politiques et écologiques de Mme Maathai lui ont valu dans les années 1970 et 1980 d'être harcelée et calomniée par le régime autoritaire de l’ancien président Daniel arap Moi, et de connaître la prison.
Le prix --une médaille d'or, un diplôme et un chèque de 1,1 million d'euros-- lui sera remis en mains propres le 10 Janvier, jour anniversaire de la mort de son fondateur, le Suédois Alfred Nobel.

Biographie ( en anglais)

Wangari Muta Maathai was born in Nyeri, Kenya (Africa) in 1940. The first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree, Prof. Maathai obtained a degree in Biological Sciences from Mount St. Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas (1964). She subsequently earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh (1966). She pursued doctoral studies in Germany and the University of Nairobi, obtaining a Ph.D. (1971) from the University of Nairobi where she also taught veterinary anatomy. She became chair of the Department of Veterinary Anatomy and an associate professor in 1976 and 1977 respectively. In both cases, she was the first woman to attain those positions in he region. Wangari Maathai was active in the National Council of Women of Kenya in 1976 -87 and was it chairman in 1981-87. It was while she served the National Council of Women that she introduced the idea of planting trees with the People in 1976 and continued to develop it into broad-based, grassroots organization whose main focus is the planting of trees with women groups in order to conserve the environment and improve their quality of life. However, through the Green belt Movement she has assisted women in planting more than 20 million trees on their farms and on schools and church compounds.

In 1986 the Movement established a Pan African Green Belt Network and has exposed over 40 individuals from other African counties to the approach. Some of these individuals have established similar tree planting initiatives in their own countries or they use some of the Green belt movement methods to improve their efforts. So far some countries have successfully launched such initiatives in Africa (Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Lesotho, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe etc). In Sept. 1998 she launched a campaign of the Jubilee 2000 coalition. She has embarked on new challenges, playing a leading global role as a co-chair, of the Jubilee 2000 Africa Campaign, which seeks cancellation of the unpayable backlog debts of the poor countries in Africa by the year 2000. Her campaign against land grabbing and rapacious allocation of forests land that has caught the limelight in the recent past.

Wangari Maathai is internationally recognized for her persistent struggle for democracy, human rights and environmental conservation. She has addressed the UN on several occasions and spoke on behalf of women at special sessions of the General Assembly for the five-year review of the earth summit. She served on the commission for Global Governance and commission on the future. She and The Green Belt Movement have received numerous awards, such as The Sophie Prize (2004), The Petra Kelly Prize for Environment (2004), Arbor Day Foundation's J. Sterling Morton Award (2004), Conservation Scientist Award (2004), the WANGO Environment Award (2003), Outstanding Vision and Commitment Award (2002), Excellence Award from the Kenyan Community Abroad (2001), The Juliet Hollister Award (2001), the Golden Ark Award (1994), the Jane Adams Leadership Award (1993), the Edinburgh Medal (1993), UN's Africa Prize for Leadership (1991), the Goldman Environmental prize (1991), the Woman of the World (1989), the Windstar Award for the Environment (1988), the Better World Society Award (1986), the right livelihood award (1984) and the Woman of the Year Award (1983).

Prof. Maathai is also listed on UNEP's Global 500 Hall of Fame and named one of the 100 heroines of the world. In June 1997, Wangari was elected by Earth Times as one of 100 persons in the World who have made a difference in the environmental arena. Prof. Maathai has also received honorary doctoral degrees from several institutions around the world: William's college, MA USA (1990), Hobart & William Smith Colleges (1994), University of Norway (1997).

The Green Belt Movement and Prof. Wangari Maathai are featured in several publications including The Green Belt Movement: Sharing the Approach (by Prof. Wangari Maathai, 2002), Speak Truth to Power (Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, 2000), Women Pioneers for the Environment (Mary Joy Breton, 1998), Hopes Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet (Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe, 2002), Una Sola Terra: Donna I Medi Ambient Despres de Rio (Brice Lalonde et al, 1998), Land Ist Leben (Bedrohte Volker, 1993)

Prof. Maathai serves on the boards of several organizations including the UN Secretary Generals Advisory Board on Disarmament, The Jane Goodall Institute, Women and Environment Development Organization (WEDO), World Learning for International Development, Green Cross International, Environment Liaison Center International, the WorldWIDE Network of Women in Environmental Work and National Council of Women of Kenya.

In December 2002, Prof. Maathai was elected to parliament with an overwhelming 98% of the vote. She was subsequently appointed by The President, as Assistant Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife in Kenya's ninth parliament.