One of Kenya’s most recognizable women, Ms. Maathai won the Nobel in 2004 for combining environmentalism and social activism. She was the founder of the Green Belt Movement, where over 30 years she mobilized poor women to plant 30 million trees.
In recognizing Ms. Maathai, the Nobel committee said that she had stood up to a former oppressive regime in Kenya and that her “unique forms of action have contributed to drawing attention to political oppression.”
Although the Green Belt Movement’s tree planting campaign did not initially address the issues of peace and democracy, Ms. Maathai said it become clear over time that responsible governance of the environment was not possible without democracy.
A former member of Kenya’s parliament, Ms. Maathai was the first woman to earn a doctorate in East Africa – in 1971 from the University of Nairobi, where she later was an associate professor in the department of veterinary anatomy.
The Green Belt Movement, which was founded in 1977, said on its website that Ms. Maathai’s death was a great loss to those who “admired her determination to make the world a more peaceful, healthier and better place.”
