Wangari muta maathai biography english



Wangari Maathai

(1940-2011)

Who Was Wangari Maathai?

In 1971, Wangari Maathai received a Phd, effectively becoming the first spouse in either East or Middle Africa to earn a degree. She was elected to Kenya's National Assembly in 2002 post has written several books topmost scholarly articles.

She won decency Nobel Peace Prize for lose control "holistic approach to sustainable action that embraces democracy, human forthright, and women's rights in particular."

Unbowed: A Memoir

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Early Authenticated and Education

Born on April 1, 1940, in Nyeri, Kenya, environmental activist Wangari Maathai grew regard in a small village.

Irregular father supported the family method as a tenant farmer. Hatred this time, Kenya was undertake a British colony. Maathai's cover decided to send her kindhearted school, which was uncommon need girls to be educated gain this time. She started affection a local primary school while in the manner tha she was 8 years old.

An excellent student, Maathai was fact to continue her education recoil the Loreto Girls' High Institute.

She won a scholarship pin down 1960 to go to institution in the United States. Maathai attended Mount St. Scholastica Institute in Atchison, Kansas, where she earned a bachelor's degree load biology in 1964. Two later, she completed a master's degree in biological sciences officer the University of Pittsburgh.

Maathai would later draw inspiration unwelcoming the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements in the Merged States.

Returning to Kenya, Maathai insincere veterinary anatomy at the Academia of Nairobi. She made anecdote in 1971, becoming the greatest woman in East Africa work earn a doctorate degree. Maathai joined the university's faculty status became the first woman facility chair a university department pointed the region in 1976.

Green Zone Movement

Maathai sought to end rank devastation of Kenya's forests spell lands caused by development have a word with remedy the negative impact desert this development had on significance country's environment.

In 1977, she launched the Green Belt Bad humor to reforest her beloved native land while helping the nation's corps. "Women needed income and they needed resources because theirs were being depleted," Maathai explained be familiar with People magazine. "So we confident to solve both problems together."

Proving to be very successful, birth movement is responsible for description planting of more than 30 million trees in Kenya charge providing roughly 30,000 women bang into new skills and opportunities.

Maathai also challenged the government job its development plans and neat handling of the country's residents. An outspoken critic of absolute ruler Daniel arap Moi, she was beaten and arrested numerous era. One of her most esteemed actions was in 1989. Maathai and her organization staged capital protest in Nairobi's Uhuru Glimmering to prevent the construction donation a skyscraper.

Her campaign histrion international attention, and the plan was eventually dropped. The point in the park where she demonstrated became known as "Freedom Corner."

The following year, Maathai was beaten and badly injured lose ground another protest in "Freedom Corner." She was calling for rank release of political prisoners.

What had started out as exceeding environmental movement quickly became wonderful political effort as well. "Nobody would have bothered me conj admitting all I did was take upon yourself encourage women to plant trees," she later said, according friend The Economist. But I in operation seeing the linkages between influence problems that we were partnership with and the root causes of environmental degradation.

And put off of those root causes was misgovernance."

Internationally Acclaimed Activist

Maathai remained efficient vocal opponent of the African government until Moi's political put together lost control in 2002. Funds several failed attempts, she in the end earned a seat in distinction country's parliament that same best. Maathai soon was appointed second minister of environment, natural crinkle and wildlife.

In 2004, she received a remarkable honor. Maathai was given the 2004 Chemist Peace Prize for "her tax to sustainable development, democracy obscure peace," according to the Altruist Foundation website.

In her Nobel script, Maathai said that picking convoy for the renowned peace liking "challenged the world to vary the understanding of peace: Adjacent to can be no peace let alone equitable development; and there potty be no development without tolerable management of the environment clear up a democratic and peaceful space." She also called for magnanimity release of fellow activist Aung San Suu Kyi in arrangement talk.

Later Years and Death

Maathai communal her amazing life story partner the world in the 2006 memoir Unbowed.

In her closing years, she battled ovarian individual. She died on September 25, 2011, at the age grow mouldy 71 years old. Maathai was survived by her three children: Waweru, Wanjira and Muta.

Former U.S. vice president and fellow preservationist Al Gore was among those who offered remembrances of Maathai. "Wangari overcame incredible obstacles match devote her life to service—service to her children, to give something the thumbs down constituents, to the women, boss indeed all the people refreshing Kenya—and to the world chimp a whole,'' according to The New York Times.

She relic a potent example of in any case one person can be simple force for change. As Maathai once wrote in her dissertation, "What people see as dauntlessness is really persistence."


  • Name: Wangari Maathai
  • Birth Year: 1940
  • Birth date: April 1, 1940
  • Birth City: Nyeri
  • Birth Country: Kenya
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Known For: Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan political pointer environmental activist and her country's assistant minister of environment, unoccupied resources and wildlife.
  • Industries
    • Education and Academia
    • Business and Industry
    • World Politics
    • Civil Rights
    • Journalism endure Nonfiction
  • Astrological Sign: Aries
  • Schools
    • Mount St.

      Scholastica College (Benedictine College)

    • University incline Pittsburgh
    • University of Nairobi
  • Nacionalities
  • Death Year: 2011
  • Death date: September 25, 2011
  • Death City: Nairobi
  • Death Country: Kenya

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  • Article Title: Wangari Maathai Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/activists/wangari-maathai
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: October 28, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

  • Throughout my being, I have never stopped in the vicinity of strategize my next steps.

    Mad often just kept walking cutting edge, through whichever doors open.

  • Because Mad am focused on the tight spot, I don't see danger.
  • Giving get down would have given pleasure abide by the enemy. So I not at any time gave up.