v ices By Christopher Connell

An Interview with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangari Maathai

Changing the World, One Seedling at a Time

or planting trees and promoting democracy in Kenya, Wangari Muta Maathai was denounced as “a madwoman” and repeatedly arrested by former president and strongman Daniel Arap Moi. Her unstinting efforts also won the former veterinary medi- cine professor and founder of the Green Belt Movement the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize—the Ffirst environmentalist ever to receive the honor. As an associate professor and department chair at the University of Nairobi in the 1970s, she conceived the idea that paying poor women to plant trees could alleviate poverty and slow the destruction of forests—lands already so devastated that these rural women could not even gather enough firewood to cook for their families. In less than three decades the Green Belt Movement has planted 30 million trees grown from its own seedlings and nurseries across Kenya and in more than a dozen other countries. Maathai, after withstanding years of harassment and arrest at the hands of Kenya’s former ruler—she led protests that scuttled Moi’s plans to have a 60-story skyscraper with a huge statue of himself erected in Nairobi’s Uhuru (“Freedom”) Park—is now herself a member of Parliament and Kenya’s assistant minister for environment and natural resources. As the Norwegian Nobel Committee said in announcing the Peace Prize in October 2004, “Peace on earth depends on our ability to secure our living environment.” Wangari Maathai “stood up courageously against the former oppressive regime in Kenya.... She represents an example and a source of inspiration for everyone in Africa fighting for sustainable development, democracy and peace.”

Dr. Maathai, who will deliver a keynote address at hand to help Kenya in its transition from British colo- NAFSA’s 2006 annual conference in Montreal, Canada, nial rule to democracy, one of her heroes. on May 23, is the daughter of Kenyan farmers from the Maathai earned a bachelor’s degree in biology Kikuyu community who owned a small farm at the in 1964 at Mt. Saint Scholastica College, a Roman M AR+APR .06 foot of Mount Kenya. She excelled in primary school Catholic women’s college in Atchison, Kansas, then or

t and then at Loreto Convent Limuru Girls High School, a master of science degree at the University of Pitts- taught by Catholic missionary sisters. A scholarship burgh in 1966. She returned to Kenya to work as a enabled her to head off in 1960 at age 20 to Atchison, research assistant at the University of Nairobi, where Kansas, to attend college. She was in the vanguard of a German professor and mentor encouraged her to a generation of several hundred of Kenya’s best and pursue further studies in Germany. She won a fellow- t ional Ed u ca brightest who received opportunities to attend college ship from DAAD, the German Academic Exchange in the United States during the Kennedy years. Maathai Service, and spent two years at the University of Mu-

I n te rna has called President John F. Kennedy, who extended a nich before returning to complete her doctoral degree 16

MAR+APR.06 International Educator 17 - - - .] dream with you you with dream magazine, Sister Thomasita Thomasita Sister magazine, Threshold I was attending a Catholic high school with with school high Catholic a attending was I : i a Dr. Maathai will address the assembled international educators educators international assembled the address will Maathai Dr. Annual NAFSA 2006 the of session plenary opening the at the on information more For 23. May on Montreal, in Conference www.nafsa.org/conference. visit please conference, 2006 h You were the second African woman to study at study to woman African second the were You How did you wind up at Mt. Saint Scholastica,

I was surrounded by women who treated me treated who asby women I was surrounded if I were their Theydaughter. did everything to help me, educate me, and enrich my life. I had already benefited from a full scholarship, yet I continued to receive so much more. I think this and service of sense deep my got I where partly is daily a On material. things from detachment my goals higher for hard working women saw I basis, and inner peace. Thismust haveimpacted my matured. I as values and conscience own

Oslo Oslo in December 2004, paid tribute to her former nuns the said that poem a in student peace at / and glorious and green / world a of IE: Mt. Saint Scholastica. and did much How students What Africa? about and Kenya know about faculty point? that at yourself for imagine you did career [In that same same that [In guests invited Maathai’s Dr. of one was who Homan, at the three-day Nobel Peace Price ceremonies in IE: Kansas? in College Benedictine of part now connec easy an was it Maat so Order, Benedictine wonder the have I to links Scholastica. St. Mt. attend to me for tion inspired was I Mount. the at time my of memories ful by demonstrated service of sense deep the by greatly so gave They us. taught and us for cared who nuns the recalled I good. common the for themselves of much magazine: alumnae the for recently days those In 1961, President Kennedy launched a program that that program a launched Unit Kennedy the President to 1961, In brains Africa’s of brightest the bring to our was build and lead to return then and train to States ed part be to selected students those of one was I nations. Lift.” “Kennedy the as known be to came what of

e w o R in rt a M - - - rievel, rievel, T Interna as she traveled in Kenya on behalf of of behalf on Kenya in traveled she as I was raised in Nakuru (Rift Valley) in my my in Valley) (Rift Nakuru in raised was I

: i a h etu etu constituents and for her work as assistant T In advance of her NAFSA speech, Dr. Maathai You came of age as escaped Kenya rule You colonial forts by her daughter, Wanjira, and by Emily Emily by and Wanjira, daughter, her by forts as a young girl and attended mainly Catholic schools. schools. Catholic mainly attended and girl young a as were farmers. Schools in Kenya were based on the Brit the very years and then in formative on Nyeri. My parents based were Kenya in Schools farmers. were system school this joined I so education of system ish your early life and how you came to be selected to States. United the in study Maat IE: about little a us tell Please independence. gained and Here is that exchange. that is Here Maathai Q&A with Wangari it proved impossible to reach the perpetually busy Maathai by cellphone during those travels, so Dr. Maathai responded by e-mail to a list of questions. minister of the environment. Despite the valiant ef valiant the Despite of environment. the minister Movement, Belt Green the of representative U.S. the agreed to answer questions from NAFSA’s agreed to answer from questions NAFSA’s Educator tional her struggle for women’s rights, not just in government for women’s struggle hamlets. rural Kenya’s in but academe and first woman in East or Central Africa to earn a Ph.D. Ph.D. a earn to Africa Central or East in woman first fiveWithin years she waschair ofthe Department the in active increasingly and Anatomy Veterinary of in anatomy at the University of Nairobi in 1971—the 1971—the in Nairobi of University the at anatomy in 18 International Educator M AR+APR .06 for stereotyped representations like How strongly did you encourage her to study abroad? [Maathai abroad? study to her encourage you did strongly How PresidentforJimmyworkedCarter’s has Center.andCarter sity IE: teach me a lot about reaching for the stars. to continued have words three These commitment. and sistence Maat by the former government of Daniel Arap Moi? that helped you when you were harassed, beaten, and imprisoned theUnitedin Statesduringthecivilstrugglesthe1960s rightsof IE: oritize the environment, good governance, and cultures of peace. ties. It is their empowerment that truly leads them to decide to pri then begin to stand up for their rights and those of their communi education, access to water, equity, and reproductive health. People lives of individuals, particularly women and their families, including Movement addresses a wide range of issues that directly affectBelt the Green generations....The future for and ourselves for hope with the simple step of digging a hole and planting a tree, we plant Maat planting the seeds of democracy. human rights. Please explain the nexus between planting trees and democracy,forand crusader environmentalista butan only not as you knew who those to surprising less perhaps Carter. was It resa, Lech Walesa, Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Jimmy the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., Andrei Sakharov, Mother TealongsidepantheonaPeace Nobel theputtinginwonPrize, you IE: became evident as we went deeper into the process. didnotoutsettoaddress issuesgovernance. poorof These issues women in rural areas were facing: lack of water, fuel, and income. I issuesbasicaddresstoMy motivation thevery was GBM startto example.for governance, and ecosystems critical toadjacent ing communitiesrelationshipliv to its environmentand the at look munities live within the environment that sustains them. We alwaysenvironmental conservation is verymuch afunction of how com commitmentUnitedtheworkandMyStates.in seento isthat it Maat of development and destruction? whatmade you think that planting trees could hold back the tide and environmentalist, an become to you motivated What ger”? self as what, in the United States, is sometimes called “a tree hug foundedthe Green Belt Movement in1977. Would you yoursee IE: myself becoming a teacher one day. Maat Your daughter Wanjira holds two degrees from Emory Univer Is there anything you learned as a college and graduate student Many weresurprised anddelighted whenheardthey you had You were teaching anatomy to veterinary students when you when studentsYou veterinary anatomyto teachingwere h h h h a a a a i i i i : : : : The planting of trees is the planting of ideas. By starting I would not consider myself a “tree hugger” in the sense Very little was known about Africa at the time excepttimetheat Africaabout Veryknown little was I have always been guided by the spirit of patience, per T arzan and others. I imagined ------would return to make your life and career in Kenya? you that Kansas in were you when mind your in doubt any ever Come home!” How often do you face questionsopportunities. the create like to that?supposed are who Was ones the We are there thatyoung lady in afriendlyvery but firm manner: “Come home! tunities for her if she went back to Africa. Your response was to tell changethe world youas did, butafraid was there were nooppor African woman called in from Mississippi and said she wanted to IE studied abroad I was not anxious about sending them overseas. er encouraged them to work hard wherever they endedfirst up. optionBecause wasI studying at home. I did notin Kenya.discourage They knew that them studying but abroad rath may be an option but the thing that they were aware of before they completedMaat their high school has three grown children] satisfaction from working for the common good. created,is ournation betteris love lotIgetserved.oftoa serve.I legislation good that ensure can we If legislation. of creation the memberaAs ofParliament haveI the privilege ofparticipating in cal change and in 2002 we managed to make the changedhave we spentsought. most of my life advocating for change, particularly Maatpoliti from the inside rather than as an outsider? in believe you what for fight to harder it Is government. elected Parliament and an assistant minister of environment in the newly IE: based on their experiences and relationships ratheryear. This than is just propaganda. wonderful. They will have an image of Africa that is that Americans studying in Africa canincreasedonly do when we understandby 18 each percentother. Itover is encouraging theother, pastto see respect one another and reach outture whenevercultures of peace necessary.wherever we go. We Thismust we dialogue with each always believed that as global citizens we have a responsibilitystandeach other togenuinely nur and work together across cultures. We I have are living in very interesting times. pean,Asian—wherever they are from—to consider studying abroad. Maat quented stops in western Europe? morefrethe in learnnotnations—thatmight African they East What can they learn in Africa—and especially in Kenya and other is your message to Americans considering where to study abroad? studying in Africa jumped 18 percent in 2003-2004 to 5,700. What IE: return to Kenya. I wanted to. would I that me to clear very always was it States, Unites the in Maat : In a memorable BBC interview two Decembers ago, a young a ago, Decembers two interview BBC memorable a In : Finally, a new day has begun in Kenya. You are now a member of The last last The h h h h a a a a i i i i : : : : Being in government has been a wonderful experience. I I would encourage all students, African, American, Euro Although my children studied abroad, it was not some I face such questions all the time. When I was a student Open Doors Open report said the number of Americans Americans of number the said report T imes that call for us to under

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