Wangari Mathai at TCNJ
"The Green Belt Movement:
Sharing the Approach and the
Experience"
Keynote lecture for Community
Learning Day
October 17, 2001, 12:30 PM,
Kendall Auditorium
"Seeing Kenya through the eyes of Kenyans will forever change the way you see the world." - Wangari Mathai
About Wangari Mathai...
Wangari Mathai has inspired and led a large, many-faceted movement that confronts local environmental threats which are linked to global environmental threats.
She speaks out for human rights and stands up for a democratic, multi-ethnic Kenya, facing powerful and often violent opposition.
She has worked on behalf of Kenyan women since 1964--when the "second wave" of the U.S. women's movement was just getting started.
...and the Green Belt Movement
The Green Belt Movement helps people understand the connection between environmental degradation and a multitude of other issues--soil erosion, drought, hunger, poverty.
Its projects empower women, providing them with income, raising their status, and advancing their skills as leaders and organizers.
It has drawn together supporters from across social and economic classes in Kenya and from around the world.
Website of the Green Belt Movement
"We have a special responsibility to the ecosystem of this planet. In making sure that other species survive we will be ensuring the survival of our own." - Wangari Mathai
More about Wangari Mathai and the Green Belt Movement
"You strike the woman...": a transcribed conversation between Priscilla Sears and Wangari Mathai, giving a closer look at her life and the oppression she has faced as a woman, the power of education, her conflicts with the Kenyan government
The Right Livelihood Award ("Alternative Peace Prize", 1984: one of many prestigious international awards Mathai has received
1991 Africa Prize Laureate: another major award
The Green Belt Movement in brief
"Wangari Mathai Fights for Kenya's Forests": Planting tens of millions of trees in a country where only 2% of the land remains forested.
"Kenya Greens Urge Donors to Help Preserve Forests": The Green Belt Movement seeks international support in its struggles against government attempts to grab land for a wealthy elite.
"Kenya's Mau Forest Dismembered for Political Payoffs." More on the deforestation, land-grabbing, and the environmental consequences for Kenya.
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