Plant a tree today in honour of Prof Wangari Maathai
Sep 29, 2011
ON Monday, September 26, Prof Wangari Maathai, 71 passed on. Maathai worked on several issues which include environmental protection, peace, human rights, development, democracy and good governance. The Green Belt Movement which she founded in 1977, has planted an estimated 45 million trees in Kenya.
ON Monday, September 26, Prof Wangari Maathai, 71 passed on. Maathai worked on several issues which include environmental protection, peace, human rights, development, democracy and good governance. The Green Belt Movement which she founded in 1977, has planted an estimated 45 million trees in Kenya.
From her speeches and writings, in particular, “Unbowed one woman’s story†and “The challenge for Africa†Maathai, a positive and far–sighted thinker uses her exceptional intellect and experience to educate, inspire and calls us to arms in a frank and moving style. Seeing her in action and reading her books reveals her secret to tremendous success, which was partly premised on courage, determination, tenacity and humour. Her several achievements were crowned by the highest of honours –winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
It is noted that “the more difficulties Wangari Maathai faced, the more determined she became†and that like a Nelson Mandela or a Mahatma Gandhi, Wangari Maathai stands way above mortals. What a tribute! I draw inspiration from Maathai’s life, in particular her participation in politics. Her experiences resonate with my very own in many ways.
Maathai once told a reporter after the 1992 elections that “a woman politician needs the skin of an elephantâ€. This is real because in some instances, one is misunderstood, maligned and ridiculed mainly because one is a woman and partly because our very nature uses different parameters in politics.
Women’s participation in politics is in many ways still trivialised. Society keenly scrutinises their intentions and if there are several women contesting for the same post, it makes the quest seem personal. It is no wonder that we in Uganda, for instance, still have very many women elected as district chairpersons or elected to represent constituencies.
A daring Wangari Maathai contested for the post of President of Kenya and Member of Parliament for a constituency at the same time! She captures some of the challenges women face in politics when she noted in her writings: “I had hoped to introduce … a different understanding of multiparty politics and what a system offers voters: a greater freedom of choice of candidates, and an opportunity to be presented with different ideologies, philosophies, issues, and priorities from which to choose. What emerged from the experience though was something very different. It became clear during the course of the 1997 campaign that our society was still focused on ethnicity and personality cults. Communities rallied around one of their own, encouraging well-known personalities to compete with those from other communities, irrespective of philosophies or ideologies.â€
This particular observation speaks volumes about women’s participation in politics. Women expect fair play and appreciation of issues based on what a person says and practically illustrates by, for example, ensuring that communities have higher access to clean water.
However, fair play and positive practical reality is sometimes traded for ethnicity and personality cults. Worse still, for some reason, people seem to find rumours about women candidates more credible. It is, therefore, not surprising that Wangari Maathai’s initial political quest was hampered by mainly sheer misinterpretation of issues and rumours. It is very sad, when she narrates that “in the end, I didn’t get the chance to see the kind of support I had won because, on the eve of the election, a rumour was circulated that I had dropped out of both races and had told my supporters to vote for other candidates…†On a positive note, her concluding statement to the loss reveals her inspirational and tenacious nature. She said: “I was deeply disappointed, but I understood.â€
In essence, accepting the situation as it is, is half the battle won; understanding the situation is wisdom gained. She notes: “Every experience has a lesson. Every situation has a silver lining. Each person needs to raise their consciousness to a certain level so that they will not give up or succumb.†Talking about her courage to fight for the various causes, Mathaai notes that, “what people see as fearlessness is really persistence. Because I am focused on the solution, I don’t see danger…â€
The challenges of being a woman, a mother, a PhD holder teaching in the university and venturing into politics which was considered a man’s world had a profound impact on Wangari Maathai. She puts it bluntly and humorously when she states: “People have ways of asking a man whether he is the one 'wearing the pants at home' and having to prove that he is in charge can put a lot of pressure on a man. Such pressure can intensify to the point where it eventually wreaks havoc on a young couple and a young marriage. But nobody warned me—and it never occurred to me—that in order to survive as a couple I should fake and deny my God-given talents.†This statement rings so true.
Societal expectations put undue pressure on individuals – men are pushed hard to provide for all the needs of a family even when they are unable to whereas women are in some instances still urged to play down their intellect and talents in order to stay in a relationship. This is not sustainable. There should be enough space in relationships for aspirations or mutual interests and aims to unfold.
Wangari Maathai drew inspiration from her mother; we shall continue to draw inspiration from her through her writings. As her people say: “May she sleep where it rains.†And surrounded by thick green forests and streams of fresh water. Her spirit lives on. Plant a tree today, in her honour.
From her speeches and writings, in particular, “Unbowed one woman’s story†and “The challenge for Africa†Maathai, a positive and far–sighted thinker uses her exceptional intellect and experience to educate, inspire and calls us to arms in a frank and moving style. Seeing her in action and reading her books reveals her secret to tremendous success, which was partly premised on courage, determination, tenacity and humour. Her several achievements were crowned by the highest of honours –winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
It is noted that “the more difficulties Wangari Maathai faced, the more determined she became†and that like a Nelson Mandela or a Mahatma Gandhi, Wangari Maathai stands way above mortals. What a tribute! I draw inspiration from Maathai’s life, in particular her participation in politics. Her experiences resonate with my very own in many ways.
Maathai once told a reporter after the 1992 elections that “a woman politician needs the skin of an elephantâ€. This is real because in some instances, one is misunderstood, maligned and ridiculed mainly because one is a woman and partly because our very nature uses different parameters in politics.
Women’s participation in politics is in many ways still trivialised. Society keenly scrutinises their intentions and if there are several women contesting for the same post, it makes the quest seem personal. It is no wonder that we in Uganda, for instance, still have very many women elected as district chairpersons or elected to represent constituencies.
A daring Wangari Maathai contested for the post of President of Kenya and Member of Parliament for a constituency at the same time! She captures some of the challenges women face in politics when she noted in her writings: “I had hoped to introduce … a different understanding of multiparty politics and what a system offers voters: a greater freedom of choice of candidates, and an opportunity to be presented with different ideologies, philosophies, issues, and priorities from which to choose. What emerged from the experience though was something very different. It became clear during the course of the 1997 campaign that our society was still focused on ethnicity and personality cults. Communities rallied around one of their own, encouraging well-known personalities to compete with those from other communities, irrespective of philosophies or ideologies.â€
This particular observation speaks volumes about women’s participation in politics. Women expect fair play and appreciation of issues based on what a person says and practically illustrates by, for example, ensuring that communities have higher access to clean water.
However, fair play and positive practical reality is sometimes traded for ethnicity and personality cults. Worse still, for some reason, people seem to find rumours about women candidates more credible. It is, therefore, not surprising that Wangari Maathai’s initial political quest was hampered by mainly sheer misinterpretation of issues and rumours. It is very sad, when she narrates that “in the end, I didn’t get the chance to see the kind of support I had won because, on the eve of the election, a rumour was circulated that I had dropped out of both races and had told my supporters to vote for other candidates…†On a positive note, her concluding statement to the loss reveals her inspirational and tenacious nature. She said: “I was deeply disappointed, but I understood.â€
In essence, accepting the situation as it is, is half the battle won; understanding the situation is wisdom gained. She notes: “Every experience has a lesson. Every situation has a silver lining. Each person needs to raise their consciousness to a certain level so that they will not give up or succumb.†Talking about her courage to fight for the various causes, Mathaai notes that, “what people see as fearlessness is really persistence. Because I am focused on the solution, I don’t see danger…â€
The challenges of being a woman, a mother, a PhD holder teaching in the university and venturing into politics which was considered a man’s world had a profound impact on Wangari Maathai. She puts it bluntly and humorously when she states: “People have ways of asking a man whether he is the one 'wearing the pants at home' and having to prove that he is in charge can put a lot of pressure on a man. Such pressure can intensify to the point where it eventually wreaks havoc on a young couple and a young marriage. But nobody warned me—and it never occurred to me—that in order to survive as a couple I should fake and deny my God-given talents.†This statement rings so true.
Societal expectations put undue pressure on individuals – men are pushed hard to provide for all the needs of a family even when they are unable to whereas women are in some instances still urged to play down their intellect and talents in order to stay in a relationship. This is not sustainable. There should be enough space in relationships for aspirations or mutual interests and aims to unfold.
Wangari Maathai drew inspiration from her mother; we shall continue to draw inspiration from her through her writings. As her people say: “May she sleep where it rains.†And surrounded by thick green forests and streams of fresh water. Her spirit lives on. Plant a tree today, in her honour.