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Wangari Maathai

Wangari Muta Maathai
Wangari Maathai.jpg
Wangari Maathai holding a trophy awarded to her by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights
Born Wangari Muta
(1940-04-01)1 April 1940
Ihithe village, Tetu division, Nyeri District, Kenya (then known as Nyeri, Kenya Colony)
Died 25 September 2011(2011-09-25) (aged 71)
Nairobi, Kenya
Citizenship Kenyan
Education
  • B.Sc: biology
  • M.Sc: biological sciences
  • Ph.D: veterinary anatomy
Alma mater
Occupation Environmentalist, political activist, writer
Known for Green Belt Movement
Awards Nobel Peace Prize (2004)
Indira Gandhi Peace Prize (2006)
Wangari Maathai
Wangari Maathai.jpg
External media
Audio
Wangari Maathai — Planting the Future, On Being, 29 September 2011
Video
Maathai Nobel Prize lecture
Climate Change TV Video interview with Dr Wangari Muta Maathai. Filmed during the Conference of the Parties meeting in Poznan, Poland, December 2008
Wangari Maathai presents a talk as a part of the Architecture and Climate Change lecture series held by the Royal Institute of British Architects
Audio: Wangari Maathai in conversation on the BBC World Service discussion programme The Forum
Video: Wangari Maathai tells the story of the Hummingbird

Wangari Muta Maathai (pronunciation: /wænˈɡɑːr/ /mɑːtˈ/) (1 April 1940 – 25 September 2011) was an internationally renowned Kenyan environmental political activist and Nobel laureate. She was educated in the United States at Mount St. Scholastica (Benedictine College) and the University of Pittsburgh, as well as the University of Nairobi in Kenya.

In 1977, Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organization focused on the planting of trees, environmental conservation, and women's rights. In 1984, she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, and in 2004, she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace". Maathai was an elected member of Parliament and served as assistant minister for Environment and Natural Resources in the government of President Mwai Kibaki between January 2003 and November 2005. She was an Honorary Councillor of the World Future Council. In 2011, Maathai died of complications from ovarian cancer.


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Wikipedia

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