I am very much saddened by the death of this dynamic campaigner of the oppressed who became the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2004. Rest in peace Great Mama.

Bailo

This obituary is extracted from the online UK Guardian newspaper:

 		
					
				
			Wangari Maathai, Nobel peace prize winner, dies at 71
				
					Kenyan social activist and environmental crusader who founded the Green Belt Movement has died of cancer
		
				
  	

        	
        			
							
										Wangari Maathai, Nobel peace laureate at the Hay festival in 2007. Photograph: Martin Godwin for the Guardian
					
	
    
	    Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel peace prize, died on Sunday night of cancer. She was 71.A towering figure in Kenya,
 Maathai was renowned as a fearless social activist and an environmental
 crusader. Her Green Belt Movement, which she founded in 1977, planted 
tens of millions of trees.Maathai's death was confirmed in a statement on the movement's website."It
 is with great sadness that the family of Professor Wangari Maathai 
announces her passing away on 25 September 2011, at the Nairobi 
hospital, after a prolonged and bravely borne struggle with cancer. Her 
loved ones were with her at the time."Maathai was a pioneer from 
an early age and in many spheres. After winning a scholarship to study 
in the US, she returned to a newly independent Kenya, becoming the first
 woman in east and central Africa to obtain a PhD. Maathai was also the first woman professor the University of Nairobi, where she taught veterinary medicine.Her
 work with voluntary groups alerted her to the struggles of women in 
rural Kenya, and it quickly became her life's cause. Noticing how the 
rapid environmental degradation was affecting women's lives, she 
encouraged them to plant trees to ensure future supplies of firewood and
 to protect water sources and crops.Maathai's agenda quickly 
widened as she joined the struggle against the repressive and corrupt 
regime of Daniel arap Moi. Her efforts to stop powerful politicians 
grabbing land, especially forests, brought her into conflict with the 
authorities, and she was beaten and arrested numerous times. Her bravery
 and defiance made her a hero in Kenya.In awarding Maathai the Nobel peace prize in 2004, the Nobel committee said
 that her "unique forms of action have contributed to drawing attention 
to political oppression – nationally and internationally".Maathai
 served as an assistant minister in President Mwai Kibaki's government 
from 2003 to 2005, but her refusal to keep silent on some issues saw her
 politically sidelined, and she lost her seat after a single term. Her 
work schedule remained hectic however, and she wrote several books and 
travelled widely.Maathai had been in and out of hospital this 
year, though most Kenyans were unaware of her illness until it was 
reported in the local media late last week."Professor Maathai's 
departure is untimely and a very great loss to all who knew her – as a 
mother, relative, co-worker, colleague, role model, and heroine; or who 
admired her determination to make the world a more peaceful, healthier, 
and better place," the statement from her organisation said.Maathai is survived by her three children and a granddaughter.
    

						
	
		
            	    





		
										

        


        
    
    
    


¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html

To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤