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.