What Trees have to do with Peace
Thirty years ago, in the country of Kenya, 90% of the forest had
been chopped down. Without trees to hold the topsoil in place, the land
became like a desert. When the women and girls would go in search of firewood in
order to prepare the meals, they would have to spend hours and hours looking for
what few branches remained. A woman named Wangari watched all of this
happening. She decided that there must be a way to take better care of
the land and take better care of the women and girls. So she planted a
tree. Then she planted another. She wanted to plant thousands of trees,
but she realized that it would take a very long time if she were the only
one doing it. So she taught the women and they were paid a small amount
for each sapling they grew. Soon, she organized women all over the country
to plant trees, and a movement took hold. It was called the Green Belt
Movement, and with each passing year, more and more trees covered the
land.
But something else was happening as the
women planted those
trees. Something else besides those trees was taking root. The
women began
to have confidence in themselves. They began to see that they
could make
a difference. They began to see that they were capable of many
things,
and that they were equal to the men. They began to recognize
that they
were deserving of being treated with respect and dignity.
Changes like
these were threatening to some. The president of the country
didn't like
any of this. So police were sent to intimidate and beat Wangari
for
planting trees, and for planting ideas of equality and democracy
in people's
heads--- especially in women's. She was accused of "subversion"
and arrested many times. Once, while Wangari was trying to plant
trees, she
was clubbed by guards hired by developers who wanted the lands
cleared.
She was hospitalized with head injuries. But she survived and it
only
made her realize that she was on the right path. For almost
thirty years,
she was threatened physically and she was often ridiculed in the
press.
She didn't flinch. She only had to look in the eyes of her three
children
and in the eyes of the thousands of women and girls who were
blossoming
right along with the trees to find the strength to continue.
That is how it came to be that 30 million trees were planted in
Africa, one
tree at a time.
The landscapes--both the external one of
the land and the
internal one of the people— have been transformed. In 2002, the
people of Kenya held a democratic election, and the president
who opposed
Wangari and her Green Belt Movement is no longer in office.
Wangari is now Kenya's Assistant Minister for the Environment.
On her sixty-fifth birthday Wangari Maathai planted one more tree in
celebration
and thanksgiving for being given a very great honor;
she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She is the first African
woman
to receive this award. After she was notified, she gave a speech
entitled, "What
Do Trees Have To Do With Peace?" She pointed out how most wars
are fought over limited natural resources, such as oil, land,
coal
or diamonds. She called for an end to corporate greed and for
leaders to build more just societies. She added: "Our recent
experience in Kenya gives hope to all who have been struggling
for a better
future. It shows it is possible to bring about positive change
and
still do it peacefully. All it takes is courage and perseverance
and
a belief that positive change is possible. That is why the
slogan
for our campaign was "It is Possible!" On behalf of all African
women, I want to express my profound appreciation for this
honor, which
will serve to encourage women in Kenya, in Africa, and around
the
world to raise their voices and not to be deterred. When
we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and seeds of hope.
We also
secure the future for our children. I call on those around the
world
to celebrate by planting a tree wherever you are."
As she received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, she
invited us all to get involved: "Today we are faced with a challenge that
calls for a shift in our thinking, so that humanity stops threatening
its life-support system. We are called to assist the Earth to heal her
wounds and in the process heal our own."
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