Environmental Philosophy & African Feminism
Wangari Maathai
The Woman Who Planted a Revolution
Maathai is for the person who believes that the most radical act of resistance is sometimes the simplest — planting a tree, restoring a watershed, refusing to let the land die. You've probably noticed that environmental destruction and political oppression go hand in hand. Maathai saw this in Kenya and founded the Green Belt Movement, which planted over 50 million trees while building women's economic power and democratic capacity from the ground up. She won the Nobel Peace Prize for it.
environmental justicewomen's empowerment through ecologygrassroots democracythe connection between ecology and rightsplanting as resistance
Where to Start Reading
Unbowed: A Memoir
Maathai's autobiography — from rural Kenya to PhD to prison to the Nobel Prize. Clear, warm, and the best introduction to her life and thinking.
The Challenge for Africa
Maathai's analysis of what holds African development back — corruption, environmental degradation, and the legacy of colonialism. More analytical than the memoir.
“It's the little things citizens do. That's what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees.”