2004's Nobel Peace Prize winner looks back

NEW YORK - Wangari Maathai received the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for her “contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.”

Through more than 30 years of efforts with Kenya's Green Belt Movement, Matthai worked to develop grassroots solutions to environmental problems. In the process she encouraged Kenyan women to plant over 30 million trees to help tackle the massive problems of deforestation in their country.

The Nobel Peace Prize committee praised her for “thinking globally and acting locally.”

For years she was vilified by the government of President Daniel arap Moi when her fight against deforestation expanded to a battle against government corruption. She was arrested more than a dozen times, received death threats and was beaten unconscious by police.

In the last few years, Maathai, 65, who received much of her education in the United States, has been largely vindicated. In 2002, Moi stepped aside and Kenya held its first democratic elections. Maathai was elected to parliament with 98 percent of the vote in her district and was named the assistant minister for environment, natural resources and wildlife. 

Her new role has not been without controversy. Last year Maathai was reported as saying that AIDS/HIV virus was a product of bio-engineering created by the West "to punish blacks." She says her remarks were misinterpreted.

With the Nobel committee set to announce this year's peace prize winner on Friday, Maathai  talked about being the first African woman to win the prize, why she thinks she was chosen and how simply planting trees can lead to good governance.

What do you think is the significance of winning the Nobel Peace Prize as an African woman? 
Well, I think that the Nobel committee had a message to send to the world — that there is a strong link between sustainable, accountable and equitable management of resources and governance.

So many of the world’s conflicts are over resources — from smaller-scale conflicts in Kenya to issues like Darfur. They are fights over who has access and control over resources.

The Nobel committee saw that the Green Belt Movement was one organization in Africa that was actually pursuing solutions to these problems and I was the one that was leading it. But I also think they wanted to encourage Africa.

They wanted to tell Africa that here you have an excellent idea that has been struggling with itself. But it is like a streak of light that has refused to go out because there is something to it.

The message to Africa was that you should nurture ideas like this because these are the kind of ideas that will get you out of your situation, out of your sense of hopelessness and encourage and empower you. Manage your resources better, end conflicts over your resources, because, you, Africa, you’re rich.

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