Ambassador for Peace
Library Journal
September 1, 2006
Unbowed: A Memoir (UK & USA versions)
Unbowed
By Wangari Maathai
Knopf. Nov. ISBN 0-307-26348-7. $24.95.
Political activist. Scientist. Feminist. Nobel Peace Prize winner. Wangari Maathai is all of the above. The Green Belt Movement she founded in 1977 to help restore indigenous forests has since spread from Kenya across Africa, while her courage to stand up and speak out against injustice has led to her imprisonment—and won her the admiration of countless world leaders. In her memoir, Unbowed, she traces her life from its humble beginnings in rural Kenya to the morning of October 8, 2004, when she learned she had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet despite her many achievements, Maathai tells us that her work has only begun.
You recall with great clarity the events that defined your life. Was it difficult to remember them?
Finding the time was the greatest challenge. I worked on this project even as I continued all my other activities. It is not easy to forget events that shape you. These memories are constantly being tapped in the course of your life to define who you are. The writing process was also facilitated by the help I received from family, friends, and supporters.
This is more than the story of your life. It is also the story of Africa. Was this your intention?
Not really, but it would have been difficult to convey the experiences of my life without unraveling the historical context within which my life was unfolding. I hope when people read my book they will identify their own experiences in my journey and will be encouraged to make the best of theirs. I also hope it will help them understand Africa and the experiences of its people.
You studied in America in the late 1960s. What impact did those tumultuous years in U.S. history have on you?
America’s diversity, influence, expansiveness, beauty, and its ability to nurture and neglect at the same time are some of the characteristics that made a permanent impact on my mind. I carried its energy and confidence back with me to Kenya, and that helped me in my efforts to transform my own country.
What more must be done to address the poverty that continues to plague
Africa?
The leadership in Africa can do a lot, and indeed there has been some progress. Globally, politics notwithstanding, Africa can do with more genuine friends both at the bilateral level and within global institutions such as the World Trade Organization. With greater understanding, individual citizens can do a lot to push their governments to be more responsible beyond their borders.
You say education should not take people away from the land. Is this still happening?
At least in Africa, where people’s livelihoods were dependent on primary natural resources and where labor was intensive, education was perceived as a gateway to light work, which led to a better quality of life. But when we get alienated from the land, we destroy the resources upon which our survival depends and thereby undermine our quality of life.
What’s next on your list of priorities?
Being a Peace Laureate means that I am now a permanent ambassador for peace wherever I go. It entails sharing my work, inspiration, my thoughts on peace, democracy, and the sustainable management of resources. So I have a lot to do!
By Wangari Maathai
Knopf. Nov. ISBN 0-307-26348-7. $24.95.
Political activist. Scientist. Feminist. Nobel Peace Prize winner. Wangari Maathai is all of the above. The Green Belt Movement she founded in 1977 to help restore indigenous forests has since spread from Kenya across Africa, while her courage to stand up and speak out against injustice has led to her imprisonment—and won her the admiration of countless world leaders. In her memoir, Unbowed, she traces her life from its humble beginnings in rural Kenya to the morning of October 8, 2004, when she learned she had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet despite her many achievements, Maathai tells us that her work has only begun.
You recall with great clarity the events that defined your life. Was it difficult to remember them?
Finding the time was the greatest challenge. I worked on this project even as I continued all my other activities. It is not easy to forget events that shape you. These memories are constantly being tapped in the course of your life to define who you are. The writing process was also facilitated by the help I received from family, friends, and supporters.
This is more than the story of your life. It is also the story of Africa. Was this your intention?
Not really, but it would have been difficult to convey the experiences of my life without unraveling the historical context within which my life was unfolding. I hope when people read my book they will identify their own experiences in my journey and will be encouraged to make the best of theirs. I also hope it will help them understand Africa and the experiences of its people.
You studied in America in the late 1960s. What impact did those tumultuous years in U.S. history have on you?
America’s diversity, influence, expansiveness, beauty, and its ability to nurture and neglect at the same time are some of the characteristics that made a permanent impact on my mind. I carried its energy and confidence back with me to Kenya, and that helped me in my efforts to transform my own country.
What more must be done to address the poverty that continues to plague
Africa?
The leadership in Africa can do a lot, and indeed there has been some progress. Globally, politics notwithstanding, Africa can do with more genuine friends both at the bilateral level and within global institutions such as the World Trade Organization. With greater understanding, individual citizens can do a lot to push their governments to be more responsible beyond their borders.
You say education should not take people away from the land. Is this still happening?
At least in Africa, where people’s livelihoods were dependent on primary natural resources and where labor was intensive, education was perceived as a gateway to light work, which led to a better quality of life. But when we get alienated from the land, we destroy the resources upon which our survival depends and thereby undermine our quality of life.
What’s next on your list of priorities?
Being a Peace Laureate means that I am now a permanent ambassador for peace wherever I go. It entails sharing my work, inspiration, my thoughts on peace, democracy, and the sustainable management of resources. So I have a lot to do!