Wangari Maathai

Petra · 10-08-2004, 03:47 PM

Ahhh, some uplifting news for a change: a wee glimmer in the darkness.

Wangari Maathai has been announced the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize this year.

This is such a positive move. The Nobel Peace Prize is generally awarded for conflict resolution, which I'm sure there has been a dearth of viable nominees for this year.

So the criteria of peace and resolution and stuff has been expanded to allow for other great people who have been active and integral to positive change for humanity and, now, the environment. So mad props to them; it's about time we had a new path to walk, methinks.

Wangari Maathai affected positive change to her community and her country despite overwhelming odds. She went to jail for speaking out against the government; she fought for the rights of women; and she went head to head with people who had a stake in the rape of the land - whether it was business and corporate owners, or the workers afraid of unemployment - and she turned them around. Instead of continuing to destroy their forests and face desertification, she got them planting trees. 3 million of them. And she rose to be Minister in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife.

She is the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, and was praised by the awarding committee as "a source of inspiration for everyone in Africa fighting for sustainable development, democracy and peace".

Reading about this woman and what she has acheived is the most positive thing I have read in months. :yup:

Ronin · 10-08-2004, 03:54 PM

Plus, she has that certain aura about her that you know would be smile infectious.

Thanks for sharing that.

Petra · 10-08-2004, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronin

Plus, she has that certain aura about her that you know would be smile infectious.

Yes, she does.

Quote:

Thanks for sharing that.

My pleasure.

And now I must lay my weary head to rest. :yawn:

viscousmemories · 10-08-2004, 04:16 PM

Thanks for sharing, lunachick. That is a really uplifting story. It never ceases to amaze me how far some people will go to stand up for what they believe in. And it's so much more fun to read about people who do so and acheive great things than people who do so and get killed for it. :yup: