Political Atlas

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Political Figure

Wangari Maathai

Civil Rights, Suffrage and Dissident Leaders

Kenyan environmental and political activist, the first woman in East or Central Africa to earn a doctorate, who founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977 to organise women to plant trees against deforestation and soil loss. Her activism repeatedly put her in direct conflict with the government of President Daniel arap Moi, and she was beaten and jailed more than once for opposing land seizures and unconstitutional rule. She was elected to Kenya's Parliament in 2002 and served as an assistant minister for the environment, and in 2004 became the first Black African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Facts
Birth Year
1940 2
Death Date
2011-09-25 2
Death Year
2011 2
Classification
Political Role
political activist 1
Gender
Female 2
Sources
1. Wangari Maathai - Wikipedia (Wikipedia)
intro: 'Kenyan social, environmental, and political activist'View the Source
2. Wangari Maathai (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaEntity description, gender reference sentence
Quote, Entity description, gender reference sentence
Her activism repeatedly put her in direct conflict with the government of President Daniel arap Moi, and she was beaten and jailed more than once for opposing land seizures and unconstitutional rule.
View the Source
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