by Rebel Girls
This young man wasn’t risking just his job or his reputation to tell her this: he was risking his life. And by agreeing to help, Wangari was now, too.
She placed a hand on his shoulder and met his gaze. “I promise.”
* * *
Wangari started writing. She wrote a letter to the government asking them to admit to their plans to destroy Uhuru Park. When no reply came, she wrote to the United Nations. In these letters she asked for a truthful account of what the government was planning and for help stopping it. She also wrote to newspapers so that journalists could look into it, too, and could tell the people of Kenya what was happening.
“GIANT SKYSCRAPER PLANNED FOR UHURU PARK,” read headlines. On the front page was a photograph of a construction fence that had been built in the park overnight.
“What should we do, Wangari?”
Since news of the park came out, Wangari was asked this question everywhere she went. She got calls at her office and letters at her home. She took a deep breath and said, “Make your voice heard.” She kept her voice calm. There was no need to make anyone more afraid. “Write letters. Tell your leaders what you think. Do anything you can. Just don’t be silent.”
* * *
A few days later, on her walk to work, she spotted a familiar face. Makena was rushing by. She didn’t seem to see Wangari.
“Makena!” Wangari called. “How wonderful to see you!”
Instead of returning Wangari’s greeting, her old friend seemed to edge away, as though Wangari had a virus she was afraid to catch.
“I’m sorry, Wangari,” she whispered. “My husband said not to speak to you anymore. This business with the park—it’s just too dangerous.”
“But, Makena—we have to speak up!”
“I’d rather be silent if speaking out means risking my family’s safety,” she said. “I’m sorry. I have to go. Please understand.” And she walked away.
Wangari’s heart sank as she watched her go. Maybe this was a battle she’d have to fight alone.
She looked down at the newspaper in her hand. There was a photograph of her on the front page. “MAATHAI TELLS MOI: NOT IN OUR PARK,” blared the headline. Wangari opened the paper.
Inside she saw letter after letter. They were from old people and young people, wealthy people and poor, all addressed to the government leaders who were trying to take their park away.
“Where is your sense of pride in the people you lead?” one person wrote. “Where is your pride in our beautiful country? You should be ashamed.”
“We deserve our park—and we deserve to debate these matters freely, without fearing abuse from you,” another wrote.
There was even a letter from a young child: “Uhuru Park is where my parents take me every weekend. Please don’t tear it down.”
With every page, Wangari’s spirits lifted.
* * *
The people of Kenya had made their voices heard, but still the government wouldn’t listen. President Moi had convinced powerful people in other countries to give him the money he needed to build his new office, and he wasn’t backing down. So Wangari started writing letters to those people, too. She sent letters to Canada, to Germany, to the United States, and even to the United Kingdom.
“Do not let President Moi destroy Uhuru Park,” she wrote. “Please do not give him any more money. He does not think about what is good for his people, but only what is good for himself.
“This park provides fresh air to the millions of people living in Nairobi and a place to play or get away from busy city life. We must protect our environment and green spaces above everything else.”
Because of her letters, American and British newspapers started reporting on what was happening in Kenya. People all over the world heard Africans speaking up for themselves and asked their own governments to help. Soon, the plans for the park began to get smaller.
* * *
Still, the fight continued for a few more years. Neither the government nor Wangari would give up. Then, one morning in February 1992, Wangari heard the news that the construction fence had been taken down.
The park was saved!
Wangari met her friends in Uhuru Park to celebrate with a victory dance. Together, they lifted their arms and their voices to share their joy.
Like the hummingbird trying to put out a fire, it had been the small acts of individual Kenyans that saved the park. Wangari’s letters inspired others to write to the newspapers about what was important to them. It was just like planting trees. When each person planted a single tree, together, they created a forest. When each person raised their voice, together, they created a movement.
AFTERWORD
The fight for Uhuru Park was not Wangari’s last clash with the government. Like many activists in Kenya, she endured prison and beatings for opposing the president. But she never backed down.
When it came time to vote in 2002, the Kenyan people were fed up with President Moi. They voted his ruling party out and instead chose candidates who wanted ordinary Kenyans to have a voice.
One of those new lawmakers was Wangari. She was elected to serve as a member of Parliament in 2003 and was named assistant minister in the Ministry for Environment and Natural Resources. Having seen how much influence the government could have on people’s lives, she was determined to use it to help people and the land.
In 2004, Wangari won the Nobel Peace Prize. It was the first time the prize was given to a woman from Africa, and the first time it went to an environmentalist. In her acceptance speech, Wangari told the story of the stream she had played in as a child and the frogs she used to marvel at in all their life stages.
“The challenge,” she said, “is to restore the home of the tadpoles and give back to our children a world of beauty and wonder.”
After winning the Nobel Prize, Wangari chose to educate as many people as she could about the environment. She planted a tree with US Senator Barack Obama, who later became president of the United States. In the 1960s, Obama’s father had also traveled from Kenya to study in the US, just like Wangari.
Wangari died in Nairobi on September 25, 2011, at the age of seventy-one, due to complications from cancer. Her legacy lives on in the millions of trees she helped plant and the millions of people inspired by her work. The Green Belt Movement has planted fifty-one million trees in Kenya alone, and her children continue the work their mother began so many years ago.
Two of those seven trees planted by the first Green Belt Movement volunteers in Kamukunji Park are still alive today, and they continue to provide shade and beauty to people in Nairobi. As the hummingbird in Wangari’s beloved tale shows, every effort counts.
ACTIVITIES
THE POWER OF ONE
Inspired by the hummingbird in the story on pages 14-17, Wangari believed in the power of one. This is the idea that each of us, in our own small way, can make a difference. She knew that if everyone took it upon themselves to plant one tree, they would soon have a forest. She was right! Wangari passed the idea of the power of one on to her environmental organization, the Green Belt Movement, which consists of women who still work together to plant trees today.
Wangari used her power of one to help nature and to plant trees. On a separate piece of paper, list some of the things that matter to you. Is it trees, like Wangari? Maybe it’s animals, or other people.
Now pick one and think about it a little harder.
Why is this one thing important to you?
Why might it be important to others?
What is one small thing you can do to help?
THE GREEN JENERATION
The Green Jeneration (the J stands for “junior”!) is a movement created by Wangari’s granddaughters, Ruth Wangari and Elsa Wanjiru, and their friends that allows children to plant flowers, trees, or vegetables in community spaces. The project understands that plants contribute to the livelihood and well-being of the community.
Spending time in nature also lets us appreciate the air
we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, the plant medicine that heals us, and the beauty that surrounds us. Exercise your power like Wangari did by giving back to the world that gives us life.
Gather your materials: A container for your plant, such as a recycled can, a flowerpot, a tightly woven basket, or even an old rubber boot
A dish or plastic lid to catch the drainage
Soil
Seeds; choose whatever you’d like—flowers, herbs, or a small tree of your own!
Spray bottle
Plastic wrap
Have an adult help you poke a few holes in the bottom of your planter, if it doesn’t already have them.
Fill the container ¾ of the way with soil.
Follow the instructions on the seed packet for planting depth.
Place your seeds in the hole you’ve created.
Cover the hole with soil.
Place the container on the dish and water your seeds. Cover the container with plastic wrap to keep in the moisture.
Place your potted plant by a window and watch over the coming weeks as it grows! Be sure to water your plant every few days. You can check if your plant needs water by touching the soil. If it feels dry, your plant needs water!
Once your seedling grows so tall that it touches the plastic wrap, remove the covering.
THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF LIVING THINGS
Wangari believed that all living things are interconnected, meaning they need one another to survive. When she studied a frog’s life cycle at school (pages 32-34), she remembered the frog eggs she once saw in the stream by her home. Later in life, Wangari realized she needed to plant trees to protect the stream and its fresh water so creatures like the frogs would have a place to live.
Think about your favorite animal. What does it need to survive and thrive? On a separate piece of paper, draw your animal’s life cycle and make a list of some things you can do to protect its home.
You can look at the image of the life cycle of a frog, shown on the facing page, to get you started.
THE GREEN BELT MOVEMENT
The Green Belt Movement (GBM) is an environmental organization founded by Professor Wangari Maathai in 1977 to empower communities, particularly women, to save the environment and improve livelihoods. In response to the needs of rural Kenyan women, GBM encourages them to work together to improve the surrounding land and local economies by growing seedlings and planting trees in order to bind the soil, store rainwater, and provide food and firewood. They receive a small monetary token for their work.
THE WANGARI MAATHAI FOUNDATION
Inspired by the legacy of the 2004 Nobel Peace laureate Wangari Maathai, the Wangari Maathai Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring courageous and responsible leadership in youth and children. The Foundation uses the idea of the power of one to nurture a culture of integrity, purpose, and personal responsibility that will transform the future. The Green Jeneration is one of the Foundation’s many youth initiatives.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Dr. Wangari Maathai proved that women can move the earth (literally) when presented with the right leadership, tools, and mission.
Corinne, your writing leaves an everlasting mark. You’ve crafted Dr. Maathai’s legacy so that young minds might learn the enormous impact that one woman’s efforts can have on the world. Eugenia Mello, thank you for your energy and passion from the start. You’ve handled the challenge of illustrating Dr. Maathai’s life with respect and a deft hand. Thank you, too, to Martha Cipolla and Marisa Finkelstein for your thoughtful reads.
Wanjira Mathai was so very helpful in realizing our dreams for this book’s impact. Thank you for being so open to collaboration—and for the work you do to expand your mother’s mission every day.
And finally, Rebel Girls would like to thank our readers. Your continued interest drives the mission further than we’d ever dreamed. Remember the hummingbird. Even one small effort—an act of courage—can inspire big change.
ABOUT REBEL GIRLS
Rebel Girls is an award-winning cultural media engine founded in 2012, spanning over seventy countries. Through a combination of thought-provoking stories, creative expression, and business innovation, Rebel Girls is on a mission to balance power and create a more inclusive world. Rebel Girls is home to a diverse and passionate group of rebels who work in Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Merida (Mexico), London, and Milan.
Find Rebel Girls online (rebelgirls.co),
on Facebook (Facebook.com/rebelgirls),
Instagram (@rebelgirls), and Twitter (@rebelgirlsbook).
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Editorial Director: Elena Favilli
Art Director: Giulia Flamini
Text: Corinne Purtill
Cover and Illustrations: Eugenia Mello
Cover Lettering: Cesar Yannarella
Graphic design: Annalisa Ventura
This is a work of historical fiction. We have tried to be as accurate as possible, but names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents may have been changed to suit the needs of the story.
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