Wangari Maathai: For Our Land (Enhanced DVD)

Kenya, land of beauty, has been colonized by many different countries. Through this colonization the beauty of the trees of Kenya has all but been destroyed. Wangari Maathai has fought to change that for decades. Maathai is a social justice advocate, environmental activist, and Nobel Peace Prize winner. She established the Green Belt Movement throughout Kenya in an effort to replant and revitalize the indigenous forests of Kenya. This documentary follows her fight for the people and environment of Kenya, the land she loves.

In 1959 Wangari Maathai was chosen to attend school in the US. This was a remarkable opportunity because very few Kenyan girls were educated at all at that time. Upon her return, after Kenya gained their independence in 1963, she became an outspoken activist for gender equality in the newly formed country. In 1977 she moved on to speak out against widespread deforestation throughout Kenya by establishing the Greenbelt Movement.Througout the next 3 decades Maathai took on a series of political activism challenges such as fighting the building of a skyscraper in Nairobi, protesting the illegal arrest of political prisoners, and fighting the construction of luxury housing that would destroy more rainforest. Often these challenges were accompanied by oppression from the ruling party in Kenya and erupted into violent confrontations. Through it all Maathai was determined to bring peace and prosperity to Kenya. Her efforts were rewarded in 2004 when she became a Nobel Peace Prize recipient.   (49 minutes)

Length: 50 minutes

Item#: BVL41965

ISBN: 978-1-61616-958-9

Producer: Electronic Media Network

Copyright date: ©2009

 Closed Captioned