...There She is: Mama Africa!

Abstract

And oh, what a splendid sight to behold. We are elated; indeed we are in rapture over the award of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize to none other than our very own Wangari Maathai. Since the award was announced on the morning of Friday, October 8, the talking drums have been in full beat, the palm wine is flowing, emails are being dispatched, and phones have not stopped ringing, as African women around the world celebrate the recognition of Mama Wangari for her environmental activism: working to secure the living environment across Africa. She founded the Green Belt movement in 1977. Since then the movement has planted tens of millions of trees, she has opposed the imposition of genetically modified crops on the African environment by the all-powerful Monsanto Corporation, and she constantly organizes women to empower themselves and challenge the powers that be.