Wangari Muta Maathai

Wangari Muta Maathai was a Kenyan politician and environmental activist who became the first Black African woman to win a Nobel Prize, awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize for Peace.

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Profession :

Political Figure

Birthday :

April 1, 1940

Death Date:

September 25, 2011

Age :

71

Wangari Muta Maathai, born on April 1, 1940, in Nyeri, Kenya, was a renowned Kenyan politician and environmental activist. In 2004, she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Maathai was the founder of the Green Belt Movement, an organization dedicated to tree planting, environmental conservation, and women’s rights. Among her most notable works are “The Challenge for Africa”, “Unbowed”, “The Canopy of Hope”, and “The Green Belt Movement: Sharing the Approach and the Experience”. She was well-known for her activism and criticism of the Kenyan government, which resulted in her being harassed, arrested, and assaulted. Maathai passed away on September 25, 2011, in Nairobi. An interesting fact about her is that she was the first Black African woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize, specifically the 2004 Nobel Prize for Peace.