{"id":2352049,"date":"2026-01-26T20:22:54","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T19:22:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/polis180.org\/polisblog\/2026\/01\/26\/trees-of-peace\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T15:33:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T14:33:10","slug":"trees-of-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/polis180.org\/en\/polisblog\/2026\/01\/26\/trees-of-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"Decolonising Feminism(s): Trees of peace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This blog is part of the series \u201cDecolonising Feminism(s)\u201d, hosted by the Gender & International Politics program at Polis180.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trigger warning: the following content includes gender-based violence and sexual assault. Not graphically but as listed.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A blog post by<\/em> Lara Brett<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cShe thinks globally and acts locally\u201d<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

These are the words<\/a> of the Nobel Committee, honouring 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Wangari Maathai. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This blog post will explore Maathai\u2019s contribution to environmental conservation in Kenya through the Green Belt Movement (GBM) and, by extension, her efforts to promote women\u2019s rights and peace in Kenya and also globally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Wangari Maathai<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Prof. Maathai was the first woman<\/a> from Central and East Africa to obtain a doctoral degree. She was also the first female professor <\/a>in Kenya. After witnessing the destruction of \u201clocal biodiversity\u201d<\/a> as a child, she became a passionate environmentalist. Aside from her work with the Green Belt Movement (GBM), she served<\/a> as a Member of Parliament during Kenya\u2019s democratic transition between 2002 and 2007, and as Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources from 2003 to 2007. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2004 Maathai was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize, making her the first African woman<\/a> to have received it. In subsequent years, she further became<\/a> Goodwill Ambassador for the Congo Basin Forest Ecosystem, Co-Chair of the Congo Basin Fund, Co-Founder of the Nobel Women\u2019s Initiative and a UN Messenger of Peace, alongside her career as an author. At the University of Nairobi, the Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies promotes<\/a> \u201cresearch for sustainable environments and cultures of peace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Maathai passed away in 2011 but her legacy lives on partially through the GBM. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Green Belt Movement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1920, Kenya saw the start of British colonial rule, with British repression leading to the murder of over 10,000<\/a> Kenyans during the Mau-Mau rebellion (1952-1960), as well as<\/a> inhumane treatment of prisoners and intense sexual and gender-based violence targeting women. Kenya gained<\/a> its independence in 1963, effectively becoming a one-party state<\/a> under the Kenya African National Union (KANU). Amidst political upheavals, Kenyans advocated<\/a> for their democratic rights, especially in the 1980s and 1990s. In these years the GBM arose and played a significant role in Kenya\u2019s efforts to transition to a democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The establishment of tea and coffee plantations under British colonial<\/a> rule in Kenya still held a devastating environmental impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The spread of plantations had a significant impact on the ecosystem, leading to a lack of drinking water and firewood. This was highlighted directly by participants from rural areas in a meeting by the National Council of Women (NCWK)<\/a> in 1976.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encouraged by this, Maathai decided to act. In 1977, she helped organise the GBM on World Environment Day<\/a>, under the auspices<\/a> of the NCWK. A signature feature of the movement was its tree-planting efforts. Even today, the movement strives <\/a>to support communities in becoming more self-sufficient by protecting their local environment and enhancing their understanding of climate change. At the international level, GBM advocates for better environmental protection in sub-Saharan Africa and the Congo Basin Rainforest Ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting as a local project, today the GBM is active in Kenya as well as  internationally, counting over<\/a> 100,000 members. The civil society movement has four main aims<\/a>: tree-planting and harvesting; fighting climate change; mainstream advocacy and Gender Livelihood and advocacy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following funding struggles in the 1970s, the 1980s saw GBM gain more international investment<\/a> in the form of funds from the Norwegian Forestry Society and the UN Voluntary Fund for Women. This enabled GBM to purchase more seedlings and to launch<\/a> the Pan African GBM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The movement’s achievements further include<\/a> the reduction of  soil erosion in Kenya and the protection of Indigenous forests. This encouraged local communities to be more self-sufficient. As of 2018, GBM has planted<\/a> over 51 million trees in Kenya. The campaign inspired<\/a> the UN Environmental Programme\u2019s \u2018Billion Tree Campaign\u2019, launched in 2006. 
Furthermore, the movement centres around nature conservation and social justice for women\u2019s rights and democracy. Researchers have repeatedly noted<\/a> the movement\u2019s ecofeminist principles, citing its efforts to counter the environmental and gender injustices inflicted by British colonialism.With their political engagement, the movement empowers Kenyan civil society to advocate for their civil rights in the face of authoritarianism, highlighting the intersection between environmental and human rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Political Backlash<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The 1980s was a pivotal decade, both for Kenyan post-colonial politics and for the GBM. In that decade, then President Moi had political opponents arrested and tortured, with Maathai herself <\/a>suffering tear-gassing and multiple arrests as she advocated for democracy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The GBM was active in several political cases in this decade. Most notably, Maathai\u2019s lawsuit against the construction of a development in Nairobi\u2019s Uhuru Park received a scathing response from President Moi, stating that: \u201cshe had no right to  criticize the government because African tradition requires women to respect men<\/a>\u201d. The President wasn\u2019t alone in his criticism. Following her lawsuit\u2019s dismissal, the Kenyan government condemned<\/a> her reliance on Nairobi\u2019s British High Commissioner to protect the park. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the government went on to dismiss the proposal in 1990, the case exemplifies the challenges faced by Kenyan civil society in the post-colonial period, especially for women counteracting patriarchal structures. It also highlights how intrinsically linked environmental protection and democratic rights are, as well as the threat posed to them by political corruption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The legacy of the Green Belt Movement continued<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Today, GBM continues its advocacy<\/a> for environmental and human rights protection. Though it does not<\/a> have an overall leader, it has a management team operating in Nairobi, with offices in Europe and the US. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The movement draws on<\/a> the recognition of intersecting forms of oppression and in adopting mutli-facted solutions, such as educational seminars that educate women and, by extension, their communities. Its environmental projects include<\/a> the protection of Kenya\u2019s Karura forest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maathai was instrumental<\/a> in providing academic knowledge and forging alliances with local and global actors, helping to sustain GBM financially. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organisation works to counter social injustices by supporting the agency of Kenyan women and by protecting the environment that was ruined by British plantations. However, the legacy of British colonialism remains, such as<\/a> the human rights and environmental abuses of British soldiers in the post-colonial period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking into the efforts and fights of the GBM, we can truly learn that there can be no true democracy without full, safe and equitable participation from women. It becomes apparent that the involvement of women\u2019s ideas in political decision-making enables the creation of a more inclusive and stable social environment, and furthers conservation efforts. As Maathai and GBM exhibit, grassroots movements play a crucial role in protecting local social cohesion and influencing global policy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maathai viewed<\/a> the tree as \u201ca symbol for the democratic struggle in Kenya,\u201d she emphasized the planting of \u201ctrees of peace\u201d by civilians and the GBM as a means to \u201cdemand the release of prisoners of conscience\u201d and \u201creconcile disputing communities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 1977, the GBM has been pivotal in promoting human and environmental rights in Kenya and internationally, highlighting how grassroots organisations can effectively combat intersecting forms of injustice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Maathai\u2019s words<\/a> \u201cWe are called to assist the Earth to heal her wounds and in the process heal our own.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lara Brett<\/strong> is the co-lead of the \u2018Gender and International Politics\u2019 programme at Polis180.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Previously from the blog series \u201cDecolonising Feminism(s)<\/em><\/em>\u201d<\/em><\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n