You are a woman’s rights activist, environmentalist and a former
parliamentarian. You are also the founder of the Green Belt Movement, that
has planted more than 40 million trees . . . so how best would you describe
yourself?
I am many things to many people. I have been trying to encourage people to
appreciate that we live in an environment and we are part of that
environment. I regularly use the example of the Garden of Eden to try to
appeal to the religious sector, which is very strong in our part of the
world. This planet is like the Garden of Eden and when it was created, it
was perfect. It has been destroyed by us. As we destroy it, it has become
unable to sustain us. Let’s not wait for God to create another planet.
What is the tree-planting campaign and how successful has it been?
The Green Belt Movement is a grassroots campaign that is directed to ordinary
people, mainly women, who use the land for agricultural activities and bring
fresh water for domestic use. They are the ones that are concerned if the
rains don’t come, if their crops fail and they are also the people who fetch
the firewood which is the main source of energy at the domestic level. They
are very sensitive to what is happening to the environment. It continues to
be a basic and grounded campaign — we get down on our knees and plant trees.
Why should ordinary Kenyans care about planting trees when many cannot feed
their families or themselves?
In many ways it is ironic and tragic that the people who are hungry and poor
are the very people who need to take care of the environment — and the tree
is a symbol of what we can do to restore our environment. Once the trees
disappear, the desert encroaches and eventually we will not be able to
sustain our livelihoods. A tree is a miracle but we take it for granted
because they are everywhere.
Should your message not be going out to the mass polluters in developed
countries?
I really want to put the challenge upon Africans. If the African people were
managing their affairs properly they would have better governance and they
would not allow the exploitation of their people. They would have not
engaged in corruption and not allowed themselves to be manipulated. They
have spent so much of their resources to buy guns to fight wars that were
not their own. We were given money by the West. Did we use that money? No.
We must blame ourselves and our leadership.
Is technology a good thing? Does Africa’s progress depend on it?
Africa does not have the technology nor the knowledge. Since independence, she
has refused to invest in technology and education. She continues to sell her
goods as raw materials to the rest of the world and she is being exploited.
Other people are coming and using their technology to exploit her resources.
How will the Nobel Symposium influence world leaders, key decision-makers and
the public?
This is a very political process. The outcome of the Copenhagen conference at
the end of the year will depend very much on what governments decide. But
they will be influenced by the feelings and concerns of their citizens. I am
very encouraged that HRH Prince Charles has been concerned about the
environment and rainforests in particular. I am very hopeful that whatever
the outcome, it will include tropical rainforests as part of the solution to
the climate change challenge. If we don’t protect the rainforests, which are
the lungs of the planet, then the other mitigating activities that we do may
be made null and void.
Should consumers in the west Who want flowers and vegetables out of season
that are grown in countries such as Kenya change their consumption habits to
protect the environment?
Many people are being encouraged to eat local food in order to cut down on the
carbon footprint because goods are being flown halfway across the world. I
think that there will have to be some adjustment because while indeed we do
a lot of damage that way, it is also true that many countries will not
survive if they do not have that kind of trade. As we speak, the Naivasha
Lake, the only freshwater lake in Kenya, is threatened by the horticultural
industry. We are working with the flower industry and we are telling them
that you cannot just use the water and not worry about the effluent that you
are putting into it. Unfortunately, because of the poverty and corruption in
Africa, some companies literally get away with murder.
Is there a role for genetically modified crops?
There are times when people are unwilling to move into new horizons of
science, but it is difficult to say, “do not experiment with food seeds and
crops”. However, we all know that what is required from the scientific
community is a moral responsibility for the work they are doing. That is
particularly so when you come to regions in Africa where millions of
ordinary citizens are completely ignorant about that science and are
unlikely to know what their government has allowed the scientists to do.
There has to be a moral code that is guided by national and international
legal mechanisms that make sure that scientists do not use people as guinea
pigs.
In your new book you talk about the problems of leadership in Africa. Where
will the new leaders come from?
The fact that I am writing about these issues and I am not in jail suggests to
me that Africa is changing, because such criticism would not have been
tolerated some 20 years ago — even in Kenya. There is a new generation of
leadership and it is trying hard to support a new direction. For example, at
the moment in the African Union, if you get into power through a
dictatorship or a coup you are not allowed into the club. They are clearly
trying to improve their image of leadership in Africa to give more
democratic and representative governance. It’s taking a long time to bring
change because you are dealing with populations that have the baggage of
colonialism, tribalism and the legacy of wars. In another 10 or 20 years,
Africa will be different.
Is there a specific role for women leaders in Africa?
They have not been given an opportunity to lead. I am a good example of a
person who has really tried to present myself for leadership, and time and
time again, I find myself sidelined by the very people that I am trying to
help. If they got to the top — would they manage power better than men?
Sometimes I am not very sure because unless they are given an opportunity to
demonstrate that — we can romanticise it. I have seen some women become
ministers — are they better than the men? Quite often they aren’t and one of
the theories I have is that because we have governance systems that have
been developed by men and for men — quite often to compete — you have be
like men. You are not given an opportunity to change.
Have you met Bono and Bob Geldof? Do they have a positive influence on Africa
and the environment?
Yes — both of them. They are wonderful people but as far as I am concerned I
know there has been a lot of bashing of them. The truth of the matter is
that I can talk all day long — but when a celebrity talks, the world
listens. These people play an extremely important role and it is important
to appreciate and not trivialise what they do.
