The Atlanta based African Treasures TV Show covered the special convocation held at Morehouse on Friday, March 24, 2006 at 4 p.m., which honored Dr. Wangari Maathai with the college’s highest honor, the honorary
doctor of science degree. In 2004, Dr. Maathai became the first woman from Africa to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. An environmental advocate over the past three decades, Dr. Maathai is the Assistant Minister for the Environment and Natural Resources in Kenya and also serves as a member of the Kenyan Parliament. Dr. Maathai also founded The Green Belt Movement in Kenya. This environmental effort has been responsible for planting over 30 million trees, protecting parks and green spaces in Nairobi, and establishing many tree nurseries throughout the African continent. Additionally, Dr. Maathai’s environmental efforts and the mission of the Green Belt Movement have encouraged reforestation and environmental awareness through community organizations.

When the President of Morehouse College, Dr. Walter Massey, conferred upon Dr. Maathai the honorary degree of doctor of science, he explained that the college’s honorary degrees are conferred upon those who embody
Morehouse’s ideals of scholarship, leadership and service. He mentioned that it has been said, “He who plants trees loves others besides himself.” The president concluded by praising Dr. Maathai’s outstanding contribution and her tireless advocacy for justice and human rights.

Dr. Maathai then spoke. She was gracious and grateful, thanking the president, Dr. Massey, the provosts, Dr. Taylor, Ambassador Young, Excellencies and other distinguished guests who were in attendance at Sale Hall. She was overwhelmed by the honor and privilege Morehouse college bestowed.

Dr. Maathai addressed the assembled guests in a very engaging way. She gave a simple yet significant history about her childhood progression from being a little girl helping her mother fetch water and collect firewood in the countryside, to her education at a Kansas university as an African exchange student in the U.S.A., to how these experiences and ancestral wisdom led to her interest in and understanding of how things are connected to one another in the environment. Her illustration of the examples of her mother’s
instructions not to collect firewood from the fig tree because it is a “tree of God” and observing frog eggs in the stream close to the fig tree near her house were developed into a profound explanation of how, in Dr. Maathai’s words, “In the course of our development and evolvement, nature inspires, acknowledges us and gives us a close understanding of who created us and where we come from.” She used these examples of the fig tree and the stream near it with the frog eggs to demonstrate in a very accessible way how all in nature is connected and dependent on each other.

The fig tree, she explained, has deep roots, which anchor it firmly to the ground. The roots dig deep and crack open the underground rock and water reservoirs and helps to bring underground water to the surface. If you see the tree, you see a spring near it. Similarly, the life cycle of frogs, such as the frog eggs she used to see in the stream and play with, is a clear indicator of clean drinking water. This also shows the importance of trees in the environment.

For Dr. Maathai, it is necessary to “appreciate the role of trees in the environment”. This is because of the ancestral wisdom passed down through her mother about trees like the fig tree being holy and how this wisdom tells people how to respect the environment by explaining to them and reminding them that the trees’ source is God. People changed from believing that fig trees were holy, however. Dr. Maathai went on to explain that with the introduction of a new faith (Christianity), the interpretation of nature was no longer connected to the wisdom of the mothers, ancestors or previous generations, and people began to regard man as having dominion over all. Man began to see fig trees as something that stood in the way of economic progress. The fig trees took up too much space, and, in favor of choosing to develop cash crops, the fig trees were cut. Rivers that were once clean, now were brown with silt as people rushed to grow trees to supply the furniture, building and papermaking industries while neglecting the environment. Their goal became getting dry land for farmers. Eucalyptus trees (referred to as “water-drinkers” in the local language) were brought in and planted to solve this problem.

Eventually this brought about inter-tribal conflict in Kenya. Tribal clashes over the following issues became common: land, water access, access to wealth, grazing grounds of green areas, and using rivers for irrigation instead of letting them flow so that they could be used for basic consumption (e.g. for drinking and hygiene). It became clearly necessary that without rethinking how these resources were managed, there would be continuous conflict. An understanding of how management of environmental resources connected to tribal conflicts inspired Dr. Maathai’s advocacy and was eventually recognized by the Norwegian Nobel Peace Prize Committee. Dr. Maathai stated that “We need to learn to manage our limited resources ...[and] share these resources equitably... We need to make it more possible for more people to access these resources.” She mentioned the need for a governmental system that is democratic, transparent, accountable to and respectful of the people. Otherwise, the people will always be pushed toward conflict. Dr. Maathai stressed this point saying, “We should invest heavily in the protection, evaluation and management of resources and less in preparing ourselves to fight.”


Next she turned to the importance of understanding how the environment and the human species are not only interrelated but also interdependent. She voiced her wish that religions would focus on the Bible’s book of Genesis so that people would focus on becoming “custodians of these resources custodians of the environment”. According to Dr. Maathai, based on the book of Genesis, human beings were created last by God. She stated that clearly God’s other creations can exist without us (maybe even do better). To this end, being an environmental custodian is our role. More importantly, the human species, need the other species for survival.

Dr. Maathai concluded by issuing a clear statement about what educated people of faith, such as the students at Morehouse College, could do. She encouraged them to study and get an education about the world around them. She advised them to prepare themselves to face the world by taking advantage of the great opportunities that are afforded them. Lastly, she stated that they should arm themselves with “every ammunition needed to make the best of life and help others to do the same”.

The Rev. Dr. Michael Harris’ benediction continued with the theme of the service and the importance of environmental awareness and action. He remarked that “Service is the rent that we pay for the space that we
occupy; in Dr. Maathai we see that we can even pay the rent by simply planting a tree.” The convocation was followed by the tree-planting ceremony to honor Dr. Anna Harbin Grant.

Dr. Okeke and Mutinta of African Treasures TV Show covered the reception that followed the convocation and sought responses to Dr. Maathai’s message and The Green Belt Movement in general from the various attendees. The remarks came from individuals of diverse backgrounds but all were positive and reflected the impact that this Nobel Peace Prizewinning environmental and human rights activist has had around the world.

One woman, a Kenyan citizen, had the following reaction. She was especially moved by Dr. Maathai’s comments indicating that “We are created last and we have to support the environment because we depend on it and it doesn’t depend on us.” This Kenyan citizen also stated how proud all Kenyan women are of Dr. Maathai. Dr. Anne Watts, Professor of English in the Office of Academic Affairs, had the following words to say about the effect Dr. Maathai’s Green Belt Movement has had on the students. “ The students are so grateful to her for inspiring them and she’ll never know the impact she’s had on them. The great leaders are those who can take the simple and make it plain.”