The unbowed Wangari Mathai is an inspiring and compelling first environmentalist African woman; she is also the first woman to have obtained an honor of the Nobel peace prize. She takes the reader through her scientific capabilities by identifying environmental degradation and sets movements to bring solutions to the problems. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to review the insights about empowerment critically and tracing different approaches used by Wangari Maathai, like self-esteem, political action, empowerment, and traditional cultural roles in providing alternative solutions to colonials approaches.
According to her achievements and accomplishments in her many studies. Wangari Maathai someone who thinks globally but acts locally. Therefore, this is the reason why she becomes successful in the limelight of the African community. However, during that time, she did not have enough resources for mobilizing all parts, but she managed to form a greenbelt movement that made an impact on African development. Further, the movement continued even after her death. It, therefore, means that her work, especially during a critical period like climate change, is a global threat. Wangari became a significant person in history since she ailed from African content, and she was able to capture the attention of the globe. Different nations also recognized her work since he laid a future for the African family in terms of development.
According to the Wangari, the challenges facing Africa today are portrayed by the media in a manner that connotes poverty, desperation, and dependence. However, she saw things from a different angle, and she argues that there should be a moral revolution in Africa. In the process of illuminating the dynamic and complex nature in the continent, Wangari offered a realistic option and hardheaded hope for improvement and change. Wangari describes and stresses on what African need to do by themselves accountably and responsibly. Maathai also struggled with the question of inappropriateness as a challenge of the goodwill of the westerners’ something that masked the opportunities and the scramble for the African resources.
Based on the author’s argument, gender relationships in the context of contemporary Africa, the idea that African women should not speak their mind because of gender was created by colonialism, and the masculinist institutionalized it due to the virtue of inheritance of the African traditions. A proper African woman was required to exist in an ideal family with children and husband who is the head of the house. In this context, Wangari was only a mother but failed to be a wife since she divorced, and a proper African woman does not divorce her husband nor stand in any leadership position.
However, Wangari Mathai perceived gender in an African set up differently and struggled in highlighting the inequalities in leadership, education, and economics, which remained a common denominator in many parts of Africa. Based on her firm stand, her achievements offer inspiration to the contemporary African woman and strengthens the principles of valuing female financial dependence and education. She, therefore, believed that this would improve society in several ways as well as promote economic prosperity and gender equality.
Wangari suggests that the independence strategy during independence was done using different policies. She, therefore, describes the relationship between the African family, micro-nations, and the modern African macro-nation as a way of replacing the competitive politics in the name of stability and national unity. The formation of the bureaucratic structures accounted for the central government, which was aimed at undermining the role of the local government, including traditions, ethics, and other modern institutions of true local authority. Maximization of the executive power was also another relationship between the families, for instance, the judiciary, the legislature, private organizations, and regional governments regarding the nature budget as the main source for development agenda fundings. Still, with a better understanding of this relationship, there was, need to look at the aspect of colonization structure and history as well as the impact of the contemporary African society.
In my opinion, Wangari Mathai has a significant legacy, including the promotions and leadership position she took as a woman. She also had the ability and responsibility of every individual to make a difference, contributing positively to society, and supporting education at different levels. She believed that she firmly has a responsibility to serve, and she never excluded herself. The role that she took to stand firm with the challenge of toppling corruption and privileges of those who were in authority made her devote her energy to nature the radical localism. It eventually succeeded in arresting the dissociation of the land. It is therefore with doubt that Wangari played a significant role as a woman and as a result, I support her efforts on her achievements