As is probably evident from reading our individual postings over the past few months on this blog, there is a consistent theme that has emerged - resistance in support of the environment. These resistive moments are of course not isolated to activists and/or elites in the industrial north/west. As one lengthy and illuminating article published in The Independent and written by Johann Hari illustrates, environmental activism is also alive and well in parts of the "developing" south/east.
Amongst the many insights grasped from Hari's article "Can One Woman Save Africa?" we learn of Kenyan Nobel Laureate Wangari Mathai's tremendous efforts to challenge the attempts to further the environmental and ecological degradation of Kenya at the hands of its then-profligate dictator, Daniel Arap Moi. In one instance, Moi intended to have a skyscraper, some luxury apartments and a giant gold statue of himself placed over Uhuru Park, Nairobi's only green space.
Mathai organized a public protest against the planned construction - an act that was unlawful under Moi's dictatorship (and to be sure probably under most other dictatorships as well). Mathai faced death threats for her reluctance to silence herself or be silenced on the issue. Moi declared Mathai's actions to be treasonous and she was thrown into a cold, wet jail cell, where her arthitis wrought severe pain. Still, she remained undaunted. Through international efforts and attention drawn to her plight, Moi embarrasingly agreed to have her released. Hardly chastened by the pain that she suffered during her detention, Mathai pursued her campaign against the planned construction for a period of three years, at the end of which, Moi finally relented and scrapped the project.
Amongst the many instances of resistance that Mathai involved herself in over the course of her lifetime (and Hari's article details a rich history of this), this particular account to save Uhuru Park provides some revealing insights about resistance in the developing global south/east. First, citizens are capable of mounting significant challenges by resisting oppressive political regimes without direct military intervention and through the use of non-violent means. Furthermore and related to the previous statement, it illustrates, at least in one case, how the industrialized North may play an important role in supporting local resistance efforts (helping to have Mathai freed so that she could continue her work) without sending soldiers directly to overthrow a dictator.
Second, notwithstanding the perceived (and to some degree real) diminished status of women in many parts of the south/east, Mathai represents the reality that resistance can be mounted successfully by women and eventually come to be respected for their tenacity for having done so (not that there aren't other examples already). As Hari's article discusses, Mathai and other women (as well as men) waged other campaigns that defied Moi's authority and in each case, they prevailed - although not without personal harm inflicted upon them, including Mathai.
From the article as a whole, another lesson might be drawn. For instance, it demonstrates that resistance against oppressive political and/or legal systems can build on momentum and previous successes. Put another way, it can be a cumulative process where the seemingly tiny blows and victories effect a much larger and significant change - or at least create the conditions for such change. Each time that Mathai challenged the political system, and notwithstanding the injuries she sustained every time, she persisted and overcame the more powerful forces and resources of Moi's state. Eventually these sustained victories had a cumulative effect in undermining Moi's rule and he was chased out of power.
Source:
Johann Hari, "Can One Woman Save Africa?" The Independent, 28 September 2009. Available online: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/can-one-woman-save-africa-1794103.html
Amongst the many insights grasped from Hari's article "Can One Woman Save Africa?" we learn of Kenyan Nobel Laureate Wangari Mathai's tremendous efforts to challenge the attempts to further the environmental and ecological degradation of Kenya at the hands of its then-profligate dictator, Daniel Arap Moi. In one instance, Moi intended to have a skyscraper, some luxury apartments and a giant gold statue of himself placed over Uhuru Park, Nairobi's only green space.
Mathai organized a public protest against the planned construction - an act that was unlawful under Moi's dictatorship (and to be sure probably under most other dictatorships as well). Mathai faced death threats for her reluctance to silence herself or be silenced on the issue. Moi declared Mathai's actions to be treasonous and she was thrown into a cold, wet jail cell, where her arthitis wrought severe pain. Still, she remained undaunted. Through international efforts and attention drawn to her plight, Moi embarrasingly agreed to have her released. Hardly chastened by the pain that she suffered during her detention, Mathai pursued her campaign against the planned construction for a period of three years, at the end of which, Moi finally relented and scrapped the project.
Amongst the many instances of resistance that Mathai involved herself in over the course of her lifetime (and Hari's article details a rich history of this), this particular account to save Uhuru Park provides some revealing insights about resistance in the developing global south/east. First, citizens are capable of mounting significant challenges by resisting oppressive political regimes without direct military intervention and through the use of non-violent means. Furthermore and related to the previous statement, it illustrates, at least in one case, how the industrialized North may play an important role in supporting local resistance efforts (helping to have Mathai freed so that she could continue her work) without sending soldiers directly to overthrow a dictator.
Second, notwithstanding the perceived (and to some degree real) diminished status of women in many parts of the south/east, Mathai represents the reality that resistance can be mounted successfully by women and eventually come to be respected for their tenacity for having done so (not that there aren't other examples already). As Hari's article discusses, Mathai and other women (as well as men) waged other campaigns that defied Moi's authority and in each case, they prevailed - although not without personal harm inflicted upon them, including Mathai.
From the article as a whole, another lesson might be drawn. For instance, it demonstrates that resistance against oppressive political and/or legal systems can build on momentum and previous successes. Put another way, it can be a cumulative process where the seemingly tiny blows and victories effect a much larger and significant change - or at least create the conditions for such change. Each time that Mathai challenged the political system, and notwithstanding the injuries she sustained every time, she persisted and overcame the more powerful forces and resources of Moi's state. Eventually these sustained victories had a cumulative effect in undermining Moi's rule and he was chased out of power.
Source:
Johann Hari, "Can One Woman Save Africa?" The Independent, 28 September 2009. Available online: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/can-one-woman-save-africa-1794103.html
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