Remembering Wangari Maathai
Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan environmental and political activist who was a pioneering figure in the eco-feminist movement. She was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and was a fierce advocate for the rights of women and the environment.
Maathai was born in Kenya in 1940 and grew up in a rural area surrounded by nature. She was deeply connected to the land and was aware from a young age of the importance of preserving the environment for future generations.
Throughout her life, Maathai was an advocate for the environment and for women’s rights. She believed that the exploitation and degradation of the natural world were directly linked to the oppression of women and marginalized communities. She argued that the liberation of both was crucial for the survival of the planet.
Maathai was also a pioneer in the eco-feminist movement, which recognizes that the domination of nature and women are two sides of the same coin and that both must be challenged to create a more just and sustainable world.
She was the founder of the Green Belt Movement, which aimed to plant trees and restore degraded lands in Kenya. The movement was not only about reforestation but also about empowering women and promoting gender equality.
Maathai believed that by empowering women, they could improve not only the environment but also their own lives and the lives of their communities.
Wangari Maathai’s legacy continues to live on today, inspiring people around the world to work for environmental and social justice. She was a true pioneer in the eco-feminist movement and her commitment to the environment and to women’s rights will always be remembered.
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Energy Democracy Declaration
Energy is crucial to life for all beings. It cannot be subjected to the laws of the market. Agree? Find out more and sign the Energy Democracy. Without intervention from a strong movement, capitalists’ embrace of green energy will wreck the planet and leave the working class behind. We must work together and fight for a real #JustTransition globally.
Movements Declaration: Our Future is Public – Energy Democracy
The influence of profit-driven energy corporations on governments, international institutions, and environmental conventions is evident. These policies prioritize greed and capital accumulation over ecological and human needs, revealing flaws in neoliberal market economics. As energy poverty and high bills affect billions worldwide, there’s a critical opportunity to transition to a just, democratic public energy system that prioritizes people and the planet over profit. This movement aligns with the broader struggle for climate justice, addressing intersecting issues of racism, classism, capitalism, gender exploitation, and environmental harm. While challenges exist, groups advocating for energy democracy are leading the way toward systemic changes for a better future on local, regional, national, and international levels.
PEOPLE’S TRIBUNAL FOR JUSTICE AND RECONCILIATION (PTJR)
The Make Big Polluters Pay global campaign was launched in 2019 to ensure that those largely responsible for the climate crisis are held accountable, and alternative paths are found for reparations in the face of corporate abuses, human rights violations, and destruction of the planet.
Conveners of the Make Big Polluters Pay campaign in Africa held a retreat in Uganda from the 15th – 17th of May 2023 and were hosted by the Kasenyi community in Buliisa District. This retreat included a community visit, dialogue, and a mock trial which was referred to as “The People’s Tribunal on Justice and Reconciliation.”
The People’s Tribunal was used as a platform to amplify the voices of community members, and to bring their claims of environmental and human rights infractions against them to light. The tribunal also assessed whether Total Energies has a case to answer, and to ensure these communities get the justice they deserve