Taking Root: the Vision of Wangari Maathai
Directed by
This documentary centers on Wangari Mathaai, the first African woman to receive the Nobel peace prize for her efforts in the Green Belt Movement. After completing her studies, her return to the farmwomen among whom she grew up opened her eyes to the many problems afflicting Kenya: soil depletion, lack of fresh drinking water, childhood malnutrition, besides the even greater emergencies of deforestation and illiteracy shrouded in impenetrable economic interests and kept hidden by Daniel Arap Moi's regime. Using rare archive materials and interviews, the film retraces the battles Mathaai fought to attract attention to these issues in her country.
«Wangari's was a big life, an exemplary life that the world needed to know about. I have never been so moved, captivated and inspired by anyone's story as I was by Wangari Maathai's. It was not only what she had done but the way she had done it; it was also her presence and her skill as a storyteller. She was of it, completely part of the story she was telling – a filmmaker's dream! She was spellbinding, funny, delightful, expressive and full of life. I had never met a person of such courage, one who had risked her life for the truth».
Activism
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Creative Europe Media Program. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.