Wangari Maathai
Wangari Maathai (1940-2011) founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977, mobilising Kenyan women to plant over 51 million trees to combat deforestation and land degradation. A persistent opponent of the Moi dictatorship, she was beaten by police and imprisoned for demanding multiparty elections. In 2004 she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, recognised for her link between environmental conservation, democracy, and women's rights.
- Nationality: Kenyan
- Roles: statesman, scientist, reformer
