Why I think about the work of Wangari Maathai so often

And why the light she shines on the history of her homeland (Kenya) told me so much about my own

A London Plane Tree in Belgrade. I think it’s the biggest tree I’ve ever met.

Although now I think about and hear about Wangari Maathai all the time, when I picked up one of her books by chance in the library several years ago I did not know who she was. I’d somehow missed out on the hype surrounding her name. If you also missed it I’ll try and explain why she had such a profound influence on me.

The book was “The Challenge for Africa”. I had no expectations on picking it up. In fact I was a bit sceptical about it. I’ve read many accounts by economists on the challenges for Africa. Many of them don’t share my view that the policies proposed by economists are one of the main threats. I’ve found that the higher the honour bestowed on someone for knowing what the solutions for “Africa” are, the more problematic I’ve found the book.

Economic Development

This book did fit into my rule. And Wangari Maathai is not an economist, she is an African environmentalist. Although I wish her work would be on the economics curriculum. Because she is deeply critical of a policy that countries like Kenya have often been encouraged to pursue by many (not all) economists — to focus on export led…