Wangari Maathai, 71, died of cancer

Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, left a lasting legacy in raising environmental awareness, the Nelson Mandela Foundation said on Monday.

“She has left a lasting legacy in greater awareness and work in protecting our environment and the world,” foundation CEO Achmat Dangor said.

“It was with great sadness that we learned today of the passing of this exceptional environmental activist... we offer our deepest condolences.”   

Maathai, 71, died in a Nairobi hospital on Sunday night after a long struggle with cancer.

She won a Nobel prize in 2004 for her work in combining environmental issues with social upliftment. She was a keen activist in civil and women’s rights issues in Kenya. Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977, mobilising poor women to plant about 30 million trees.

Dangor said he was honoured to have Maathai, then deputy environmental minister of Kenya, deliver the annual Nelson Mandela lecture in 2005.

He quoted an excerpt of her speech, delivered at the lecture, in  remembrance:

“We need people who love Africa so much that they want  to protect her from destructive processes.

“Practice the 3R campaign [reduce, re-use, recycle], get involved in local initiatives and volunteer your time for services in your community.”