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| The Roots of Positive
Change |
| A report from the Food For
Thought Film Series |
| by Ruth Ann Smalley |
| "It
is the people who must save the environment... We cannot be
intimidated." |
"We
have a lot to learn from Kenya," director Lisa Merton told the audience
at the May screening of Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai. She
was referring to the long struggle of the Kenyan people to free
themselves from the aftermath of colonialism--their fight to bring down
a corrupt government and to restore their traditional culture,
environment and foodways.
Merton was also talking about the leadership of 2004 Nobel Prize winner
Wangari Maathai, whose work with rural women was the foundation for the
Green Belt movement in Kenya. During the after-film discussion
(moderated by Deborah LaFond, a social sciences bibliographer for
multiple SUNY departments, including Women's Studies and Africana
Studies), Merton described how she and co-producer Alan Dater initially
met with Mathaai with the idea of doing a short feature. They soon
realized they needed to do a fulllength documentary. "We were so
impressed by the way she linked environmental justice, social justice,
human rights and good governance," Merton explained.
Maathai does so through her emphasis on both self-knowledge and
cultural wisdom. Kenya's tragic political history fragmented the
society, and led to what Maathai refers to as "wrong bus syndrome."
This is her way of describing how the people had become confused and
lost their direction, had gotten "on the wrong bus."
"Culture is coded wisdom... coded in ceremonies... song, dances... in
our place," Maathai asserts, and "accumulated knowledge is in the
food." Under British rule, much of this wisdom was denigrated or lost.
Maathai was born in 1940, and witnessed the environmental changes that
occurred as more of the land was deforested for cash crops such as tea
and coffee. When she returned to Kenya from her studies in America, she
found that the ancient fig tree near her home, the tree she had been
taught to regard as "a tree of God," had been cut down. "It no longer
inspired awe--was no longer protected." She began to recognize the
links between this changing landscape and the problems rural women were
experiencing. Because they had to walk farther for firewood and water,
they were more likely to turn to less fuel-intensive foods. These more
processed foods were, in turn, leading to the malnourishment of their
children, causing more sickness and suffering.
Desertification was driving a host of social and environmental problems
by the time Maathai founded the Green Belt movement in 1977. The
one-party state installed by President Moi in the early '80s only
exacerbated the problems. Tribal clashes broke out, fueled by fear and
resource scarcities, and the government suppressed opposition views.
Maathai chose a simple starting point: teaching women to plant trees.
It grew into a surprisingly powerful force for change. With over 35
million trees planted in Kenya, the movement has had a ripple effect,
according to Merton, with 7.5 billion trees planted worldwide.
Gathering the women to do this work also created a context for teaching
about self-knowledge, and organizing against the oppressive government.
For her activities, Maathai was ridiculed, demonized, and threatened by
the government. During a women's group demonstration calling for the
release of political prisoners, Maathai was beaten into a coma. When
she recovered, Merton said, several later attempts were made on her
life.
Maathai was undeterred. In an amazing twist of history, when the Moi
government was unseated in 2002, Maathai was elected to parliament with
98% of the vote. Vindicated by that and her Nobel Prize, Maathai
continues her work, in the hopes that "humanity stops threatening its
life support system." She has extended her focus to the Indonesian
rainforests, the Congo River Basin, and the Amazon, Merton notes, "so
that people have other means of survival without cutting trees."
The film may prove instrumental in this effort as well. It has been
shown worldwide. They are working on offering 17 languages on one DVD,
including Haitian Creole. A shorter version was shown on PBS last year,
and probably will appear there again. PBS also offers lesson plans at
pbs.org/independentlens/classroom. In addition to Merton and Dater's
website (www.takingrootfilm.com), there is a "Planting Ideas Action
Guide" that offers activities and resources. Some that you might want
to check out are www.greenbeltmovement.org, www.urbanreleaf.org, Center
for Urban Forest Research at www.fs.fed.us/psw/programs/cufr, the
U.N.'s Billion Tree Campaign at
www.uneporg/billiontreecampaign/howtoplant/index.asp, and
www.americanforests.org.
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"It
is the people who must save the environment. It is the people who
must make their leaders change. And we cannot be intimidated. So we
must stand up for what we believe in."
- Wangari Maathai |
| Food For Thought: An Evening of Socially
Relevant Cinema is co-sponsored by Honest Weight and
WAMC/Northeast Public Radio. Along with a documentary film, the monthly
event features food samples from the Co-op and a panel discussion
highlighting social, political, environmental and community issues.
Next up: |
| Thursday,
July 15: The Cove |
| An
elite team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers embark on a covert
mission to penetrate a remote and hidden cove in Taiji, Japan--
revealing a dark and deadly secret, and a horrifying microcosm of
global ecological crimes. The Cove mixes investigative journalism,
eco-adventure and arresting imagery to tell an unforgettable story.
This provacative film won an Oscar as the Best Documentary of 2009. |
| Thursday,
August 19: The Philosopher Kings |
| Take
a journey through the halls of prestigious universities to learn from
those who have see it all--the custodians. This thought-provoking
documentary interweaves untold stories of triumph and tragedy from
eight incredible individuals who are often disregarded and ignored.
It's the kind of wisdom that gets you through the day, learned from
surviving hard times, lost loves and shattered dreams. |
| All
screenings at The Linda, WAMC's Performing Arts Studio, 339 Central
Ave., Albany. 6pm reception, 7pm film. More info and tickets ($6): www.wamcarts.org/artsched.html,
or call 518-465-5233 ext4. |
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