Someone said :  “when Prof. Wangari Maathai breathed her last, all the trees in the world bowed with deep respect for their fallen protector.”  It is deeply saddening to learn that Prof. Maathai, she who fiercely fought for the environment is no more.

As an African woman, here is my tribute to this bold fearless woman who said “African women in general need to know that it’s OK for them to be the way they are – to see the way they are as a strength, and to be liberated from fear and from silence.”

She was here
She had a dream
She lived for it
And she fought for it
She lost many times
She won even more times

She fought for humanity
A cause she chose and stuck with
stuck with when it hurt
Stuck with when she was humiliated
And disowned
She Stuck with it to the end

She was brave
Oh, yes she was
And fearless
She spoke out
And the world heard her
Some sneered at her
And called her names
They humiliated her
How dare she be so “un-womanly”?
But in the end many more applauded her
And right before the eyes of the world,
They crowned her
She, a child of the universe
Recognized for her contribution to save the very universe

She was the first
The first woman to get a PHD in east and central Africa,
The first woman professor at the University where she lectured
The first African woman to get the Nobel Peace prize

She challenged us
And inspired us
She defied norms and boldly faced those who opposed her
She looked them in the eye and made it clear to them
That she would be UNBOWED

Some people just die
Others die and leave a legacy

Rest In Peace Professor Wangari Maathai
Even in death
You inspire us
So long protector of the universe
Your legacy lives on…