The Green Belt Movement

This Nobel prize speech is for Wangari Maathai who won the Nobel Prize in 2004. The Theme of the speech was to help poor communities in need by starting a movement to give them what everybody needs to survive, food, water, and shelter. From this movement, i realized that this movement started out at something small, and was so successful that it has moved around the world to help other communities. The Green Belt movement inspires me as an individual of how successful this movement was. It made me want to contribute some way like this someday to give back and help others.

"Entire Communities also come to understand that while it is necessary to hold their government accountable, it is equally important that in their own relationships with each other, they exemplify the leadership they wish to see in their own leaders, namely justice, integrity, and trust."

This quote caught my attention because she is making a statement, but not only is she correct in her statement, she does not just speak, she shows action behind her statement which shows you the kind of character she has.

Wangari Maathia truly is an inspired individual who wants to do what she can to give back to the community. I think she won her Nobel Prize because of how inspired and driven she was to help, because we don't see a lot of people like her today. "In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground. A time time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other. That time is now". She found that planting trees would help give families shelter, fuel and the necessary needs to get by. It was a very simple method that wouldnt take too long and could be effective and also gave employment to help people. When she was in Kenya, Over 30 million trees were planted which led to her serving in more countries such as Ethiopia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and others.

The Revolution of Spirit Response

The Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech for Aung San Suu Kyi initially grabbed my attention because she herself could not give the speech because she was under house arrest. Her sons accepted the prize on her behalf and gave the speech for her as well. Aung San Suu Kyi, from Burma, was placed under house arrest because of her actions in her nonviolent party.


I think the central theme of this essay is definitely the wish for the country Kyi and her sons reside in, Burma, to become a free and independent nation. As it is stated in the speech in regards to what Kyi would say if she was not under house arrest,

"She would say that this prize belongs not to her but to all those men, women and children who, even as I speak, continue to sacrifice their well being, their freedom and their lives in pursuit of a democratic Burma. Theirs is the prize and theirs will be the eventual victory in Burma's long struggle for peace, freedom and democracy".

The main reason Kyi has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize is because of her constant efforts to make Burma an independent country. Ultimately, it was her “heroic actions” made her an “important symbol in the struggle against oppression”. It is said that the Nobel Prize committee awarded her with the award to “honor her nonviolent struggle for democracy and human rights” and show “support for the many people throughout the world who are striving to attain democracy, human rights, and ethnic conciliation by peaceful means”. She wanted her country to join together and create a new nation founded on the spirit of peace and humanity.

I definitely agree with the committee in that Aung San Suu Kyi was well deserving of this award. Even though I had never heard of her actions prior to reading her acceptance speech, I believe that what she has done for her country to be most reverent.

When I finished reading this speech I was left with a sense of hope and my ideas for the future were positive. As the last line reads, “The lessons of the past will not be forgotten, but it is our hope for the future that we celebrate today”. The citizens of Burma who fought for their freedom have overcome tremendous struggle. The oppression they pushed through proved to be beneficial and with the help of Aung San Suu Kyi the country gained independence.