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ITVS Community Cinema — Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai
It is right for you to be weary of Taking Root’s all-too-common premise: After a 70-year course in the exploitation of land and people, Kenya’s newly “elected” leaders picked up right where their British colonial overlords left off — a scenario that, with few variations, is familiar to many African countries. You will not grow tired of Wangari Maathai’s unflinching voice, as she narrates the story of a movement against those forces. Maathai, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 and died earlier this year, was a force for and, seemingly, of nature. The first Kenyan woman to earn a Ph.D. and to head a university department, she founded the Green Belt Movement, which sought to empower women and restore the country’s forests by paying women to plant trees. The doc also shows Maathai on the front lines of battles for democracy and women’s rights. Throughout, Maathai embodies a patriotism that eschews the type of thoughtless national cheerleading the term might evoke for some. Her Kenyan pride covers the country’s people, but also its air and its dirt. The doc screens for free and will feature a student-led sustainability fair. The Metro Beautification and Environment Commission will give away tree seedlings and announce plans to plant a tree in Nashville in memory of Maathai’s life and work.
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Nashville Public Library
- 615 Church St., Nashville Downtown TN 37219
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615-862-5800
- www.library.nashville.org/
- (based on 2 user reviews)
