Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010 - Wangari Maathai

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the environmentalist and human rights campaigner Wangari Maathai. Known these days as 'Africa's Forest Goddess' for her pioneering work fighting soil erosion and poverty across the continent, she's united her passion for the power of nature with a crusade for political justice.

Born the third of six children in the central highlands of Kenya, the family home was a traditional mud-walled house with no electricity or running water. From there, her journey has been extraordinary - she won a scholarship to America, became a professor and launched the Greenbelt Movement which has educated and encouraged African women to plant millions of trees. She has campaigned against the erosion of human rights in Kenya and in 2004 she became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: I Can't Complain by Patti LaBelle
Book: The Koran
Luxury: A huge basket of fruit.

Published on Sunday, 1st July 2007.

Available Podcasts from Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010

Subscribe to Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010 webpage.