Year 9 - Religious education
Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement
Christianity: how have the experiences of the Global South shaped it?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit pupils will examine how Christianity has been challenged by, and adapted to, cultures and the experiences of the Global South. Focussing on Africa and South America, pupils will look at theologians and practices that have emerged and the challenges they have made.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how Wangari Maathai's worldview inspired her environmental activism.
Key Notes
- Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan environmental activist who became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
- Wangari Maathai started the Green Belt Movement to plant trees in Kenya and fight for women's rights.
- Wangari Maathai's worldview blended her indigenous Kikuyu beliefs with Catholic Christianity.
- She argued that the land was sacred and was exploited by colonialism and ideas of dominion from the Bible.
- She emphasised re-reading the Bible alongside indigenous beliefs to argue against the exploitation of land.
Vocabulary To Learn
- Kikuyu: one of Kenya's largest ethnic groups or micro-nations
- activist: a person who campaigns to bring about political or social change
- colonialism: taking control of a country and exploiting the resources and people
- dominion: the idea that God gave humans control over nature
- stewardship: the idea that humanity should look after the world God has created
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Environmental activism and protest is primarily a European concern.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Wangari Maathai was a Kenyan environmental activist who became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Wangari Maathai started the Green Belt Movement to plant trees in Kenya and fight for women's rights.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'Kikuyu'
one of Kenya's largest ethnic groups or micro-nations.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Environmental activism and protest is primarily a European concern. Correction: Wangari Maathai blended her Catholic and Kikuyu beliefs to argue for environmental justice in Kenya. She framed this through a distinctively African theological lens.
More Lessons In This Unit
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