Field report : Listening to the voice of a person with determination
--attending the presentation ceremony of the honorary doctoral degree to Ms. Wangari Maathai

KIYONO Kazuhiko
Senior, School of Political Science and Economics

Ms Maathai receiving the honorary doctorate from President Shirai

Her big gestures conveyed to us her massage

“I gave up my selfishness and looked at other people”. That's the way she answered when I asked her “what did you regard as a problem when you launched the campaign?” and “how did you maintain your motivation?” The words and gestures, which came from the strong will of Ms. Maathai with an eloquent facial expression, were so impressive that I felt her passion, by which she really wanted to tell us something.

“Why does a flower bloom?” I felt her eyes meet mine.

“They don't bloom just on their own, do they? Neither do we really ‘bloom’ as long as we are egoistic. When we rise above our selfishness and serve others, our personalities truly ‘bloom’. So all of you should make your flowers bloom outward.”

I pondered these words deeply. Ms. Maathai is the founder of the “Green Belt Movement”, which, with women as the main participants, has planted trees, improved people's lives, and campaigned for women's rights in Kenya. In her acceptance speech, noting that tension over resources has sparked many conflicts, she talked about the links that connect poverty, environmental problems, and peace, about the importance of education in efforts to improve the quality of life, and about the close relationship between the protection of the ecosystem and traditional agriculture in the tropics. She also sounded an alarm about desertification, “the invisible enemy”, which is creeping toward Kenya.

I think that the most important and fundamental thought in our life is “to open ourselves toward others”. Whenever we work, participate in some activity, or just communicate with someone, it is always other people who support it. It's important to be aware of them.

As Ms. Maathai left the auditorium, the audience gave her a standing ovation. It seemed that her passionate speech had stimulated all of us. Having been inspired by her winning the Nobel Prize to work as an intern in a forestry institute in Kenya (KEFRI), I was extremely happy that I could attend her impressive speech at Waseda. I hope from the bottom of my heart that the distance between Kenya and Waseda will be further reduced.