Uploaded July 2020 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
From the album "A Dark Murmuration of Words" out now - emilybarker.com/words
“It’s a matter of life and death for this country. The Kenyan forests are facing extinction and it is a man-made problem.” Wangari Maathai
Kenyan activist, Wangari Maathai founded The Green Belt Movement in order to reforest degraded land to provide food and empower women in her community. Since its establishment in 1977, over fifty million trees have been planted in the region, and over thirty thousand women trained in forestry, food processing, beekeeping and other trades that provide an income as well as protect and nurture the environment.
In 2004 Professor Maathai became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize which was awarded for her “contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace". Though she passed away at the age of 71 in 2011, her legacy lives on with seeds and saplings planted years ago now towering as mature trees above the people in the community.
I saw a short documentary about her which included interviews with her daughter, Wanjira Mathai, as she walked through the beautiful forests planted by her mother and friends. In the desperate context of our times, we can look to people such as Wangari Maathai and The Green Belt Movement for inspiration, knowledge and instruction.
=========================================
The Woman Who Planted Trees
(Music and lyrics by Emily Barker)
I can tell my age
By the height of trees
By the years they’ve stood
Growing over me
When I was a girl
You planted seeds
And cast your love
Forever over me
When the land was dry
No food to eat
When the soil was sick
And the river weak
You took a spade
Bare hands, bare feet
And sowed your love
Roots down deep
In the cool, dark shade
Leaves sing your name
Wild green tongues glisten in the glade
Your branches warp, my fingers weft
Weave me through this gift you left
From a prison cell
You dreamt of trees
Blood dried black
Upon your cheek
You didn’t know
Around the world
People listened
People learned
Water returned
Soil healed
Hope restored with every yield
Trees grew high
Bones grew strong
Enough for everyone
In the cool, dark shade
Leaves sing your name
Wild green tongues glisten in the glade
Your branches warp, my fingers weft
Weave me through this gift you left
I can tell my age
By the height of trees
By the years they’ve stood
Growing over me
#thewomanwhoplantedtrees #lyrics #adarkmurmurationofwords #lyricsvideo
#WangariMaathai #treeplanting #womensrights #GreenBeltMovement #Ecosia #community #empowerment #womensempowerment #trees #freedom #democracy #peace #knowledge #inspiration
=========================================
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From the album "A Dark Murmuration of Words" out now - emilybarker.com/words
“It’s a matter of life and death for this country. The Kenyan forests are facing extinction and it is a man-made problem.” Wangari Maathai
Kenyan activist, Wangari Maathai founded The Green Belt Movement in order to reforest degraded land to provide food and empower women in her community. Since its establishment in 1977, over fifty million trees have been planted in the region, and over thirty thousand women trained in forestry, food processing, beekeeping and other trades that provide an income as well as protect and nurture the environment.
In 2004 Professor Maathai became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize which was awarded for her “contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace". Though she passed away at the age of 71 in 2011, her legacy lives on with seeds and saplings planted years ago now towering as mature trees above the people in the community.
I saw a short documentary about her which included interviews with her daughter, Wanjira Mathai, as she walked through the beautiful forests planted by her mother and friends. In the desperate context of our times, we can look to people such as Wangari Maathai and The Green Belt Movement for inspiration, knowledge and instruction.
=========================================
The Woman Who Planted Trees
(Music and lyrics by Emily Barker)
I can tell my age
By the height of trees
By the years they’ve stood
Growing over me
When I was a girl
You planted seeds
And cast your love
Forever over me
When the land was dry
No food to eat
When the soil was sick
And the river weak
You took a spade
Bare hands, bare feet
And sowed your love
Roots down deep
In the cool, dark shade
Leaves sing your name
Wild green tongues glisten in the glade
Your branches warp, my fingers weft
Weave me through this gift you left
From a prison cell
You dreamt of trees
Blood dried black
Upon your cheek
You didn’t know
Around the world
People listened
People learned
Water returned
Soil healed
Hope restored with every yield
Trees grew high
Bones grew strong
Enough for everyone
In the cool, dark shade
Leaves sing your name
Wild green tongues glisten in the glade
Your branches warp, my fingers weft
Weave me through this gift you left
I can tell my age
By the height of trees
By the years they’ve stood
Growing over me
#thewomanwhoplantedtrees #lyrics #adarkmurmurationofwords #lyricsvideo
#WangariMaathai #treeplanting #womensrights #GreenBeltMovement #Ecosia #community #empowerment #womensempowerment #trees #freedom #democracy #peace #knowledge #inspiration
=========================================
Stay in touch:
Sign up to my newsletter: emilybarker.com/subscribe
emilybarker.com
facebook.com/emilybarkerhalo
twitter.com/emilybarkerhalo
instagram.com/emilybarkerhalo
