Funeral for Nobel peace prize winner Wangari Maathai
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 Published On Jul 30, 2015

(8 Oct 2011)
1. Various of rangers from Kenya's Forest Service carrying wicker basket containing body of Nobel peace prize winner, Wangari Maathai, out of funeral home and they place it in hearse
2. Mid of family members
3. Various of students from Loreto Limuru High School, where Maathai went to school, paying respects and holding saplings to plant
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Tessy Kimiri, pupil from Loreto Limuru High School:
"We are carrying these trees because she loved nature and we want to represent her as a symbol of our school."
5. Wide pan of onlookers taking photographs and crowds outside funeral home
6. Mid of hearse driving away from funeral home en route to Freedom Corner park for state funeral
7. Various of hearse of Wangari Mathaai arriving for state funeral at Freedom Corner park in Nairobi
8. Various of family of Mathaai, President Mwai Kibaki, and Prime Minister Raila Odinga
9. Various of family of Mathaai planting a tree in her honour
10. Wide of seated dignitaries
11. Mid of crowd
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Mwai Kibaki, President of the Republic of Kenya:
"Certainly, she has stood out as Kenya's most outstanding champion of environmental sustainability, and through her relentless efforts, present and future generations in our country and the region will enjoy a much cleaner and safer environment."
13. Close up of funeral notice
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Per Ludvig Magnus, Norwegian Ambassador to Kenya:
"Today we say farewell to an outstanding African woman, the first African woman ever who got the Nobel Peace Price, and the only one. But yesterday we also could wish welcome three more African women since it was announced yesterday that three African women will achieve the same prize which will be handed to them in December this year."
15. Close up of The Green Belt Movement sign at Freedom Corner park
16. Hearse leaving
STORYLINE:
Kenyans on Saturday bade farewell to the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, as Wangari Maathai was laid to rest at a state funeral where she was honoured with speeches, prayers and tree planting.
Proud Kenyans, including President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga, gathered at Freedom Corner park in Kenya's capital Nairobi to attend prayers for Maathai, who died last month after a long battle with cancer aged 71.
The laureate, best known as the Tree Mother of Africa, founded the Green Belt Movement which planted 30 (m) million trees throughout Kenya.
Against her tribal and religious traditions she had asked that her body be cremated in an effort to save trees from being cut down in order to make a coffin.
Her dying wish was in keeping with her life's work to save Africa's forests.
A group of children gathered outside the funeral home in Nairobi as her wicker casket was loaded into the hearse by forest rangers, and they carried saplings to plant in Maathai's honour.
During the state funeral, Kenya's president, Mwai Kibaki, praised Maathai's work and said future generations of Kenyans had much to thank her for.
"Certainly, she has stood out as Kenya's most outstanding champion of environmental sustainability and through her relentless efforts, present and future generations in our country and the region will enjoy a much cleaner and safer environment."
The Norwegian ambassador to Kenya, Per Ludvig Magnus also said a fond farewell to what he called "an outstanding African woman."
But Kenyans mourning their loss also had cause to celebrate, for as they bid farewell to Mathaai, they can welcome two more African female Nobel Peace Prize winners.
Maathai won the peace prize award in 2004.

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