Wangarĩ Maathai • Too Early for Birds
Too Early For Birds
Too Early For Birds is back for its 9th edition! This edition will tell stories from the life, the moments and the conquests of Wangarĩ Maathai. As one of the continent’s most honoured women and figures, Prof. Wangarĩ Maathai stood tall in everything she did. In her roles as a mother, professor, member of parliament, assistant minister, activist, writer, farmer and ultimately, Nobel Peace Prize winner in December 10 2004, Wangarĩ Maathai epitomised the best of what Kenya and the continent could offer.
And now in 2026, 15 years after her passing we get a chance to lionise her story on stage.
We seek to run this project along the principles that guided Wangarĩ Muta Maathai’s life, work, and legacy. She practiced her politics through her skill in her field. Art is, to us, what biology was to her.
We consider ourselves part of her children. The African People to whom she dedicated “The Challenge For Africa.” As the custodians and practitioners of the Cultural Heritage she addressed in it, it is our duty to ensure Wangarĩ’s story and mission are known and continued.
Taking pride in our Oral Traditions, our practice is centered in Orature, the primary form of handing down African wisdom and Kwimenya (self-knowledge). We fashion storytelling to address today’s issues. As she advised with the art of spear-making.
Most of the team is from the grassroots, raised by the women who planted trees, sang, and brought down a dictatorship alongside Wangarĩ. We now use our skills as shovels to dig to the roots of our history and plant these stories in as many minds as possible.
