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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The volunteers with Cinema Politica Yellowknife are screening a documentary Wednesday night.

Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathi shares the dramatic story of Kenya's Green Belt Movement through the heroic life of a woman dedicated to the survival of her land, culture and people.

"Today we are faced with a challenge that calls for a shift in our thinking so that humanity stops threatening its life support system. We are called to assist the earth to heal her wounds. And in the process, heal our own... In the course of history there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness. To reach a higher moral ground. A time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other. That time is now." -- Excerpts from Wangari Maathi' Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, 2004

In 2004, Wangari Maathi became the first African woman and the first environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Inspired by her mother's trust and her grandmother's wisdom, she empowered rural communities through education and activism.

Born in Kenya's central highlands, Maathi began mobilizing women in the 1970s to reclaim land ravaged by a century of deforestation.

Although rural Kenyans grew enough cash crops, such as coffee and tea, for exporters to supply much of the global market in the last half of the twentieth century, they lost their means to build shelter, sources of fuel for their stoves, and their ability to produce enough food to feed themselves.

By gradually replenishing the forests, the women of the Green Belt Movement reversed soil erosion, created new opportunities for community-based agriculture and tapped sustainable streams of income for rural families suffering poverty and malnutrition.

The women's meetings also became a hub for political organization and information-sharing under dictator Daniel arap Moi's repressive regime, which outlawed public gatherings in the 1980s.

Scenes of lethal police repression and stories of deep personal struggle never topple the enduring spirit of joy, hope and perseverance that animates this documentary.

Grandmothers explain how they nurtured the seed of an idea until it grew into a countrywide grassroots defence of the environment and human dignity. Their confident voices are filled with patience and courage.

The film's breathtaking cinematography stimulates the senses, offering exciting, panoramic views of Kenya's forests set to the gentle and energetic rhythms of the region's myriad wooden percussion instruments.

Taking Root begins at 7 p.m. April 15 at Northern United Place. Admission is free and discussion is encouraged.