Maathai Won't Carry Olympic Torch

11.4.08

News24 reports that "Kenya's Nobel Peace laureate Wangari Maathai told AFP on Thursday she had pulled out from the Olympic torch relay in which she was due to take part over the weekend in Tanzania, citing concerns for worldwide human rights."

Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, said "I have decided to show solidarity with other people on the issues of human rights in Sudan's Darfur region, Tibet and Burma."

The torch is on its way to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, as I write here. From Beunos Aires it will travel to Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania. The torch is expected to be in Dar es Salaam on Sunday before leaving the African continent.

Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. She has since continued her pro-democracy and enviromental conservation work.

Way to go sista.

Meanwhile, South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki has said absolutely nothing about the Olympic torch controversy.

In fact, this land of Mandela has remained consistently duplicitous in its support for economic interests over human rights in China, Burma, Tibet, Australia, and most notoriously, Zimbabwe.

Damn sham, and a shame too!

Ridwan Laher