Quote of the Day
“It’s the little things citizens do. That’s what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees.”
— Wangari Maathai
The quotation has been attributed to Maathai for years, including in material from the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Maathai became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, recognised for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.
There is something wonderfully ordinary about her answer.
Planting a tree does not sound like changing a country.
Neither does attending a community meeting. Helping someone register to vote. Reporting a broken water pipe. Refusing to pay a bribe. Correcting a lie before passing it on. Speaking when somebody is being treated unfairly.
None of these actions makes tomorrow’s headline.
And perhaps that is the point.
We sometimes imagine citizenship as something that happens during elections or protests. We wait for presidents, ministers, activists and international organisations to fix what is wrong.
Meanwhile, communities are also being shaped by thousands of smaller choices.
Maathai planted trees.
What is our little thing?
Quote source: UN Convention on Biological Diversity — statement citing Wangari Maathai
Did You Know?
Africa has a legally binding democracy treaty—and Cameroon helped bring it into force.
The African Union adopted the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance on January 30, 2007. It entered into force on February 15, 2012.
The Charter deals with things citizens encounter far beyond election day: constitutional rule, human rights, credible elections, political participation, democratic institutions and the rejection of unconstitutional changes of government.
There is an interesting Cameroon connection.
A treaty does not automatically become legally binding simply because leaders adopt it. For this Charter, fifteen ratifications were required before it could enter into force. Cameroon deposited the fifteenth instrument of ratification, triggering the Charter’s entry into force thirty days later.
That happened more than fourteen years ago.
Yet the harder question has always been what happens after governments sign and ratify documents.
The Charter requires states that are party to it to report every two years on the measures they have taken to implement its commitments. A new assessment published on September 14, 2026 found that although 39 African states have ratified or acceded to the Charter, only Togo and Rwanda have submitted those periodic reports.
That gap tells us something important.
Democracy cannot live only inside a treaty.
It has to become visible when votes are counted, when journalists ask difficult questions, when courts make inconvenient decisions, when citizens criticise leaders and when public officials are required to explain what they have done.
A constitution can promise democracy. A treaty can protect it.
But eventually, citizens must be able to experience it.
Sources: African Union — African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance · Centre for Human Rights — Cameroon and the Charter’s entry into force · ISS Africa — September 14, 2026 assessment of the Charter’s implementation
For discussion: What should matter more when judging a democracy—the promises written in its laws, or what ordinary citizens actually experience?
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