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    October 08, 2011

Hundreds Attend State Funeral of African Nobel Peace Laureate

   VOA News
   Crowds follow the hearse of the late Wangari Maathai as it leaves after
   her state funeral held at Freedom Corner in Uhuru Park, Nairobi, Kenya
   Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011.
   Photo: AP
   Crowds follow the hearse of the late Wangari Maathai as it leaves after
   her state funeral held at Freedom Corner in Uhuru Park, Nairobi, Kenya
   Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011.

   Kenyans are paying final respects to Africa's first woman Nobel Peace
   laureate at a state funeral in Nairobi Saturday.
   Wangari Maathai died Sunday at the age of 71 after a lengthy battle
   with cancer.
   She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her stance on rights of women
   and protection of Kenya's environment.
   Maathai had previously founded the Green Belt Movement, which was
   rooted in protecting the most vulnerable, including the poor,
   especially women.
   The movement also sought protection of Kenya's environment before
   expanding to include political and economic issues.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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