Ecofeminist Politics and Patriarchal Resistance: Emmanuel Mbogo’s Theatrical Staging of Wangari Maathai’s Activism in Africa

Abstract

African ecofeminist scholarship has increasingly emphasized the intersections of gender, ecology, and power, yet little attention has been given to how theatre mediates these struggles and translates activism into cultural performance. This study addresses that gap by critically examining Emmanuel Mbogo’s staging of Wangari Maathai’s activism, situating her ecological resistance within broader debates on patriarchy, environmental justice, and feminist leadership. The purpose of the study is to demonstrate how Mbogo’s dramatization transforms Maathai’s Green Belt Movement into a performative political project that mobilizes rural women, challenges authoritarian governance, and advances democratic participation. Using a qualitative interpretive methodology, the analysis draws on close reading of Mbogo’s play alongside ecofeminist frameworks such as nego-feminism, Ubuntu ethics, and embodied materialism. The findings identify six recurring themes: domesticity as political contestation, metaphors of marriage and betrayal, discursive pathologization of female activism, collective female solidarity, capitalist exploitation and ecological justice, and intergenerational ethics. These results show that Maathai’s struggle was simultaneously ecological and feminist, confronting entrenched patriarchal systems while affirming the transformative power of women’s collective resistance. The study concludes that Mbogo’s theatrical representation functions not merely as cultural reflection but as a constitutive force in shaping ecofeminist politics, enriching global understandings of ecological resistance, feminist leadership, and social justice. Its significance lies in demonstrating how African theatre contributes to international ecofeminist discourse by bridging local struggles with global debates on sustainability, equity, and democratic resilience.