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Kumi Naidoo, born 1965, is a South African human rights activist and the International Executive Director of international environmentalist group, Greenpeace. He is the first African to head the organisation.
Naidoo was involved in the development of Greenpeace's work in Africa and became a board member of Greenpeace Africa when it opened offices in Johannesburg and Kinshasa in 2008.
After battling apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s, Naidoo led global campaigns to end poverty and protect human rights. Recently, he has led the Global Campaign for Climate Action, which brings together environmental, aid, religious and human rights groups, labor unions, scientists and others and has organized mass demonstrations around climate negotiations.
Naidoo is married and has two children.
Early activism
Born in South Africa, Naidoo became involved in the country's liberation struggle at the age of 15. As a result of his anti-apartheid activities, he was expelled from high school. He was very involved in neighborhood organizing, youth work in his community, and mass mobilizations against the apartheid regime. In 1986, Naidoo was arrested and charged for violating the state of emergency regulations.
He went underground for one year before finally deciding to live in exile in England. During this time he was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford and earned a doctorate in political sociology.
References
- "New leadership at Greenpeace International". Greenpeace. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- ^ "New Greenpeace chief has fought apartheid, poverty". The Associated Press. 2009-11-16. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
- "Greenpeace launches two African offices". This is Africa. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
External links
- Annie Kelly interviews social justice campaigner Kumi Naidoo (Guardian)
- Kumi Naidoo of Greenpeace on Obama’s Peace Prize, Obama’s War, Copenhagen and Climate Debt - video report by Democracy Now!