By Nyang’au Araka
Once again, I stumbled upon the story of the hummingbird on Facebook this morning as told by former environmentalist Wangari Maathai.
Thw story brought back memories of a leisure walk I took through Karura Forest some months ago.
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Walking under the thick green canopy that Maathai once fought fiercely to protect, I was reminded of how a single determined individual can change the course of history.
It is here that the story of the tiny hummingbird becomes more than a parable—it becomes a call to action.
In the story, when the forest caught fire, all the big animals stood helpless, paralyzed by the scale of destruction.
Only the small hummingbird dared to act, carrying tiny drops of water in its beak.
The others laughed at its effort, but the hummingbird, unshaken, replied: “I am doing the best I can.”
Wangari Maathai told this tale often, not as a charming fable, but as a philosophy of life.
Its relevance today cannot be overstated.
We live in a world grappling with climate change, corruption, joblessness, and social inequalities.
The problems look like raging infernos before which many choose despair or indifference.
Yet the hummingbird whispers that inaction is the real defeat.
There is a proverb that says, “it is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog that matters.”
The hummingbird embodies this truth—its courage and resolve tower far above its size.
Wangari herself was that hummingbird.
Through the Green Belt Movement, she began by planting one tree, then another, until millions stood tall across Kenya.
What seemed small and laughable at first became a global movement for environmental justice.
That is why the story remains so popular—whether retold in classrooms, shared on social media, or recalled during forest walks.
It teaches us that change begins not with massive gestures but with small, consistent acts of courage.
Each of us can be a hummingbird in our families, communities, and country.
The fight may be great, but so too can be the fire within us.
- The author is a member of the Kisii Press Club
