Greenpeace International's new executive director, Kumi Naidoo of South Africa, is in Copenhagen for the climate summit now taking place there. He is the first African to head Greenpeace, and his appointment can be seen as a change of direction for the legendary environmental organization from discreet environmental campaigns toward connecting the dots of environmental activism with human rights and poverty.
In this respect his background is appropriate, if unusual, for his new role as Greenpeace director. Born in Durbin SA, he was part of the African National Congress' struggle against South Africa's apartheid system. He had to flee the country in 1986 for violating the country's emergency regulations, and returned after Nelson Mandela was freed from jail. He has been a human rights and anti-poverty activist both as part of the ANC and apart from it ever since.
Kumi Naidoo sat down for an interview with Democracy Now's Amy Goodman in Copenhagen on Thursday, December 10th, and spoke about Obama’s Peace Prize, Obama’s War, Copenhagen and Climate Debt. You can watch the interview online.
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