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The Nobel Peace Prize – along with prizes for physics, chemistry, medicine, and literature – has been awarded annually since 1901. The Takeaway takes a look at the history of the Nobel Peace Prize and where President Obama fits in that history. We're joined by 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, who – along with her organization, the Green Belt Movement – won the award for work in human rights and environmental conservation. Michael Doyle, a professor of international affairs, law and political science at Columbia University, was a special advisor to former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and accompanied him on his trip to Oslo for his acceptance of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize.  And with us for the whole morning is Charlie Sennott, executive editor and vice president of GlobalPost.

We continue our discussion about President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize win. With us this morning is Paul Martin, professor and director of Human Rights studies at Barnard College at Columbia University. We also talk with 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai for an international take on this surprise win.

To get a sense of the mood in Africa on the brink of the Obamas' trip to Ghana, The Takeaway is joined by Alex Jakana. Alex is the host of the BBC show 'Africa, Have Your Say', which has been receiving messages from people all over Africa discussing the impending visit of the African-American president. The Takeaway also turns to Dr. Wangari Maathai, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, activist, and author of the book, The Challenge for Africa. Dr. Maathai joins us from Kenya.

When Wangari Maathai suggested to women in her village that they should plant trees for fire wood and to stop soil erosion, she had no idea that this simple act of planting trees would eventually garner her the Nobel Peace Prize. The Takeaway is joined by Wangari Maathai Nobel Prize winning activist, founder of the Greenbelt Movement, and author of the new book, The Challenge for Africa, about her vision for the future. Her life is subject of the documentary Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai, which premiered on the PBS series Independent Lens this week.

Click through for the transcript.

Here is a preview of the documentary:

The Somali pirates seized an American cargo ship a few days ago and while the rest of the crew escaped and took control of the ship, the captain, is still being held prisoner in a small lifeboat. As FBI hostage negotiators rush to the scene off the Somali coast and U.S. Navy destroyer attempts communications with the pirates, more ships are moving into the area. The captain attempted an escape, but the bandits were able to re-capture him before he could reach the Navy vessel. For the latest we turn to the BBC's Africa Editor Mary Harper. We are also joined by Wangari Mathai, the Nobel Prize winning peace activist who can provide an African perspective on the pirates' actions.

Contributor's Note :

When Somali pirates seized a giant Saudi oil tanker, the Sirius Star, last November, I managed to get a hold of a phone number to call them. But every time I rang them, they would put the phone down as soon as I said I was from the BBC. I became so obsessed with calling them that I programmed their number into my mobile phone so that I could ring them anytime, from anywhere. My twelve year old daughter had seen me repeatedly ringing the pirates, and one day, when we were stuck in a long traffic jam, she asked if she could try. I refused, but she eventually wore me down, and I gave her the phone. She pressed P for Pirates and...the phone rang, and a bizarre conversation ensued between her and a pirate. This opened a crucial door, and the next day I was able to get a real scoop by interviewing not only the pirate, but the captain of the ship who had been taken hostage. All thanks to my daughter, who insisted on dialing P for pirates. — Mary Harper, BBC's Africa Editor

Here is the AP's report on the current status of the hostage situation:

In her native Kenya, environmental and political activist Wangari Maathai faced arrest, beatings and was called a subversive for her activism. But in 2004 she became the first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. Her book is called The Challenge for Africa.

Event: Wangari ...

Nobel Peace Prize laureates Jody Williams, Wangari Maathai and actress Mia Farrow talk about their new report on Darfur and Burma.