I recently traveled to South Africa. This incredible adventure left me feeling inspired and so hopeful for our natural future.
I experienced conservation efforts making strides in preserving and encouraging the growth of some endangered species. For example, white rhinos that are almost extinct are being born and thriving on nature reserves. And I learned about “load shedding” and the energy crisis the people of South Africa are facing. Experiencing rolling black outs every day made me incredibly grateful to live in a province, in a country (Canada) where we have so many options in terms of sources of energy, that we regularly take for granted.
I had insightful conversations with Uber drivers from all over Africa who find themselves in South Africa today. Their vibrant human spirits shone through in our conversations despite what many of them have endured in their lifetimes. They were awake to political and social issues, demonstrated passion in informing me about corruption, but most importantly exuded warmth and welcome like I have never experienced. I felt safe with them and privileged that they felt safe enough with me to share their stories. The most surprising of all, was how often the topic of eco-feminism arose.
The majority of the world’s farmers are female and many of them are spread out over various African countries. Women know how to farm using the natural ecosystem. They do not treat soil aside from natural fertilizers and they do not use pesticides. Communities of female farmers support each other and help each other grow various crops, trading with each other while also helping to raise each other’s families. When I asked ex-pat Africans if they still had family in their country of origin, almost all of them explained that they do and that their mothers and sisters keep the land where they are from. North American farmers have so much to learn from African farmers in terms of leveraging the eco system and the benefit of keeping crops local for food supply chain.
One of the most significant take-aways for me from these conversations was that when people work with nature, instead of against it, there are sustainable outcomes. The families have been farming those lands for hundreds of years. Another important take-away was the importance of keeping food local and fostering what you have locally, while sharing it amongst the community. When we hoard or limit supply to others, we sever trust and cannot build a viable community that works together to be sustainable and thrive.
Finally, the most important lesson was that we all seek to survive, learn, live and enjoy life with one another- regardless of where we hail from. I will be forever grateful to every soul who spent time and trusted telling me about themselves, my views can never be the same as they were before this amazing adventure.