Black people don´t do Nature?

 

What is this foolishness I hear? *Ugandan accent* – camping, hiking = white stuff, animal rights, plantbased lifestyle not African at all? I think about this often. Why African people in nature is often seen as something primitive and how the increase of wealth suddenly means that you are above nature? Too posh for that primitiveness? Referring to nature as something ‘those villagers do and live in’?  Why?

Perhaps it is because we often associate living in cities as being forward and modern which sub-consequently means that living amongst nature is backwardness and inferior? It is not ‘civilised’?

I don´t believe this. I think nature is our first and best home. We were not made to live in concrete jungles with two plants here and there (though plants indoor do help). I think there is something important to our soul that we only get when we interact or value nature. This planet is green and blue, it is naturally green and blue and all its beings, apart for the humans, choose to live in nature or close to it. Except city pigeons, I don´t know what´s up with that 😛

Another thing that happens, is that when we are disconnected from nature, we are disconnected from parts of ourselves and other beings that live in nature. This then makes it easier to ignore injustice done towards nature which unfortunately is something that we are seeing too much of currently. Luckily, we are seeing a change in that, in African people and the rest of the world. We are seeing that we need nature and we need to be better citizens while we are here. This brightens my heart,  because though far is good, our first home is always better. Perhaps we needed to experience living away from nature to understand why we should return to it?

On my tumblr blog http://bushbabimay.tumblr.com/, I try  to create visually what I wish for my people. I put the richness of our dark skins close to the wonders of nature, flowers, and of course, plantbased foods. This is along side a lot of other things I am passionate about and things we face in our current ‘nature’. I think by achieving this visually, it will enter into the subconscious, and slowly by slowly, we will see nature differently, not as something that needs to be escaped in order to live in the busy, polluted  and crowded cities. Perhaps we will see nature as a safe haven and something that grounds and connects us. I do however understand that for some who leave the villages or nature and enter big cities, it is necessary. Either for school or work, I just wish it wasn´t so. At least on all our virtual oasis, we can create the universe we wish and work to one day see. Power to the internet ;).

As for me, my love or connection to nature started slowly and it has grown over the years. To the point where, even when I travel, if I don´t see one store (I do sometimes enjoy shopping) I shall be happy, as long as I see some beautiful nature and eat some local veggies and fruits. I hope my love continues to grow so that I can continue to share it will all those around me.

Enjoy nature, embrace nature, eat nature and be nurtured

Stay green and don´t be a stranger

P.s I do not own any of the pictures used here, so please do tell me if they are yours 🙂