Safari As A Way of Life

No, I don’t dream of a farm in Africa, like Meryl Streep, but I dream of Africa.

I have always been mesmerized by the animals, people and places in Africa. 

I remember buying African trade beads as a little girl. School picture of me wearing a big trade bead I strung on leather. Thirty years ago, when I was gifted Safari As A Way of Life, by Dan Eldon, it became one of my bibles and still is. Buying beads and art from the African dealers for thirty-six years. Finally, I made a pact to go on my lifelong bucket list dream four years ago. And then this thing called a pandemic hit us all. I can remember feeling almost a panic attack that I might not ever get to ever see and experience Africa. Things opened up, but then life happens. We get busy. We get sidetracked. We get set in our routines. But this whisper has become a roar, and I’m going July 1st!  

WHY am I doing this?

Because I am homesick for a place I’ve never been. 

I am going because my soul and the planet need more love connections. 

I am going because we need as many people onboard for helping to care for the wild. 

I’m going because I’m being pulled by a vision that I can’t fully see yet. I write it, create from it, talk to it. Even talk to the vision. I talk to it about love for the wild places. About peace.

I am going because I desire even more communities with other strong women, my sisterhood that I have come to cherish.

I dream of Africa. To connect. To teach. To learn. To help women in the arts rise out of poverty through helping in the skills and opportunities here, such as a venue for them to market their crafts.  I want to help in preserving the wildlife where women become empowered while defending nature.  

I will be of course seeing the animals, which is so exciting, but mainly going to meet with two wildlife non-profits. I will be meeting with local women artists outside of Kruger National Park, www.careforwild.org and Nsefu.org in Zambia, South Africa. Together, my hope is to create a sustainable market for their products. When I read there are only approximately 27,000 rhinos left in the wild, I knew I had to do something. When we help the local economies, we defend the wildlife. And why should we care how women are doing globally? Because women are the barometers of global well-being. They are the caretakers and the first educators. It’s going to take all of us and all of our skills and resources we have to help our planet. And successful conservation goes hand in hand with the involvement of local communities. 

I invite you with me on this adventure and would like any and all ideas on how we can promote the arts and in turn promote and defend the care for all wild things. Join me in the fight to protect our wildlife before it's too late. Each day over 100 elephants are poached and every 8 hours a rhino is killed. This is a completely grass roots effort, no angel investors here, so please donate what you can to these very worthy organizations or purchase with Sweet Bird as this is all out of my pocket to help raise funds for making this mission a reality.

Our deepest impulse as humans is to create. Art making. Creating community. Nature. Animals. Crafting a life of meaning. A journey of discovery. Art orchestrates healing.