About ten years ago I was sitting in my suit and tie on the 17th floor of an office building in Joburg. I looked out the window across the city to the horizon. For several years I had felt claustrophobic, depressed and frustrated. Concrete buildings, sales meetings, shopping-malls, air-conditioning and traffic jams have that effect on me.
I day-dreamed a lot while sitting at my desk. About exploring Southern Africa, about being outdoors, interacting with people who lived close to the land. About finding beautiful places, and trying in some way to help conserve them. At the time I didn’t take my dreams seriously. I didn’t think it was possible to, and simply was content to dream about it… But the seed was sown. And without realizing it, I took some unconscious steps to fulfilling my dream.
I wanted to explore our continent and country. I wanted to be OUT there on the ground, all the time, photographing and filming the incredible beauty of South Africa’s wild places. I wanted to meet and connect with people who were working hard to preserve this southern patch of priceless African continent.
I wanted to learn and understand why our country is the third-most biologically diverse country, after Brazil and Indonesia. And then understand why South Africa’s protected areas are important to both local communities and international travellers, and what is being done to protect these places.
As Nelson Mandela said in a National Geographic interview with Peter Godwin: “I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our great wildernesses. We must never forget that it is our duty to protect this environment.”
Can’t wait to share our journey with you all! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and spread the message of conservation in South Africa! A big thanks to our sponsors and partners for making it possible!
July 16, 2011 at 10:46 am
Are you reading my thoughts? Mmmm… exciting to imagine how far one can go in 10 years!