Whenever I sit down to blog about an experience in Victoria Falls, three emotions colour my writing- excitement, anticipation, and awe. Today, these are tied together with a sense of bewilderment. I have grown up in a town famous for its abundant natural wonder, and my childhood memories are paved with elephant, antelope and lion prints. I can draw an elephant in my mind's eye without a second thought. So you can imagine my surprise when I sat down in the shade of an acacia tree, easel in front of me, paintbrush in hand- and I felt as though I was seeing these breath-taking creatures for the very first time.
If any animal was made to roam the earth, it must be the African Elephant. With the blue sky resting on their backs and the dust rising up to meet their steps, they walked through a curtain of green trees with the quiet confidence ordinarily reserved for mountains and lakes. The elephant at the Sanctuary come from harrowing backgrounds marred by poaching and abandonment, but there is no trace of sorrow in their chocolate eyes, no hesitation in their graceful gait. This is their haven and their home, where we are their guests.
I had never appreciated the true size and power of an elephant until the day I did this activity. In the back of a safari vehicle, surrounded by distractions and noise, it is easy to comprehend their enormity without fully acknowledging it. But when there is only a gust of wind between the two of you, that coat of misunderstanding dissolves. Elephants are an embodiment of Africa. Carved from grey granite and white ivory, it feels as though they could control the direction of the breeze with one flap of their delicate ears. I stared up at an animal I thought I knew, and the rest of the world fell away. Behind those pencil-thick eyelashes, their eyes hold a depth understanding that we have only skimmed the surface of. When Jumbo sauntered over and draped his bristly trunk across an easel at the front, our group of strangers drew a collection breath of amazement. Like a teacher surveying students work, he commanded authority and had us silently hoping we could impress him.
And the elephant are teachers in their own right. They are ambassadors for their species and symbols of the life-affirming beauty that is made possible when conservationists work together to protect animal rights for a life in the wild. I have always been fascinated by the way art can stir emotions, and like conservation, it takes courage and creativity. Each of us who shared the Art with the Elephant experience are bound together by the same passion and knowledge that we felt this morning.
While we painted, we listened to each elephants story, the legacies that they will one day leave behind when they are rehabilitated into the wild. Coco, with her great capacity for empathy and love, has become a foster mother to all the calves that come to the Sanctuary, injured or orphaned. Thombi, a youngster who is as quick to chase warthogs as he is to dart away from them should they decide to challenge him. Tendai was the first to disrobe her air of careless grace and slide into the sticky mud, trailing her trunk along the glistening surface like she was drawing her own picture of us.
Art with the Elephant is not just an avenue to explore your creative side- it is an educational experience and an innovative economic model that generates revenue for long-term conservation projects. It has created a platform where we can explore our connectedness to nature in an unobtrusive, holistic way. What makes a picture a masterpiece is its ability to speak where words cannot explain- I never imagined that this would apply to a finger painting of my own creation. Between each stroke of paint lies a message, reminding us to always search for respectful, sustainable ways to make conservation accessible to everyone. Your picture does not only represent your personal hard copy of a wonderful memory, but it also holds up a mirror to the world and reflects the harmonic existence that can be achieved between humans and nature when we seek alternative solutions to funding conservation efforts. Your picture does not just show what you saw, but what we all need to make the world see.
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