It's a wild, wild world

I've been having a fascinating discussion this week with photographers, fellow journalists and conservationists about the image above. It's meant to be art--not an actual photograph but a composite of two photos shot on the same exact spot at different times. It's hard to image how long it took photographer/artist James Lewin to capture a majestic animal (in one image a cheetah, another the lion above, in yet another a massive bull element) a few feet from where he'd on another occasion catch an equally majestic Maasai warrior or a young boy. They share a strong message about the way this tribe seeks to (and we all should) live in harmony with our wild cousins.

My worry, shared by a few of those who joined the discussion, is that in today's digital world the images are shared without the context. Do they create the false reality that one might safely hang out a few feet from a cheetah or lion? And what do they take away from the power of photography that's capturing the truth of say a Maasai person's harmony with the wild--one that exists in respect but not interaction with wild animals as companion pets.

I'm contemplating this all while preparing for a two week trip, much of it among Maasai friends and their villages. Upilft Travel is leading a group of college students, and we've set up lectures about the changing culture of this formerly nomadic tribe of herdsmen. There's also learning about their dress and dance--and the way that was inspired by the movement. of giraffes and lions and yet another example of that artistic harmony.

Photo here (and above) by James Lewin Photography

I've met many, many Maasai conservationists inspired as youth by encounters in the wild that honesty do resemble the composite images. One told me about the day he was taking the family's cattle herd to browse and rounded a corner to find himself, a tiny boy at the time, face to face with a massive elephant. Instead of charging as the boy expected would happen, the elephant looked straight into his eyes, paused for a moment, then turned to amble slowly away. The young man that moment devoted his life to protecting the wild, eventually going on to college and then founding an impressive conservation organization.

On our trip, we'll learn more (and gift) lion lights. I so love that these solar powered lights that flash in. away that deters lions and elephants from entering village and harming domestic animals or humans were invented by a young Maasai boy who loved electronics and tinkering. When a lion entered his boma and killed the family's only cow, he wanted a solution that didn't leave him hating lions (or having the family and neighbors destitute). Remembering how flashlights seemed to move lions away, he created the flashing light and now sells them across Kenya and the world.

We'll also see the way beehives save animals and people both. The buzzing deters elephants who seem to hate it, rhinos too, and the honey can be sold or consumed. One chief friend dispenses it as a malaria cure and swears it has true healing properties.

The bottom line? I'm going to gaze a bit longer at these powerful images that I'll also be seeing firsthand in a way. And I want to ask myself: are we living in the kind of harmony of this tribe that's never hunted the animals they share their lands with? And if we stood face to face with that cheetah (or here maybe a loon or bear or wolf), would the message they're sharing be "help!" or "thank you." And how can our actions better ensure it's the latter.

Maybe prompting this kind of thinking is the value of both art--and travel. Come with one day on our trips with the theme: See the World. Do Good. uplifttravel.org.