Yoga for Elephants

Samburu, Kenya. August 2010

Samburu N.P can give you the best Elephants show around. Young clumsy babies are everywhere, big happy families are moving gently in the thick bush showing no signs of stress, that is, if you can read the signs well. Of all those, young Elephants never fail to amuse. They look as if they can barely control their directions or manage to walk without stepping on their own trunk. One thing about a young Elephant, as amusing as this sweet baby can be, it always have a BIG worried mom somewhere within site.

As I was watching this young Eli displaying its yoga abilities, I remembered an old story. A French photographer was working in Samburu N.P some years ago and was following Elephants much of his time. One morning he was watching a baby Elephant for such a long time that when they got use to each other and felt comfortable enough, the small calf came closer to the car. The photographer was happily organizing himself for close up shooting, little did he care about the mother. But as it turned, she didn't like the situation. She came rushing in, causing great damaged to his vehicle and equipment. He was left with the cloth to his body, his camera and his great new photographs. Every now and then it's good to be reminded of our place in all this…

The Nomads of Morocco

Atlas, Morocco. May 2010

In a country occupied by many different empires during the history and with such a big variety of landscapes and geographical conditions, people live where they can. Being strong meant that you could keep yourself in the fertile areas of this big country but then had to protect yourself from invasions of the inhabitants of the less fertile areas. The weaker you were the closest to the Sahara you found yourself as a place to live.

In Morocco, as many other African countries, identity is more by the ethnic group you come from then from the fact you live in Morocco.

There are the Arab Moroccans and the Berbers and even these are divided into different ethnic groups one can recognize by the different languages.

There is white and there is black.

There are farmers and there are nomads. Those that live in the most difficult areas, having no land of their own and hardly any property.

During 2010 I was guiding quite a lot in Morocco and met Aisha's family quite a lot. I started to stop with my groups to visit her. Most cases her husband wasn't around and she felt quite comfortable with the people sitting in her tent, playing with her kids. On my second visit she marked on her belly and explained she was pregnant. 2 month later she wasn't and there was no baby around. The Moroccan guide working with me said the woman in these areas never rest, one baby goes out, second being conceived.

Aisha and her kids seemed to be very happy to have their photos taken and watch it with us on the camera screen, never once did I hear her asking for those photos but I have organized a small photo album to give on my last tour before the winter started. Not much for a family that has almost nothing but something that I thought they would be happy to have. The morning of that last tour up the Atlas mountain was very cold and I started to have my doubts about spending the winter so high. Although everyone kept telling me that they normally stay around even in winter, we didn't find Aisha and her family that day. They might have moved to the lower part of the Atlas for the long cold winter, or found shelter in one of the caves in the area. Whatever it was, that wasn't their first winter to survive in such harsh conditions. Thinking of them while sitting in my small hut back at home in the mild winters we have in Israel, I thought how these people redefine for me the meaning of have or don't have. And how having too much takes down your appreciation to what you have.