PROFILE
In Conversation with
Deborah Calmeyer | BY HELÉNE RAMACKERS
A
s the CEO and founder of ROAR AFRICA, Deborah Calmeyer’s hazel eyes glisten when speaking of the African continent, showing both passion and emotion. Chatting via Zoom from her offices in New York, she tells Upscale Living magazine why traveling should form a cornerstone of one’s life. Deborah, tell us a bit about yourself. I was born in Zimbabwe and that’s very much who I am at heart. I feel Zimbabwean – I feel very connected when I go there. When I’m there, I can smell the soil, I can smell the air and I can feel ‘wow – this is part of me, this is who I am’. I don’t think that ever leaves you. What are the fondest memories of your formative years? I lived in Zimbabwe until I was 15 and can look at my life through two lenses – the traumatic experience of being exposed to a bush war at the age of 5; we had sandbags all around the house, bulletproof tape on the windows, and we weren’t allowed out after 6pm and before 6am and there were armed tanks circling the farm. My dad slept with a rifle next to him. It was a frightening time in my young life, but I loved being on the farm, and really enjoyed horse riding. When the war ended, my dad opted to forego all the alarms and fences and get a lion as a pet. We were four children under
the age of 12, and this cub thought she was a Labrador, because she lived in the house with us. She slept at the end of the bed with my dad, drove in the car with us to school and enjoyed her freedom in the garden. Carmel behaved like a typical dog, albeit a strong one. My dad was her everything – he would call her, and she would run towards him, put her paws on his 6’3 frame and just adore him. That is probably where my love for wildlife came from. I got to witness so much similarity between ourselves and animals, and see Carmel’s affection and love. As a young girl aged nine, you were trapped in a swimming pool when a young bull elephant came to drink. May I assume that at that moment, the mutual respect for animals you still have today, was formed? I was by myself, and I was absolutely terrified. I knew I couldn’t run, it was too late for that, and all I could do was stay still. The big bull elephant came over, he drunk and the non-verbal ‘I won’t hurt, you, I’m just doing my thing, you do yours’. It was beautiful and amazing, and I think in our own way, we form connections with animals, whether it’s a dog or a cat. I was incredibly privileged in many ways, because I had two parents who really liked being in the bush. I got to inherit their passion and love for the wild, and it amplified when I left Africa. I didn’t know how intense the love was and how much a part of me it was. When I moved to
66 | UPSCALE LIVING MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2022
New York, it was this desperate longing and ache for Africa that I don’t believe ever leaves anyone that has left Africa. The love is there, it’s ingrained in us. You were born in Zimbabwe and have a deep love for the country and the people. Apart from the obvious attractions like Victoria Falls and the incredible landscape, what gets you going every time you visit? The warmth of the people, hands down. The landscape speaks to me, it’s part of my makeup, the rich red soils of Zimbabwe and the msasa trees. The saying ‘home is where the heart is’ definitely rings true. You alternate your time between NYC and Cape Town. NYC is vastly different to Cape Town; it has a bustling urban jungle energy and truly is the ‘city that never sleeps’. Cape Town has just been ranked the third greatest city on earth by the UK’s Telegraph and it’s easy to see why – beautiful coastlines and incredible wineries to name but a few aspects. How do you adapt to each place and what makes it home in your books? I’m fortunate to have homes in two such incredible cities. When I arrive in Cape Town, I try to have at least three days to myself so that I can decompress, try to not talk too fast or move too fast. New York is so different – you
