Healing the land, healing the community

Tafi thought about what messages he could take to the convening in Addis. The organisers had asked him to share his experience of ‘community-level adaptation to the climate crisis’. When they’d started many years ago, they hadn’t talked about climate change. It was all about restoring the health of their land. Perhaps that was the first message: Focus on healing the land.

Focus on healing community relations.

Tafi had noticed that as people spoke of climate change and now climate crisis, it all seemed a little abstract. But healing our land together is immediate, real and doable. So is healing the cohesion of our community. It’s also what we should do, for ourselves, for our ancestors and above all for our children. Apart from anything else, our water supply depends on healing the land and producing abundant food. Healed land, based on healed

community cohesion, can produce abundance just about anywhere.

“Here I am in a wetter part of Zimbabwe,” Tafi thought. “But land in the lower, much drier parts of the country can also produce well if it’s healthy. It’s sick, dying land that can’t produce properly in whatever climate.”

Tafi’s alarm on his phone went off at 3.30 am. He switched it off quickly so it wouldn’t wake others, dressed, made some tea from water in the flask and went out into the night. There was some light from a half-moon. He knew the way to the business centre well as he made his way down the steep path, enjoying the silence punctuated by the odd, early crowing of a spirited cockerel.

At the business centre, others also travelling that day were bustling about. The combi was nearly full, and within fifteen minutes, the doors were closed; the driver jumped in and off they went. Healing our land together is immediate, real and doable. So is healing the cohesion of our community.