“You can’t do good things without creating opposition.
It’s when you have enemies that you actually feel … … you are doing some good.”
Yacouba, the man who stopped the desert
Dear Friends,
It is already half way through June as I write, but we hope this message finds you and all your loved ones in fine spirits.
The month of May was dry and the weather pleasant. We enjoyed the company of a few guests. We always enjoy looking at our home and what we do through other people’s lenses. So, thankyou Mandy and Eli, for photos to add our monthly selection.
In a ‘150-year’ project there is never a dull moment. We only wish we could spend more time on core-business out in the field, with less of our time and resources being tied up by bureaucratic donkey-politics. We continue to have a bunch of loyal supporters (local as well as international). For their encouragement and advice, we are most thankful! - Yes, the donkeys are still alive and helping us in areas where we do not have sufficient cattle. Their international fame has increased, but their contribution is yet to be officially recognised.
We wish you all peace, good heath, patience and a robust sense of humour.
Warm regards from Kachana,
Chris
Photos of the Month
News & Views
Apparently, there is an ancient Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times!
Looking back, I’ve had a good innings.
Looking ahead, I see interesting times.
Some of us know people who left this life during the past 2.5 years with “covid”.
Many of us know people who unexpectedly left this life during the past eighteen months.
To be curious is to be human, and it seems that I am by no means the only one to be curious.
Curiosity seeks answers, so there is always the temptation to read tea-leaves in our efforts to draw lines between causation, association, coincidence and speculation.
It is therefore with interest that I listen when a group of intelligent credentialled people suggest that FREEDOM IS THE CURE.
The notion that functional democracy is a bottom-up process that is reliant on forever seeking the truth, appears to coincide with what we readily observe in nature’s evolutionary process. Here individuals (of every species) are forever adapting to changing challenges.
During interesting times, I find it comforting to know that Nature gets to bat last, and that in the long-term she rewards functionality over (politically correct) fashion.
“How do you make God laugh? – You tell him your plans for the future!”
Wisdom out of India
Link of the Month
Yacouba Sawadogo, a farmer from Burkina Faso, stopped desertification in his village by working together with his family to plant trees which have now grown into a vast forest. This in response to a long dry spell that, coupled with over-farming, over-grazing and over-population was plaguing the northern part of the country. Initially, farmers in his community ridiculed him and thought he was going mad.