Page 66 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 10

CULTURE

ral areas you see a lot more stone
houses coming up and you see
how complicated life is becom-
ing. How do we break out of that
mindset and just reconnect to the
simplicity of living free and clean
from the encumbrances of what
the world has called modern?
There are so many benefits to earth
houses. I would start by letting
people know or getting people to
understand that an earth house is
much cheaper. You don’t even have
to go for the loans, the huge loans
which you then have to pay back.
All this soil came from here; that
It was up in six months to a year you’re hardly ever there, and which is the main ingredient in building a
and it followed the traditional you hardly get to enjoy? mud house. And then I would ask
Western Kenyan style of building people, what kind of a lifestyle do
traditional homes, which again going A lot of us grew up in homes where you want? Many people don’t even
back upcountry people don’t seem we used every single bit of the stop to ask what kind of a lifestyle
to be appreciating those building home, a lot of us played outside. they want or even what kind of a
skills. It is a skill and we need to The purpose of this was it is a home lifestyle they are living. We are just
preserve it. Part of the reason for that every room can be used and busy, we are just doing. So we don’t
this house is that we are preserving the garden is friendly in that it can stop to think about it that much. At
Afrikan building skills and demon- be also used when you want to sit the end of the day we know what
strating that we can also temper it and hang out, when you want to it is that we want. We want that flat
to make it livable within the 21st go and pluck something from the screen, that whatever... as opposed
century, so that it’s not just this garden; you know that kind of stuff. to values. What values? Is it about
vision of a dark hut upcountry. So Some people can’t live in a place having enough time to be with your
that’s another reason why it went up: like this because it’s not modern. I family? Is it about being able to do
to educate and to preserve. keep telling people I’m a minimalist things from a place of rest and be-
bottom line and I love nature. When ing at peace? What do you want out
Then the other thing is recycling. I I’m sleeping at night I hear the owls, of life even whilst you’re working?
have recycled so many things and it I hear all that, I see the moon, I see They’ve got to make a choice at the
comes back to, ‘what do you have the light coming through the trans- end of the day.
in your hand?’ Many of us rush parent mabati (roofing sheet) and I Going back to that story about that
out and we buy so many expensive feel so safe, you wouldn’t believe the guy who came to buy something
things but don’t stop to think what feeling of safety and home. And I from me, when we got inside the
the purpose of their home is. What think a lot of it has to do with my house he sat down and was exhaling
is the purpose of having to spend spirituality. I feel, yes, this is who I and he asked me, “You actually live
so much money, when most of the am. like this?” And I said, “Yes.” He
time you’re not going to be in there? said, “I wish I could live like this.”
So, why don’t you try recycling what A lot of people, our parents’ So I asked, “Why don’t you? Why
you already have and most of the generation and onwards were can’t you?” You can guess the an-
time we’ve got so much that we just convinced that living in houses swer. The answer was, “My friends,
chuck away? So, it’s again trying to made of earth was low class or my family, my wife. I can’t live like
educate people to just stop, think, was primitive or was backward this.” So then I said, “Well, you’ve
be intentional about when you are and so they got themselves into made a choice.”
building, what is your purpose at a lot of financial messes and dif- I made this choice and it doesn’t
the end of the day? What is your ferent things in order to acquire matter what people think or what
motivation? Is it you want people to houses that were made of stone. people say. This is my life, here
see I’m living in a huge thing when Even now when you travel to ru- on earth, I have got to live and be

66 | Heal . Restore . Rebirth . Afrika