By Olawumi Benedict*
Bioneers was a place of awakening for me — an awakening of dreams, hopes and aspirations that I do belong to a culture with knowledge and wisdom, one full of deep insight that only the wise can see and tap into, a place where generations before me sacrificed their existence for me to live freely.
I came to the full awareness of respecting everything around me, be it land, wind, air, trees, those things I count as non-living and the living, because our selfishness as humans turned those things that are once living into non-living.
Bioneers was a place where value was placed on the indigenous or native people of other colours as the custodians of great knowledge which bring wealth, abundance, and healing to a land. A place where I heard deep truths about the society I live now and made me realize: they are not different from where I come from so there is no need for my brothers and sisters to run here.
Bioneers was a place of respect for womanhood and an avenue for the next generation to see hope and find the shoulders to rest on for what is ahead of them.
I long for MESA to strengthen relationship with Bioneers’ organizing committee so that every steward can attend since there is room for work exchange.
*Olawumi Benedict is a current MESA Steward, a native of Nigeria, now living in Ghana with her husband and young daughter. She’s training at Golden Rule mini-farm in Willits, CA as part of Ecology Action’s 8-month internship program.