The Art of Trekking

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“You need to get out your house, get off your block and see something, go do something, go change something, or else you fall for nothing. You need to travel the world”. No words ring true than those offered by Jean Grae on the song Block Party. It is hard to believe that in these times, there are people who are not open to exploring the millions of opportunities available to them to travel and experience a different reality to that which they know. The general thinking seems to be around the misleading perception that one needs to have loads of money to leave their front door. Planning is of course always necessary, but people need not let the fear of unknown territory and possible culture barriers paralyse them from experiencing the rewards one gains through travelling. Different the gains may be many have sworn to have returned with a renewed spirit.

When Sho’t Left media campaigns spread like the flu germ in a first grade class a few years ago, there was an unspoken yet electrifying sense that we were certainly moving towards a reality that was indeed brimmed to capacity with tangible hope. Attracting young South African people, who possessed gypsy-like souls and had wanderlust spirits, travelling was finally reflected to be one that excites and can be accessible to anyone, anywhere. Nothing reflects better the energy of the travelling person than the words of one of the greatest storytellers from Mafikeng, Mo Molemi, in his sophomore album, Motzamai – Rebel Without A Pause, with the title song Motzamai. His hoarse laced words churn out, “Ntshutele ka tsela ke a itsamaela/ke ya madiso/ ke ya go phudutsa mabele/ Ke ya go phota/ke ya go tlhatlhola ketlele/Don’t matter ko ke yang a ko ntshutele ke a itsamaela (o ska nkemela)//Ntshutele ka tsela ke a itsameala/ ke ya Lesotho/ ke ya go palama dithaba/ ke ya Lusaka/ ke ya go reka dinawa ko Blantyre/ going to a better world suta ke a itsamela/”. The song paints a vivid picture of one trekking along paths with adventures brimmed with mysticism and fun.

Bringing it back from idealistic spheres, there are many opportunities for artists within the country to travel cross-continental and internationally. Art Moves Africa, an organisation that sponsors artists to travel within the continent, has seen many artists go on artistic, cultural expeditions by doing what they love and sharing it with like-minded individuals. Many other avenues are available to make our travels a reality. All we have to do is inquire, research and make the first move to exploring ourselves more deeply, opening our eyes more wider and appreciating the challenges that we may overcome during our endless creative darkness that affects most of our creative souls.