Kucheza

Rambling with the herd through the African bush one afternoon, two young elephants cavort happily alongside each other.

"Kucheza" means "play" or "to play" in Swahili.

I love watching animals at play. There is something so innocent, happy, and present about it. The bigger calf liked wrapping his trunk over the back, then teasingly pulling it over the tusks covering the eyes of his sister. At the moment this shot was taken, the trunk had moved back a bit, but the young Nellie had almost misstepped! Recovering her balance swiftly, she engineered a counter move and switched to her side, almost tripping up the bigger one who had hurriedly tried to push past. I thought humans had created these tricks, but maybe, just maybe, we also learned a bit from watching our friends in the wild over the many thousands of years we shared with them?

It's fun to see joy, especially in this form. As our own lives and years roll by, and our innocence leaves us, taking a moment to be reminded of simple happiness is a nice thing to do. We should treat ourselves to a bit of fun on occasion, I think. It seems nature knows this, despite the omnipresent cycles of life in the wild that require duty, commitment, discipline, and facing many, many challenges. Also, maybe a little like us?

Raw Africa Collection

Welcome to Africa - the wise, the restless, the life giving.

This soulful land of dreamers gives rise to the underbelly of a beautiful gentle beat that is only heard by those who listen for it. This photographic journey explores, profiles and captures what I hope is the heart and soul of Africa's true wilderness kingdom. From its deep bush to its dry savannah and desert, Africa remains a place where life is represented by timeless vistas that are distilled into moments to treasure.