👣 A song for life 👣

There’s a tribe in the north of Namibia known for covering their skin with a mixture of clay and fat that hydrates and protects them from the sun and bacteria: the HIMBA.

After the Masai of Kenya, the most photographed tribe in Africa.

And this story about their life song has fascinated me since I first heard it:

When a woman becomes pregnant, she sits under a tree until she hears a song, which will be the song that accompanies the child throughout their life 💫

She returns to the village and sings it first to the father of the child she is expecting, and then to the midwives and close people so that they can sing it to the baby when it is born and welcome them.

As the child grows up, whenever they get hurt or feel sad, the entire village sings their song to them.

And throughout their life, if they do something that is considered incorrect or if they go through a difficult time, they are called to the center of the village and surrounded by people singing their song, as they believe that the way for them to reclaim their true identity is through love and not punishment.

That song speaks about that person and who they are in essence.

When one hears their own song, they remember their identity and connect with their deepest self and do not wish to harm anyone.

When they get married, the couple sings their two songs during the ceremony.

And when they know they are going to die soon, the whole village gathers again to sing their song to the sick person.

What do you think?

It moves me 💓

We have always known the power of love. And I am convinced that all those who do evil is because they did not receive enough love in their childhood.

Therefore, I suppose it’s difficult to compensate for something as deep as that lack, and just by listening to their song, a wicked person won’t change their life like that. But I find it beautiful that the community in which you live provides you with that positive energy, instead of pointing fingers, judging, and criticizing, which is what we would do in any Western society.

We are not HIMBA; no one composed a song for us from the moment we were conceived.

But I composed my own some time ago, and I sing it to myself when I’m low on energy or feeling sad.

It helps me connect with my essence and reminds me that everything in life passes 🎈

The good passes.

The bad too.

Both the bad and good moments are as fleeting as life itself.

One of the great things that happened to me in life is having the opportunity to meet people from all over the world and learn from all of them.

I can’t offer you any crafts from the HIMBA for now – that will come in time – but I can offer you some from the Ndebele, a people from South Africa who make these beautiful and practical coasters in dried grass and beads.