Apr 5, 2012

Yes.


Today I read a story about an anthropologist who proposed a game to the kids in an African tribe. He put a basket full of fruit near a tree and told the kids that who ever got there first won the sweet fruits. When he told them to run they all took each others hands and ran together, then sat together enjoying their treats. When he asked them why they had run like that as one could have had all the fruits for himself they said: "Ubuntu, how can one of us be happy if all the other ones are sad?"

Ubuntu in the Xhosa culture means: "I am because we are."

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PHOTOGRAPH CREDIT:
"...Jean-Pierre Hallet explained that this image, his one and only of this traditional game, was taken during the 60’s. 'I sort of fell in love with the Osani circle; it drew me in, and reminded me of my fundamental connection to the earth, to the natural changes that occur in life, to a desire for community and a deep respect for traditions that carry such sensibility and wisdom.' Decades passed. When in L.A. I would visit Jean-Pierre’s shop which carried African art and artifacts. I would buy a few beads, and we’d talk. And then one day I acted on impulse: after 25 years of friendship I called Jean-Pierre to acquire the Osani exclusive rights, with the hope of making this wonderful image more accessible. My call came on the very day he was diagnosed with terminal leukemia. It is with great sadness I must report that Jean-Pierre Hallet passed away only 90 days later (January 2004). He was truly larger than life in every respect – a remarkable man...."

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