A few months ago I discovered a blog by a girl named Susanna, and I fell madly in love with her vision and her incredible ‘Winged Messenger’ project and asked whether she would be kind enough to allow her messengers to accompany me to Africa, which they did. The ethos of the project, or my understanding of it, is to connect different peoples around the globe by communicating a universal message, however profound, however small, whether it be to the world, or to one individual.
One day, before Christmas, a friend and I were discussing poetry and in particular, the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore. This particular quote – which, I believe, he left written in the guestbook of The Lake Palace in Udaipur – struck me as being exactly what I wanted to say regarding a place I have come to love deeply. The resting-places of the Winged Messengers are all places where I have made fond memories of being with my family and loved ones. I am very grateful to my mother and sister for taking one Winged Messenger to Open Shorts, where I have spent many happy times seeking solace in the equatorial sun, far from the bitter cold of the English new year.
The Tagore quote I decided to use was so concisely appropriate to the message I wanted to convey – ‘unsurpassable’ being the operative word – to describe the place my parents currently call home. A country of polar extremes, it has never failed to conjure up the unexpected and my travels there have been variously awakening, on all levels, as well as confounding, frustrating, disconcerting, enchanting and delightful. Kenya has been a place where I have met with abject poverty, disaster and danger, but, predominantly, I have met with hope.
The human capacity for endurance is unsurpassable.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Susanna for letting me get involved – from beginning to end it has been a pleasure participating. And the thought that the messengers will, for a time, remain in places that have had such a dramatic importance on my most formative years is delicious. Then, perhaps transported by some capricious wind, they will fly away… or else be washed away … ‘far away into the silent land’.
You are such an eloquent writer, Alexandra. You put so much thought into your posts. Thank you for participating in my project. I can’t tell you enough how pleased I am with your beautiful photos and with your explanation as to why you left the wings in the locations that you did. Through your own eyes and words, you’ve given me a peek into that part of the world. Thank you!
Thank you for your comments, Susanna – and for the technical advice!! xx