Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Thank you so much for tuning into Season 3 of Black Earth Podcast. In this season, we have been meeting visionary black women who are creating innovations inspired by nature.
In this season finale, Black Earth team, Marion and Anesu, reflect on their changing relationships with nature as well their key take-aways from Season 3. We also discuss what is to come for Black Earth Podcast.
Although Season 3 has completed, we have some upcoming plans that you can get involved in that we will be announcing on our social media and website. So make sure you stay connected with us:
- Connect with us on Instagram, LinkedIn and Tiktok @blackearthpodcast.
- Visit our website with all episodes and transcripts: https://www.blackearthpodcast.com/
Thank you for joining us on this incredible journey of Earth care.
Love xx B.E.
Episode timestamps
00:00 - Intro to podcast episode
02:00 - Anesu’s relationship with nature
03:45 - Marion’s relationship with nature
13:30 - Our key take-aways from Season 3, ‘Innovation Inspired By Nature’
23:55 - What we are learning about humanity’s relationship with other living beings
35:41 - What’s coming up for Black Earth Podcast
Creators & Guests
What is Black Earth Podcast ?
Black Earth is an interview podcast celebrating nature and black women leaders in the environmental movement. Join us for inspiring, informed and authentic conversations on how we can make a positive impact for people and nature worldwide.
Episodes out every Wednesday. Connect with us online @blackearthpodcast on Instagram, LinkedIn and Tiktok.
Hosted by Marion Atieno Osieyo. Healing our relationship with nature, one conversation at a time.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Hi everyone, uh, welcome to the closing episode of season three of Black Earth podcast. Today I am joined by my amazing teammate, uh, our social media marketing lead, [00:01:00] Anesu.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Hi, Anesu. Welcome back.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Hi, Marion. Um, it's always such a pleasure to be back on the podcast. Yes. Yes. I'm super excited to discuss season three.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, so as many of you know, season three was all about innovation inspired by nature. And we've spoken to incredible people, um, all around the world who are working with, uh, nature to create new worlds, to create new systems, to create new solutions for environmental justice. And so it's been such an honor to, um, hold space for them, to find out more about what they're doing, um, and also just to learn, to learn new things about nature, about ourselves, and also what's possible for the future.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, but before we get into our reflection on season three, um, we'll start off with the [00:02:00] question that we ask every guest on our podcast. Um, so Anesu, how would you describe your relationship with nature?
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, thank you for that question. Um, actually before doing this episode, we were reflecting on how nice it is.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: As well, um, with the season close ups that we can evolve and change our relationship through the seasons. Um, and I think this whole season speaks to me personally feeling really inspired by nature recently. Um, and continuing my journey on seeing it as a framework and also exploring sort of multi species relationships.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, and sort of trying to actively work towards dismantling like the hierarchy I have innately built in myself. Um, and I think questioning why things are the way they are and the different ways in which we can gain knowledge and produce knowledge and seek knowledge and how that doesn't necessarily need to be [00:03:00] rooted within humanness and can expand beyond that.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: And also sometimes taking, um, The human centered out of nature, um, and seeing what that means for me as someone who's only looking at it through the lens of being human. Um, but yeah, I think my relationship with nature, nature, which I think I mentioned last season and probably the season before is constantly evolving.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, and recently, yeah, I'm just sort of sinking into. Nature as a form of knowledge, um, and continuing to see how I can ensure that relationship symbiotic. Cause I, again, I feel like I gained so much from it and just seeking ways to be able to provide back and learn, learn in a beneficial way.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, yeah. How would you describe your relationship with nature, Marion?
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Thank you so much for asking Anesu. And that's a really um, powerful reflection. Um, there's definitely more to say on like multi species [00:04:00] relationships. So we'll delve into that in kind of key lessons from this season.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, I would say it's been an interesting year because, um, I feel like this, this year, 2024,
Marion Atieno Osieyo: um, I think nature has taught me a lot about time and timings, um, and different seasons. Um, and I felt that a lot this year in terms of, I guess, winter in the UK was really long and time was very expanded and slow and I didn't spend as much time in nature, like being out in nature. So I felt that in my body, I felt that, like, my energy levels were different.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, but also I've been thinking a lot about, um, [00:05:00] time and timings, like when's the right time to do something. And I think in the episode, uh, with Alexis Pauline Gumbs on Uncolonizing Nature, um, they speak about like the importance of timing and understanding that when you have like an idea, when you have, a concept, it may not be the right time to do something.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, and I think nature and the seasons and cycles of nature teach us a lot about the right timing for things and that in every season there is a purpose to it. Um, and I think that is really important when living in a context or a culture which is, pushes for instant things. Which values speed, um, which, yeah, values like instant creation, endless, [00:06:00] endless things, endless productivity, endless pleasure, like endless, like summer, if that makes sense, like abundance, but not in nature's way of abundance, it's more like just more of everything.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, and so I feel like this year I've really tapped into understanding the value of seasons and timing and time and looking at that through the lens of my work in earth care, like when is the right time to do things and how do you connect with that even if it goes against the grain of what society tells you should be like the thing that you're doing or the time that you're doing something.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: So I feel like nature's taught me a lot about time and timing this year. Um, I, I also feel that Um, I have been thinking a lot about time and seasons, [00:07:00] uh, through, yeah, I've been thinking about time through the perspective of seasons, and that's quite a distinctive quality of nature, um, and, yeah. That's also connected to weather and I feel that this year I've felt more intimately the impact of weather and climate change.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: So, like, earlier this year, there were, like, massive floods in Kenya and obviously I have family in Kenya. Um, and then most recently, uh, we had Hurricane Beryl, which is, you know, moving across the Caribbean and having friends who were there and have been severely impacted by Hurricane Beryl, uh, and we know that, like, weather patterns are going to be more intensified, more erratic, um, more impactful, um, as a result of climate change.[00:08:00]
Marion Atieno Osieyo: So I've been thinking a lot about that and, and also I think in the UK, like, the rain has been, um, Whoa, it's been raining all the time. It's just been so much rain, just rain and rain and rain. And yeah, and like reading up about farmers in the UK who were really worried about. you know, the impact of rain in like, um, farming cycles and being able to produce food and being able to harvest.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: So I think, yeah, seasons have also been in my mind and like seasons in relation to weather and what life looks like in a climate, a warming climate, where the things that we use to mark time, like seasons, will no longer be there or as [00:09:00] predictable, um, and how that changes us as like a human species. So yeah, I think my relationship with nature this year has been focused on time, timing and seasons and weather in a weird way, but they're all kind of connected because weather it's been how we as humanity have been marking time historically, and maybe that's going to be different going forward.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, sadly. Um, so yeah,
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: I think that's such an interesting insight into what you're saying. And I think, um, I always find it really interesting seeing whether as a marker of time, because like I grew up in Southeast Asia, um, where sort of the sun rises and sets at the same time throughout the year. We sort of don't have daylight saving and things are quite, you would [00:10:00] assume sort of stable.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: And when I used to think of seasons, I remember growing up, it was literally just rainy season or hot were the two seasons we navigated through. And I think it almost encourages like a practice in listening. Again, it reminds me of sort of Alexis's episode and how it's almost unfortunate that we Like people are being deeply affected by the changes in climate.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, and it feels sort of outside of an ability to change anything, but perhaps a little, so I think there's communities who have been listening to sort of the natural world, um, in terms of navigating, um, their functioning for years and years. But I do think there are other communities who perhaps have lost that.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: And perhaps now, like as an opportunity for those who've lost that connection to rebuild that connection, um, with listening to the earth and almost, yeah, it'd be interesting to see what happens around seasons and if this idea we have of these blocks and these days and [00:11:00] very Eurocentric maybe way of thinking of markers of time, um, begin to open up a bit more and the knowledge we hold from them changing.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, also what you were saying about abundance, um, it kind of reminded me of Melissa's episode and like the, I think there's like 26 principles of biomimicry. And one of them, um, was something around the idea that nature uses the energy it needs.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: And I think maybe as, you know, a society. We have a tendency to use more energy than we have and hold and expect others to use more than is needed and that is had. Um, and I think the word efficiency sounds Yeah. Bound in capitalism and production, but almost there's also like a self efficiency of knowing when to rest and knowing when you have energy and having some left, um, and in a way nature does too.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: I thought those points you mentioned just reminded me a bit of those [00:12:00] episodes and that thinking.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: That's really powerful Anesu. Thank you so much for sharing that. Um. Yeah, I really liked your reflection about like, deep listening, like listening to the earth. Um, yeah, and maybe our attunement as species to the weather has been more about listening to earth and having a deeper connection to earth than using it as like a marker for efficiency and being productive and all of those other, other things.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, yeah. And I wonder how that aspect of us listening to the earth is going to change with, um, with climate change. Um, I don't think it's going to go away because we are nature and we're so connected to the rest of nature, but it's probably going to change in, in different ways. Um, yeah. So nature is always teaching [00:13:00] us something.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: So, um, season three, season three was all about innovation inspired by nature. Um, what was some of your lessons or key takeaways from, from season three?
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: I always struggle with this question when we do the closing episode because every single episode is so [00:14:00] rich with information. And then I genuinely like love listening back to them and Discovering new elements of it and I just also want to say like big up to you for being able to facilitate such enriching conversations and asking such lovely and thoughtful questions.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, but yeah, even from episode one of the season with Tinuke, I think like the ability to bridge, um, maybe like the technical aspect of circular economies, um, And the black soldier flies, I think that was such a powerful way to start, um, because I found it really educational in the sense that it was quite technical, but also understandable.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: And I shared it with lots of people because I think it's like a great entry into how conversations around like the environment and sustainability are, yeah, intersectional and so broad ranging. So, for example, she made of sort of how her grandma is the O. G. No, it [00:15:00] was Francisca (Rockey) wasn't it? The O. G. zero waste, um, queen, and that was something I could just so relate with, um, we always were taught to never throw away packaging, and like, this can be turned into a pot, um, so I think how that episode sort of used examples of Like, yeah, big picture, um, circular economy, sort of how it applies to a local level to then the incredible work that's going on with, um, the black soldier flies.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, it was really, really amazing. And then I also really enjoyed sort of perhaps the more artsy and humanities kind of episodes that spoke more to sort of the, uh, like the lessons we can learn, I think. the presence of sort of art being a tool that we can use to connect with nature. And I think, um, it was such an honor to have the color of transformation, um, musical score as a mini episode.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, I think that was such a, I think there's so many ways to communicate knowledge and exchange knowledge [00:16:00] and express how we relate to nature. So it was such an honor to have Bryony, um, share that with us and enable us to share it with the audience. Um, and I think when we started brainstorming the theme for this season, I never could have imagined like that being part of the season, which was such a beautiful, um, way to share that.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, also I just really enjoyed sort of the discussions around energy justice and like centering it around, um, perhaps like, the, uh, those directly being affected by it and how it's more nuanced than we always immediately think. Um, and I, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, I, yeah, I think that was such a great episode to have.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, I think a lot of what you two discussed is a lot of what we discuss and a lot of what I try to bring into my own, um, world. Um, and I just love the book Undrowned. So to hear about more [00:17:00] about the work and the examples and the lessons being learned was just really enriching. Um, I feel like that's most of the episodes that like I could keep going.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, so many of them, I think perhaps one thing that I think sets the season out from the others is the breadth that was covered as well. I think every episode has. But this one included, um, I think we explored, um, such a range of different avenues, um, which I think was really enjoyable.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Wow. Thank you so much, Anessi, for sharing that.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, yeah, I totally agree with you. I feel like season three was It's like frontier, like it was so just cutting edge in ways that I even sometimes would go into a conversation and be like, actually don't even know the, an [00:18:00] ounce of what we're going to explore here because there's so much beyond, like, my existing knowledge and capacity, but they're also such crucial, like, fundamental lessons and principles in, like, world building and systems change and truly transformative action and engagement.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, yeah, it, season three was amazing. Um, I, I actually want to start off with the artwork for season three. Um, by Shanice DaCosta because that, like, I just gave her, like, a brief of what we were gonna explore in this season. And she went away and, like, created something that was responding to that theme. So there was no, like, guidance from my end and what I wanted to see.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: And I loved, even in that process, It's [00:19:00] like we're having a conversation through art is someone expressing what they are understanding and want to communicate through the theme versus me kind of dictating what they should create. Um, and what Shanice ended up creating was so in sync with the conversations Anesu, um, off air, about kind of reimagining our understanding of the world from a non human centric perspective and like redefining our relationship with other living beings as equals. Um, it was just so like, fantastic and like really encapsulated so much of what, yeah, what I, well, what I envision innovation to be, which is moving. reconciling back to the rest of nature. Um, [00:20:00] and so that was just so inspiring to have that, like, represent the podcast and the season visually.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, I loved how, like, with, uh, Dr. Melissa's episode on biomimicry, Um, that was also very healing for me because I had, and I still am kind of processing a lot of eco grief, just, I guess, coming to terms with the scale and the speed of, um, climate change, of nature loss, um, and how we as like a science community, um, see that what we had predicted is actually happening a lot faster than what we had imagined.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: So I think researching about biomimicry and nature's principles for design and for living and all of that just [00:21:00] really inspired me to be like, wow, we still have so much to learn from nature and so much to give back to nature and the solutions, however challenging they are politically are actually feasible because we have like four and a half billion years of like nature's wisdom to learn from.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, so that was really, uh, a poignant episode for me to, like, research and record for those reasons.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, I loved, um, I loved the episodes with Dr Mfoniso on, um, energy justice in the Niger Delta and Etta Madete's episode on, um, affordable and sustainable housing. Because they reminded me that, like, innovation is equity, [00:22:00] you know, and innovation is social justice.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: I think sometimes when I personally think about innovation, it can be, I think, community led environmental action, equity, social equity are fundamental EarthCare. But I think sometimes realizing that, making sure that everyone has enough to live a good life or to live a life in dignity is innovation. It doesn't have to be this like brand new spanking idea.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: It's actually dignity is innovation, if that makes sense. So I think that was a really firm reminder for me. Um, especially I think sometimes when I am reflecting on wanting like more progressive ideas around certain things, like for example, with like affordable housing. [00:23:00] You know, I would love a housing system that is not market driven, um, that is thinking differently about how we think about homes, how we think about space, um, but at the same time there's a reality that a lot of people are living in very poor quality, very toxic housing arrangements.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, and making sure they have that is a viable reason for innovation as much as it is about making it super sustainable and ecocentric. And those are not competing ideas, but I think in my head, I just had to accept that. Yeah, making sure people have enough is innovation.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, I wanted to speak with you about Alexis, um, Alexis's episode.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: And. You mentioned at the beginning about your relationship with nature and [00:24:00] how you've been exploring a lot more like multi species relationships, which is something that I've been exploring as well, but I just wanted to, yeah, touch on that a bit more with you about that episode and like, um, if there's anything new that emerged for you, because I know you, you've also been researching their work as part of your, uh, dissertation.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: So go ahead, super excited. But yeah, I just wanted to go deeper with you on that because. Yeah, that episode was a lot. It is a lot.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Yeah. Um, also I just want to say that was so beautifully put, um, about what you're saying about innovation being equity and that I think that's just really powerful to think on.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, so thank you for that insight. Um, and yeah, I think My sort of journey and exploration into multi species relationships, I think, really stems from what you're [00:25:00] talking about, about sort of eco anxiety and feeling a bit, sort of feeling a bit hopeless at times about the future of the planet and its people.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, I think I'm finding a lot of power and strength in reminding myself that, yeah, nature is perhaps one of, you know, is the oldest guide available to us. Um, and has always been around and in terms of when I feel hopeless and feel as though I don't have the answers, it's, it's been, um, beneficial to me to look towards nature and realizing I might not know the answers, but surely something and someone, or however you choose to describe nature.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: does, um, given the years and the evolutions it's gone through. [00:26:00] Um, yeah, I've just found a lot of power in putting my trust and faith and hope back towards nature. It's not us who are going to come up with the solutions, right? Um, sort of nature has the solutions and it's up to us to like, listen and tune into those.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, and I think, Yeah, going back to my dissertation, um, it's all about black eco feminist thought. And I think I feel as though a lot of the environmental movement and academic world is really passive. Um, and I came across Alexis's book and in it, I think they say that one of the phrases that shows up the most in their book is I love you, which is not a phrase you see in most academic texts, you know, and sort of bringing, I think it's interesting that we do so much environmental work removed from emotions.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: I don't know anyone really who I've spoken to personally who's doing this work and hasn't felt some form of emotion, whether that's love, [00:27:00] pain, joy. Um, and I think there's something so Yeah, just enriching about, um, being open and honest with the emotions we're all feeling and navigating. And so their book, Undrowned, is sort of, it's not only a guide, it is a scientific academic text, you know, but I think they're just blurring the lines and they're making it more, I think that's part of, you know, Yeah, black ecofeminism, right?
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: It's sort of the structures that are currently there weren't built for us and we need to explore those alternatives that speak to and honor our ways of being. I think that's what we're trying to do with Black Earth as well, isn't it? Like the environmental movement, um, has been built around structures that don't necessarily fit and don't feel like they honor our ways of doing things.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: And so we've created spaces and communities and places for us to listen and learn, um, and connect and converse, you know?
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Uh, so yeah, I think the episodes was [00:28:00] just really special to listen to. And I think Just, I've personally, I've really been enjoying this idea of like, breathing, I think, um, Alexis uses the idea of, I can't remember which seal it is, but being able to navigate different worlds and I think that's something perhaps I've always struggled with a bit in society, you know, like finding your place.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: I think regardless of who you are, there must be moments where you're struggling to fit in or find your place or find where you add value and it's like, yeah, rooting yourself within your breath and. Just breathing in and taking that time, um, has been, again, like, really enriching to, yeah, just my personal journey.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, and. Yeah, these ideas of like uncolonizing nature and yeah, how do we go about decolonizing everything, you know, and even that like terminology, I don't know, I think is problematic, but I think there's so much interesting work going on that is like [00:29:00] challenging why and how we do things and yeah, like, it's nice to see sort of podcasts now being seen, perhaps taken more seriously as, um, academic texts or like academic resources and references or, um, as valid forms of knowledge and exchange because everyone we've had on this podcast is an expert, you know, in their field.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: But if you think of, um, people who we see as being experts, it's not necessarily all these incredible women and people we have had on this podcast. So, yeah, I think. I'm very much deep in my, how do we change and provide alternatives, you know, building alternative worlds and what are the spaces in which we can do that? And how do we facilitate that?
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: And how do we, yeah, and almost maybe that's the goal. And then me returning to nature selfishly is my way of finding the energy to do that because, yeah, nature holds me so, so well and with so much [00:30:00] kindness. But yeah, that's a bit of a ramble. Um, but thank you for that question.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: It's definitely not a ramble, Anesu.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: It's really profound, um, and very true, um, building alternative worlds. Um, yeah, I really also resonate with this idea of like, not, not having like a space that you fit in, into society. Um, and I think a lot of black eco feminist thought is about not just creating alternative spaces, but it's also like acknowledging the existence of both and, um, because a lot of categories in society is about either or, like, you can either exist in this or that, but we as creators, as practitioners are always [00:31:00] seeking to bring both and, and I think Alexis speaks really profoundly about that in that episode on, uncolonising nature, um, and how blackness is, um, an experience of multiple worlds at the same time.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, and yeah, they also reference like the shoreline being a connection between two different worlds. So like earth and like water and the ocean and like being someone who exists in both is like, that's the most visible representation of what it means to. To hold multiple worlds together, um, and it's very exciting to create spaces where multiple expressions of self, multiple worlds can exist because they also challenge in a good way, the [00:32:00] existing categories and how they came to be, you know, if that makes sense, and I think a really profound example of that is around the definition of nature, um, you know, um.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: In, within the English language, for example, most recently, nature has been defined as non human.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, so everything else that isn't human is defined as nature. But that's not true because we, as human beings, are nature. Um, and that then begs the question, when in history did, as a species, did we decide that we weren't part of nature? Which then links back to the colonial experiment, right? And all these things and categories that were developed to then ensure that a certain group of people were able to have supremacy over other beings.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: which [00:33:00] included human beings as well as the rest of nature. So it is really beautiful to exist in this space of like, um, innovation in this space of like creating alternative worlds, because we're also unlearning so much. And at the same time, we, because our goal is about reconciling with nature, we're attuning deeply to nature.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: We're trying to listen more to nature, um, in different ways, right? And that then transforms our practice as well.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: So I just loved how,
Marion Atieno Osieyo: the reason why I also love, like, centering all that we're trying to do around earth care is because, like, the end goal is really, like, exciting. [00:34:00] Um, I get overwhelmed sometimes when, like, just focusing on climate justice, because, you know, It's like the end goal is averting like extinction, but with earth care, I think there's something a lot more, uh, life giving, not that climate justice isn't life giving, but turning to nature to learn from nature, moving with the intention of reconciling with nature is, brings a lot more life into the conversation.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, because you, you know, you try to understand why nature is the way is how we can be part of nature in a more transformative. and truthful way, like returning to truth. And so it's life giving. Um, so yeah, I found Alex's episode really profound and resonates [00:35:00] with questions I've been asking about like our relationship with other species, other living beings, um, and how that's transforming us as, as human beings, um, as black people too.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Right.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Yeah. So yeah, that was season three. That was season three. Um, okay. So we're here at the end. Uh, what's to come? How is Black Earth evolving? Anesu, what's to come? What do we think?
Marion Atieno Osieyo: What do we hope for? What are we ready for?
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Such, [00:36:00] such big questions. Um, yeah, what's next? Um, it's so interesting again, like going back to what we were discussing, um, about time and like the linear, uh, linearity of it all.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: And I do feel as though Black Earth is just like evolving and not a straight line, but I love mind maps. I don't know. I sort of picture it reaching out with like loads of prongs, maybe like octopus prongs and just continuing to grow in different avenues. Um, and some of those will stop. Some of those will continue.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, and exactly what it looks like. I'm not too sure. I think we've had discussions about like, Black Earth as a whole and Black Earth the podcast and Black Earth beyond. But, um, when we very first started at the beginning of season one, um, we sort of spoke a lot about our values and I think [00:37:00] what I continue to see for Black Earth and I think what we've been able to hold on to is sort of like to inspire, to educate and to communicate, you know.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: and have that all rooted in love and joy. Um, and I see that continuing to be next. I see a book club. Hopefully at some point I see more in person events. Hopefully, um, I see, yeah, I just see more and more conversations really. Um, and. And yeah, I see perhaps not your standard linear progression, but growth and I think like growth in a holistic sense, as opposed to growth in which the market likes to push.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Um, but yeah, I don't know. What about you, Marion? What do you see next? It's a hard question to answer.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: It is. It is. Um, I think we definitely. We have some exciting projects in the works, [00:38:00] which we're super excited to share with our community. Um, I'm very proud of the fact that our values and our vision as a podcast is still center and core to what we, what we practice.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, and that is super important to me. I think if you're trying to do anything long term. You have to know your why, and you have to have your values from the jump. Otherwise, yeah, it's hard to make decisions going forward. Um, I definitely see more community centered growth, um, as you've mentioned. So creating stuff that brings people in community.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Creating opportunities that brings people together in community. Um, because I think that's, that's the true source of abundance. Um, Earth is a community. It's, it's actually like that's how Earth is, but [00:39:00] also I know that when you create space for people to come together and learn from each other, they also grow and, um, community is also very life giving.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Especially the work that we do can be very intense, um, just being confronted with the reality of change. So I definitely see that, um, we had our first virtual event for World Environment Day in collaboration with Climate Conscious Podcast, Derval. And that was looking at transformative approaches to land restoration.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: So that was really epic and we're looking forward to doing more of that. Um, and I also see us creating space to. Yeah, redefine storytelling, redefine communications, creating space to support, um, um, innovators in this space. You know, every person that we've interviewed is not just an expert, but they actually are creating new stuff, sometimes entirely new [00:40:00] disciplines.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: Um, and how do you support them to be able to do that? Um, how can Black Earth be in service to that? Um, yeah, creating alternative worlds, um, and alternative solutions. So I definitely see us having a space for that. Um, and yeah, we're currently fundraising too.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: So any funders, any billionaire daddies, you need to holler at us. You need to let go of those billions. Just let it go. And connect with us.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: And then she's like, what is she doing? No, I'm like, hit us up. Yeah, you need to let go, let go of it. Um, let the wealth transfer begin today and connect with us. No, but seriously, we want, uh, resources to be able to do this work well and to honor, [00:41:00] um, the ideas of not just us as creators, but of the community that we're creating.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: So. Yeah, we are definitely in the business of that at the moment, uh, which is super exciting to connect, uh, with Mission Aligned, uh, funders. So, yeah, reach out to us.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: But, um, I'm very excited for the growth of Black Earth and I'm excited by the plans that we already have, which are coming to fruition very soon.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: But also, um, the plans that we have for the coming year. So yeah, it's been great. Thank you so much, um, to everyone who's tuned in. Thank you to our guest speakers who have really, you know, have made so much effort to be able to like fit in the recordings into their busy schedules and amidst, like, life changing experiences, amidst, like, illnesses, they've really showed up to record this [00:42:00] podcast.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: So, I'm very, very grateful to every single person that we featured. Um, thank you to Anesu for being an amazing teammate. Um, it's so great to create with you, um, and to learn from you as well. Um, and to Shanice and Elliot as well, who are our other contributors to the podcast in terms of visual design and editing and, um, yeah, this is not the end.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: It's the end of season three, but there's actually so much more we have planned this year. So, um, yeah, connect with us on social media. Um, that's probably the best way because we'll be announcing loads of really cool stuff in the coming weeks. So, yeah, thank you. Any final words, Anesu?
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: Uh, just a big thank you to you, Marion, for all the work you do.
Anesu Matanda Mambingo: And, um, yeah, it's been such an honour working with you, um, on all these seasons, um, and for more to come, more exciting things to come. [00:43:00] Um, but yeah, just to echo what you said of all the thanks to all the people and the community, um, who've been involved. Um, and yeah, watch this space.
Marion Atieno Osieyo: A hundred percent. A hundred percent.