African Dream

When I was a child, early Sunday evenings were some of my unhappiest times.  The weekend was coming to a close, and the next day would bring something I dreaded – school.  My final reprieve before another week of subjugation was a joyous voyage to faraway lands: Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.

It was here that I encountered lions and elephants and other magnificent animals living not behind fences or in cages, but freely and unfettered on the plains of Africa.  My imagination was captivated.

But it was not until I was almost 50 years old that I finally made my first journey to Africa.  That trip was one of the few times in my life where the reality actually matched up to my expectations, exceeded them, in fact, and I have returned to this incredible continent time and again ever since.

I call this collection of photographs “African Dream” because, in this limited context, they present an idealized version of an African wilderness that is devoid of human presence.  While the savannas, forests, and jungles of modern-day Africa are, in some places, still vast and pristine, they are also home to a burgeoning population of people who depend on the land for their survival as much as the iconic wildlife species for which they are justly famous.

Fortunately, new conservation initiatives, such as those implemented by African Parks and other organizations, are designed to ensure that local communities living alongside protected areas will receive benefits as well as the wildlife. Hopefully, these modern-day efforts will help to to preserve a remaining slice of wild Africa, allowing future generations a chance to experience the same dreams that I have been privileged enough to glimpse in my own lifetime.