At Londolozi, where birds sing on your balcony and guitars and voices join together around the campfire, music is never far away. It’s a place to tune out distractions and tune in to the rhythms and melodies of the natural world. Though it’s easy to mistake the absence of noise for empty silence, in reality that silence is rich with the notes and cadences of nature: the symphonic serenity of the bush.
On a recent game drive, we came upon a pair of giraffes enjoying a mid-afternoon meal. When Trainee Ranger Dan cut the engine, the sounds of the bush came into focus, and we sat in beautiful silence listening to the rhythmic crunch of the giraffes’ rubbery mouths working through the thorny acacia leaves.
In that moment, a song blew into my head:
Sunlight shining in your eyes
As I face the desert skies
And my thoughts return to home
Yes, my thoughts return to home
I watched wide-eyed, mesmerized by the sight – and even more so the sound – of these beautiful, unlikely creatures going about their day.
Underneath the mountain ranges
Where the wind that never changes
Touch the windows of my soul
Touch the windows of my soul
The song was “Child Of Nature,” an unreleased demo that John Lennon wrote in 1968 while he and the Beatles were in Rishikesh, India (the track ultimately came out in 1971, rerecorded with new lyrics as “Jealous Guy”). It was one of many trips Lennon took to jumpstart his creativity, including a little-known pilgrimage to South Africa in the summer of 1980. He never made it to Londolozi (he spent only a few days in Cape Town, meditating in the garden of the Mount Nelson Hotel), but after sailing to Bermuda that same summer, he had his first songwriting breakthrough in five years, inspired no doubt by the drastic change of scene and the heightened presence of nature around him.
I’m just a child of nature
I don’t need much to set me free
I’m just a child of nature
I’m one of nature’s children
That’s the power of a place like Londolozi, a place buzzing with the music and energy of the natural world. Like almost every Beatles song, Londolozi is about a revolution of peace and love, hope and homecoming: a place of total harmony.
The type of zebra crossing we’re used to at Londolozi…
…and that other type of zebra crossing.
It’s about coming together in a spiritual realignment with nature, about finding inspiration in the sounds and the silence around us, about getting back to where we once belonged. And the restorative, inspirational power of the bush has proven results: after all, Paul McCartney dreamt up Sgt. Pepper’s on his flight home from an African safari.
What will you imagine on your next trip here?
Lovely blog Michael. In the wilds of Africa you find your true destiny. In nature, inspiration.
I think if Lennon had made it into the African bush you would have problems getting him out. I find the idea of him at the Mount Nelson in 1980 very strange
Michael, Thanks for your inspiring words and relating an insightful connection between the Bealtles and nature! And welsome to the Londolozi family! BTW, your Boma photo is from one of our visits to Londolozi years ago with James Tyrrell and Dave Dampier on the guitars – a magical night for sure!
Nature is indeed inspiring and the connection between Nature and music is real and true….. Beautiful blog, thank you.
Michael, this is such a powerful story. I loved the poem, who was written by? Or is your own creation!
Thank you Joan! Wish I could claim the lyrics as my own, but they’re John’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGAw_k3maXs
From words first read in a book, you’ve made the connection to a deep and lasting journey within the boundaries of Londolozi, discovering along the way your own track and the music all around you. Embrace, enjoy!
Such an interesting blog Michael. I learnt a few things about John Lennon that I ought to have known and yes I imagine that if Lennon had visited Londoz, we would have had even more of his inspirational contribution to the music world.
There is a wonderfully deep connection between nature and it’s silence, which brings a kind of solace and refreshing of one’s spirit.