I am extremely blessed that the international climate work I’ve been given the responsibility to do, has allowed me to enter rooms and sit with people who have done great things. I’ve been in the presence of dictators and those who embody humanity in every step they take. And in every single space my eyes search for certain community. For people who feel like home, with whom I don’t need to go into an elaborate thesis of why a certain thing has inflicting damage or brings joy, but rather with whom there is a sincere understanding. For me time and time again, its been people who speak the language of the land. I love the way we love. Ancient peoples, tribal peoples, colonized peoples. How regardless of the rivers, forests, mountains we come from, we swell up with duahs/ prayer/ blessing for each other. I have come to depend on this camaraderie. And I think we have every right to keep these connections sacred, protected and not for public consumption. Because too often in rooms of such grandiosity, the audience we are expected to speak to is seldom the people we come from, the people we eat with, the people we go home to. Rather it is to external, not knowing cultures, where we tread the fine line of exotic and insightful. It is a blessing to be able to share wisdom and point of view, to have people lean in to listen- but politic, advocacy, talk is fleeting and it doesn’t always make you feel good. We need more listening sessions than stages, we need more space to sit than we need fancy chairs, we need more song than speeches and we (colonized peoples) need more time and opportunities with each other. Thank you @helenagualinga @xiyebeara for recreating this, for being the community I get to learn from, speak with and come home to.