By Susan Otieno, Kenya
I grew up at the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya. For us the lake was everything and our life revolved around it. It provided us with water, it was a source of leisure, it was a point of connectivity with our neighbours, and it provided food for us and our animals. My world seemed so complete around the lake as it provided us with all our basic needs. But my grandmother, during one of her storytelling sessions, told us about an even bigger lake located far, far away whose waters were salty and very effective in treatment of wounds and any skin condition. She told us she learnt this through her friend who had visited her son there. The friend, she told us, had a wound that had refused to heal despite treatment with the best herbal medicines that were available in the village. During her visit she was taken to see the “big lake”, and she waded in it upon her son’s encouragement. When she woke up the following day, her persistent wound was less painful. Her son encouraged her to visit the big lake daily during her one week stay and by the time she was leaving there was remarkable healing of the wound. She also told my grandma that the big lake would go to sleep far away from around 9 am and only return in the afternoon when it woke up. The story made me start to imagine many things about this big lake. I wished to see this lake, especially its sleeping sessions.
I got to know the exact name of the big lake in 6th grade at school, when the teacher taught us about “the ocean”, how we are surrounded by it and how it supports life. My eagerness to visit this massive water body continued to grow. But this didn’t happen until my 2nd year at the University when we visited the Kenyan coast, and I was finally able to see and touch the ocean water. At University, we learnt of many characteristics of the ocean but my grandmother’s story about the healing power of the ocean water stuck with me. I am now a professional in the marine space, having studied marine management up to advanced levels. I still view the ocean as a healer, due to the fact that it sustains the universe and us. The food we get from it is good for our health, and from its ability to sequester CO2 from the air it contributes to the wellbeing of the universe that we live in. It protects us from many calamities and provides us with the oxygen that we breathe. The ocean therefore is important to our healthy wellbeing!
“Journeys to the Sea” is a new series of inspiring stories that highlight the personal connections of marine professionals with the ocean. As a follow up to World Oceans Day on June 8th, WIOMSA is excited to launch a three-month-long celebration dedicated to the ocean. The series will feature 34 unique stories from across the Western Indian Ocean region. These stories will share firsthand accounts of ocean-related experiences, reflections, and narratives from participants who have been part of the Sida-funded International Training Programme on marine spatial planning, “Planning for a Sustainable Blue Future in the Western Indian Ocean”. The stories have been part of the Ocean Storytelling component of the workshop, led by Dr Mia Strand, Nelson Mandela University.
Feature photo: Crested terns over the ocean, Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park, Kenya. © Kenya Wildlife Service
