" Pa dare "

“Pa dare”

I have called this painting “Pa dare” (pronounced Pa dari) - this literally translates from Shona as

The Place of meeting

however, used in context, it means

The Place of Meeting for Respectful Gentleman

The reason for this name is clear as the picture is centered on the Muuyu –  as seen from the East–directly opposite over the river on the Chewore north side.

The tree is our meeting place, where we meet annually with “our brother”.  The meeting is not a noisy affair – it is quiet and respectful, where we remember and, as we watch the movie that is our minds, we see life for what it is - beautiful and unpredictable.

The Elephant beside the tree is leaving to join others who are feeding close by that have left the shade of this great tree  - just as we do when we leave this life to join others that have left before us.

There are few things that depict Africa as well as the Baobab! They have an aura around them that is almost inexplicable. Great scars that adorn their massive trunks like medals won in some far off campaign - create the character that we feel – when we stare up their majestic presence!

They are quintessential to Africa, and it is fitting that one of them is our meeting place!

Below the sun sets on another meeting place – a pan, like so many of those magnificent sites that we have had the pleasure of visiting – it symbolizes the peace and synergies of nature in an otherwise seemingly harsh environment.

Symbolically the elephant and the baboon represent two things – firstly our trek into the meeting place (I am the elephant by the way!) and secondly they have been the subject of many hours of thought and discussions around the many camp fires that we have shared in the Zambezi Valley

The wild dog  the hunters – predators –  us perhaps? – also looking into “Pa dare“, because as we well know – we also meet there!

As we have so often said– Life is short – live it, feast on it, smell the roses!

Will Maberly 2012