Put your back into it (even ice cubes can dance)

I came to equatorial Africa

Hot sun, hot earth

And realised 

I am an ice cube

The women here

dance with a sun inside them

They rotate and jiggle in 360 degrees —

Make it stand out

all at the same time

Their mouths hips laughter 

are loose

and melted

like unlicked ice cream in the desert 

Dance! they said

I learned the moves

Simple

But when I got up 

and did my thing 

it was as if I’d been in the fridge for too long

Dancing looked so effortless for them

Natural

I felt like a plastic barbie doll being rattled

Why can’t I move?

I thought I was frozen because my skin is white as snow

I thought my ancestors had simply had too many winters covered in heavy and quiet layers

With chilled still bodies

But now I read the clues,

not just collect them

Frozen little princess

trapped in her rigid palace

with doors and windows sealed from the inside

It’s not a palace if you can’t get out

Little princess, it’s time to grow up

We have work to do 

and dances to dance

Searching for a trapdoor

means you’ll always find it

Just put your back into it

This was a diary entry from when I first arrived in Gabon Africa. When I first was discovering how frozen I truly was.

The Bwiti tradition thaws you. Heart. Mind. Body.

🔥

They've been practicing these rituals for transformation for thousands of years. They know what they're doing.

If you're interested in learning about the Bwiti tradition, iboga or traditional spirituality from Africa, you're invited to this free talk with my mentor!

If you’re interested in the Bwiti tradition of Gabon, Africa, join us for this free talk.