WATER HAS NO ENEMY
“…there is a primitive element of play water brings that no other element does.”
Two days ago, a group of colleagues and I took a trip to Owu waterfall, the highest waterfall in West Africa. It was a 3-hour journey plus a 3.3km uphill hike to the fall itself. It pushed the boundaries of adventure and bordered on stress. Although most people complained through the hike, asking, “are we there yet?” the moment we stepped into the awe dropping dive of the waters, I watched as people’s stress dissolved away. One after the other, we stepped into the towering showers of the fall and played for what felt like forever. Then it occurred to me that there is a primitive element of play water brings that no other element does.
Do you remember as a child when you would spend hours in the bathroom, singing and dancing until your mother would show up with a cane to drag you out? Or the unexplainable urge to go play in the rain? Or walking to the receding water at the beach only to run away when it comes back at you? I bet you still spend hours in the shower hosting your concert.
I have noticed this play element in almost all my encounters with water. In my university days, my coursemates and I would spend virtually every opportunity for an academic excursion going to the beach. We had too much fun for a group of architects who had jury defence in a few days. I would watch as people — scared of the water- would start off by rolling up their jeans, but they were splashing around with everyone else in a few minutes.
“It is quite unfortunate that the average African is trained to be scared of water.”
It could be that our biological adaptation makes us happy at the sight of water. Because the pre-historic man couldn’t carry water around with him on his wanderings and would go thirsty for days, seeing water always positively affected him. It could also be the soothing effect water has on us. The gentle touch of cold water on a hot day and warm water on cold mornings regulates something in us that is deeply satisfying. This also explains why it is a perfect setup for coming up with great ideas.
It is quite unfortunate that the average African is trained to be scared of water. This is because, like everything, there are two sides to water: the playful companion that soothes you and the defiant aggressor that kills you. It makes sense to be scared of something as untamed as water. When accompanied by the forces of nature, it forms such an unstoppable alliance that wipes out everything in its path. Just give water enough momentum or put an unskilled swimmer in a large mass of it and watch water turn against you fast.
Despite these, you still can’t hate on water. You’re made up of 60% of it, the earth is made up of 71% of it, and you’d die without it. Just as the African philosopher, Fela Anikulapo Kuti opined: “Water, e no get enemy”.
