The slow movement concept in the African continent

As we all know, slow means “at a lower speed, not quick or fast”. This is the opposite of what many peoples lifestyles have become, but who is to blame?

The creation of fast food chains has integrated the concept of “on the go meal” instead of actually sitting down and enjoying your meal. The introduction of low cost flights and touristic holiday packages has introduced the concept of mass tourism and short break travel instead of spending more time at a destination to really get to know its culture and people.  This goes on with almost every aspect of our lives. It is as if a “fast forward” button has been created into existence to speed everything up, to always be on the go and plan everything in advance. The saddest part? Most people think this is the correct way to live because most of the society lives like this. When we do not live like this we feel as though we are behind or not successful enough. But let’s think, why are we trying to slow down and reconnect again then?

Nowadays we see families shifting their kids to home schooling, people choosing alternative diet options such as veganism, spiritual activities such as yoga which tries to evocate the idea of needing to pause and reconnect with yourself. We are trying to recreate a more simpler way of life, something that resembles more the traditional way of living.

We are trying to recreate a more simpler way of life, something that resembles more the traditional way of living.

On our first article; Going to the source: nature we mention the idea of disconnection. This is exactly what we are looking for, to reconnect. To feel connected to life once again, to people, to ourselves, to our friends & family, to the food we eat, the places we visit, the cosmetics we use – we want to live a connected life.

The Slow Movement concept

This desire has lead to the creation of The Slow Movement. The whole idea talks about how we lost connection to aspects of our life, to mother nature and the natural rhythms around us and how we can reconnect. Smaller concepts have come out of this movement such us slow cities, slow food, slow travel, slow cosmetics, slow living, slow money, slow fashion etc.

Africa and the slow movement

Continents such as Africa have been misinterpreted and misunderstood because of the creation of stereotypes. A lot of people think of it as a backward continent, full of poverty, corruption and illnesses.  This is the reason why many do not want to even travel here because they think they will catch malaria or because it’s too dangerous and unsafe.

Whilst we are trying to recreate the slow movement, people in this continent are already living this kind of movement, they just don’t know it because they are unaware of such concepts. The essence of most African countries is living in the present and enjoying their daily lives. You mention depression to an African and they may ask you what is depression? They are connected to their food, most families have their own chickens and goats. They use fresh produce and cook their traditional recipes. Families tend to live all together under one same roof. Children grow up knowing their cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents and other relatives. They are born connected and this is reflected in their strong sense of community and support towards each other.

They are born connected and this is reflected in their strong sense of community and support towards each other.

The Slow cosmetics concept

Slow cosmetics is a term which came up in 2012 by the Belgian aromatherapist and cosmetician Julien Kaibeck. The idea of this is to encourage everyone to use cosmetics that are more natural and all other aspects it implies; understanding a different type of beauty model, more sustainable production, understanding the importance of healthy eating and a more paused lifestyle.

Yet again, we can attribute all of this to Africas way of using cosmetics and caring for themselves. From shea butter, to African black soap, coconut oil and many others, this concept is already unknowingly used here because it is integrated in their culture and tradition. Shea butter for example, is considered to be the “African gold” because of its many uses and benefits. It has been used for centuries, specially by women who use it for beauty purposes or even as an ingredient for cooking.

Conclusion

This continent is a great example of slow movement; from its food, to the cosmetics or lifestyle in general.  While we are trying to recreate that kind of life, Africa are already living in it.