The Rock with an Elephant Soul

My safari guide says, “there’s a rock painting” he wants to show me.  I’m in the Northern Rangelands region of  Kenya, staying at Sarara and their newer sister camp, The Tree House, for some down-time between two safaris I’m leading.

 

I’ve seen African rock paintings before – the Bushmen’s faint drawings, of elongated giraffes and eland, eroded by weather and illegal human touch.  So I’m looking forward to these.

 

We drive over small sage-scented scrub as Bashia searches for familiar landmarks. There will never be any signs to find this place. “There’s no clearly worn path yet because the painting was only completed two days ago. Not many people have seen it.”

 

This area is not on the popular safari circuit. It has long been a favorite haunt for poachers, followed by trophy hunters, who consequently wiped out the wildlife. But, in recent years the local Samburu people and others are reversing that trend by bringing in tourism to boost the local economy. It’s working. The animals know it’s safe to come back.

 

We pull up to a massive boulder, the size of which is just shy of the width of a soccer field. At first I don’t see anything but a reddish, gray and brown tinged rock face. A beginner-rock-climbers dream. But as I stare, she comes into focus. A massive elephant head, extending the full depth of the boulder, painted by someone who obviously has a feel and love for his subject and his canvas.

 

I back away, so I can take in the enormous painting. The elephant is staring right at me, her ancient energy embedded into the permanency of this rock.

My guide does not know much about the artist or why he chose this spot. I find out later that Youri Cansell, a young Frenchman also known as Mantra Yoz, is famous for his photorealistic detailed works and is one of the world’s top contemporary graffiti artists. (See some of his images here.)

 

Growing up, Youri wanted to be a naturalist. Now, he makes larger-than-life murals of his favorite beings he found in Nature as a child – butterflies, frogs, raptors,  and… an elephant.  And he does them without the use of grids.

Here he has given this rock a soul. I can feel it. It’s a homage and honoring of the largest land animal on earth. An apology for what has, and is still, happening to their kind. A big elephant size message to welcome elephants back to this land.

 

But at this moment I don’t want thoughts and explanations for what is in front of me. I simply want to stand in the presence and sacredness of this collaboration between artist, rock and elephant.

 

I imagine that for eons into the future, both the Samburu people, and the wild elephants, who randomly find this spot, will do the same.  They will stand right here, in awe.

I would love to hear your reaction to this elephant rock painting. Please let me know in the comment section below.