I am called Clara AgborTabi, Alumni and Partnerships Co-Coordinator, (they/them). I was born in Atlanta, GA and raised in Cameroon, West Africa. I feel extremely blessed because I can truly say I was raised by a village – my mother had 10 siblings, my dad had 4 of his own, and together, they had enough cousins to populate a small village. I grew up close to the land but did not yet have a relationship with Her.
My love affair with nature started after I joined the Peace Corps. Living on the banks of the great Niger River in a small community, Tindo, I started to uninstall the programming that Capitalism lodged in me
It took me nearly 10 years of professional work life after that to realize that all I really wanted was to be in direct contact with the earth daily. I have found a new kind of joy in growing my own food, and dream of enabling others to find a similar excitement about reconnecting with the land. More recently, I have sunk into my love of life, and all that strive to further life, and have encountered “mycelium” — a most fascinating collaborative life form that cradles the ground we walk on. I am experimenting on different growth mediums with Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) Mushrooms and working to develop materials and workshops accessible to all.
Coming across Soul Fire Farm has inspired me, with all the stories of communities reclaiming land and ancestral wisdom. This community is propelling me along the path to be a kind and attentive steward of the land; to live in harmony with the earth including all Her inhabitants, to reclaim what was stolen, and restore it forth to the rightful owners.
It turns out you have to lose yourself, to find yourself. So here I am – seeking.