STORYTELLER:
Mara is a multi-award-winning, internationally touring storyteller, writer and narrative artist, who draws on her rich, dual Kenyan/Scottish cultural heritage, to create worlds that explore contemporary issues through legend, myth and fantasy. She believes that stories are our lifeblood. They root us to the past, inspire our present and enable us to imagine our future. In her own unique way, she retells ancient stories, crafts new narratives and helps others find their own story.
AUTHOR:
Her award-winning novel ‘Blood and Gold’ is published by Birlinn and can be found in all good bookshops.
NATURE LOVER:
Founder of Msitu wa Ndoto (Forest of Dreams), Mara is passionate about using our stories to inspire, inform and imagine our futures. Through her work with Panga ya Saidi / Saidi’s cave, (Africa’s oldest human burial site), she is inspired to work with this extraordinary venue as a nucleus for engaging, imaginative learning and re-rooting into our history and connection with the earth and ourselves.
HOSTING:
‘Kwa Mara’ is a beautiful, forested plot overlooking a breathtakingly beautiful creek at the Kenyan coast. With several different accommodations to choose from, all crafted from natural materials, wood, earth and coconut thatch, and space for meditations, conversations with God, writing, reading, creating, this is a place to nurture the practices of both stillness and creativity. We host workshops, retreats, residencies and private re-connections to self. Nature abounds, including bushbabies, monitor lizards and plentiful birds. We are 100% off-grid with solar power and rainwater harvesting. We try to source traditional African systems of wellbeing, that speak to mind, body, spirit and emotion.
