Celebrating South African Conservationist Ian Player (Part 2)
- Publisher:
- 5050 Community
- Publication Date:
- 1 June 2011
- Tags:
- South Africa, Wildlife
A conservationist celebrated: Ian Player is a conservation icon and in this special insert, he shares his feelings with 50|50 viewers on the interconnectedness between man and nature that have dominated his thinking as a leading light in the world of conservation. JOURNEY WITHIN is a phrase Ian uses frequently in relation to man's encounter with the wilderness and is exactly what he does as he talks to our cameras about the most important influences that have helped shape his response to the natural world. We revisit his early days in Lake St Lucia, Ndumo and Imfolozi where he developed a deep love for wilderness areas, we meet Magqubu Ntombela from whom he learnt so much, chat about Laurens van der Post who in turn was influenced by the teachings of psychologist Carl Gustav Jung -- two people Ian looks up to. Walking through the wilderness for Ian is a reawakening of the senses when every sight, smell, sound takes on a new dimension. He says it is a time for introspection, for communicating with nature in a way primitive man must have done aeons ago. "I have taken people into the wilderness of Africa....the natural world of Africa and without saying a word, just looking at the natural world, it's as if they have had a religious experience."
