How many times a day do you hear about ‘disconnecting in the digital age’? It’s become mundane background noise in the dialogue about technological isolation – but with the UK just appointing the first ever ‘Minister for Loneliness’, our emotional and mental dissonance is becoming a chronic social issue. With so many virtual reality options at our fingertips, we’ve lost touch of what it means to really be living. But what do we do about it? Here to reconnect us and restore that natural balance is Roar and Restore.
The luxurious retreat escape has been described as ‘TED Talks on Safari’, and ROAR AFRICA believes they have the solution to disengagement, over-saturation and procrastination. This is one step further than merely switching off and digital detoxing: it’s ‘rewilding’.
In conservation, this is a term applied to restoring natural processes to rejuvenate damaged habitats, and protect and restore essential ecosystems. ROAR AFRICA is applying this to human nature: aiming to undo our social conditioning and learnt bad habits, the retreat will help guests reconnect to their ‘innate wildness’ through a series of talks designed to reframe your thinking. Among the lineup of inspiring speakers are retreat host Pat Mitchell, former President of PBS Television, CEO of CNN and curator of the TEDWomen Conference; Dr Ian McCallum, the author of Ecological Intelligence: Rediscovering Ourselves in Nature; Laura Turner Seydell, conservationist and daughter of Ted Turner; and Tracy Harrison, the scientist founder of Eat On Purpose, which is changing the way practitioners look at wellness.
The five-day retreat, curated by Deborah Calmeyer and Pat Mitchell, is hosted in The Laikipia Plateau at Kenya’s luxury Segera Retreat. With the shadow of Mount Kenya in the distance, the semi-arid plateau plains are home to herds of buffalo and African elephants, graceful antelope and giraffes, and of course, predatory lions, leopards and cheetahs. It’s also a refuge for the endangered Grevy’s Zebra and Black Rhino.
The adventure-packed retreat offers intellectual stimulus to engage the mind, activities to challenge the body, and a restorative setting to awaken the soul. The question with the Roar and Restore retreat isn’t if you’ll discover yourself; it’s what you’ll discover. Are you ready to reawaken your wildness?
Limited availability, April 16-21, 2018 | Visit roarafrica.com or email deb@roarafrica.com for more information.
