Its always nice to see an award-winning documentary crew put together such a nice piece on your friends work. Beautiful film Allan Schwarz and Mezimbite Forest Centre. youtu.be/5TTZ8YN2KxU When South African architect Allan Schwarz retired from his Teaching Fellow position at M.I.T., he decided to return to the African continent and put his expertise to work on the ground in Mozambique. Founded in 1994 after the Mozambican Civil War, the Mezimbite Forest Centre, not only restores forests but creates beautifully-handcrafted products by training the people in the community, primarily for the benefit of the people who live near the resources. “I taught at MIT – it’s a hell of a difference teaching grad students in one of the top universities on the planet to teaching semi-literate guys where this is the only job opportunity they will have in their life.” With 6 percent formal sector employment in Mozambique, Allan attests that, “Willingness is not a shortage here.” “It is not that what we do [at Mezimbite] is heroic; it is what other people do that is shameful – and that is, they are not putting back,” he says upon reflection of maintaining and restoring the forest’s resources. “This is my life’s work…I’d rather die doing this then being an architect for the big corporations. Let the other guys do that,” reflects Schwarz. “I don’t have any allusions that I’m saving the planet. I do however believe that if I can convince another half a dozen people life myself to put in the effort, that there is a better chance.”
Posted on: Sun, 26 Jan 2014 23:22:11 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015