society

Denis was born and raised in a village in Cameroon. He comes from a large family; his father had two wives and 13 children. The lifestyle of Denis’ family was pretty much self sufficient. Everyone in the family had to do their bit to help out, so from an early age, Denis knew about hunting, gathering and farming. Growing up in a village near the rainforest undoubtedly had a huge impact on Denis’ sense of connection with nature, and gave him a deeper understanding of how diverse ecosystem the earth is.

Yo was born in a small town in the Netherlands. She lost both her parents when she was very young. She grew up with different families, and later  in a house with other young people in similar circumstances. Yo has an older sister who started squatting houses when Yo was in her early teens. So collective ways of living and the unconventional is something Yo is very familiar with and comfortable with.

Andrew is English, but spent his youth with his parents in France. Growing up, he had some environmental awareness, but did not plan a career or a life in the field. After going to university, he kept in touch with his friends, and was impressed by their level of material success and interested in who had bought a new car. Until one day he wasn’t. Without realising it, he had shifted his value system, and was much more interested in quality of life, seeing if his friends were happy and having meaningful relationships.