Nature Photography - Therapy Amidst the Episodes of Pandemic Lockdowns and Curfews

 It was at the start of Covid lockdowns in March 2020 that I realised I remained with mother nature as the only friend within reach whereas family and colleagues were distanced from by the pandemic. I needed therapy for anxiety, stress & pressure caused by the pandemic alongside the research challenges for my Master’s thesis [presented at the (AORTIC) International Conference and published at the Journal of Clinical Oncology], and the uncertainties of getting back into the business world while applying and networking. It’s through walking, hiking and biking I was able to take care of myself and use the most feasible therapy at the time - photography.

In the process, I  was able to embrace the beauty of nature and could capture moments, which I didn’t keep for myself; but ended up sharing to the family, friends, and colleagues I was distanced from and the world on social platforms like WhatsApp, Twitter, and Instagram. You might have missed a healthy timeline :)! I love the fact that I was able to understand how mother nature is not only hospitable and the primary teacher but also realised how it offers cost-free therapy! Talking of universal health coverage, nature is accessible, anytime and anywhere, and you need not worry about catastrophic expenditures.

More importantly, through this experience, I understood more why caring for animals and plants helps make our human lives worthwhile! The exhibited photographs, in three projects, explain it all and shed more light on what we could get whenever we treat humans, animals and the shared environment in harmony. We would enjoy moments featuring a clean environment, unimaginable sunsets and flowers, happy and healthy birds, scenic lakes, mountains, waterfalls and the likes!  This is the bright side of the pandemic I have gotten by walking, hiking and biking, and luckily holding a camera in my hands! 

WATER AND MOUNTAINS

If anything was needed, being physically active amidst the pandemic was a priority. Living in the vicinity of Burera Lake and at a glance of Rwanda Volcanoes inspired me to take up a project of capturing the beautiful sceneries of Burera lake and its surrounding hills as I was enjoying my favourite sport which is none other than mountain biking. In regards to the uncertainties of the pandemic situation, the project was unimaginably therapeutic. Indeed, through sharing the moments on my personal social media platforms I could reconnect with my physically distanced friends who are fans of photography and admirers of mother nature. 

1. Crocodile Tail

Caption: A satisfying picture of Burera lake’s zigzagging shores that unexpectedly creates a scenery simulating a crocodile tail. 

2. Blue Green Butaro

Caption: While there is nothing to be happy about the pandemic that devastated human well being and welfare, the story was different for wildlife. It was, instead, a high time for mother nature to heal. I could enjoy capturing unpolluted blue skies and calm lakes, as well as healthy green vegetation. 

3. Mornings of Burera Lake

Caption: The magnificence of Burera lake’s cold and foggy mornings could trigger the stimulation of the feel-good hormones that set a good tone for the whole day despite the likeliness of having anxiety caused by the pandemic.

4. Fascinating Hilly Burera Lakeshores

Caption: Mesmerizing shores of Burera lake encompassed by the alternation of hill chains and waters of the lake make a picturesque, eye-catching view good for meditation and self-reflection. As a result, people could deal with depression, and be able to overcome their worries about the current pandemic situation. 

SUNSETS

Sunset symbolises the completion of a day’s work and the passage of time. Amid the pandemic peak periods, the lockdown was one solution to calm down the situation. With increasing daily infections, having many businesses restricted to operate, people losing jobs, and working from home or from the bed, where possible, people’s hopes were gone. Pursuing a project of capturing sunsets not only did it help me see mother nature smiling at me but also it helped me share pictures that would bring hope that the time shall pass and that things will, with time, come back to life. The sunsets photo went in line with the hashtag #Tuzatsinda [We Shall Win] that brought hope among the Rwandans about the fact of the thriving pandemic! 

1. Sunset Style of Crocodile Tail

Caption: Through weather changes, the beautiful zigzag shores of Burera lake, in its crocodile tail style, do not change; instead, they get highlighted by the shade of the sun setting. 

2. Enlightened Rwanda

Caption: The shot was intended to capture the sun setting in the exact same spot where the sun symbol is positioned in Rwanda's national flag. The sun, in the Rwandan flag, reflects the enlightenment of the country, a hope that as Rwanda rose from the dark times, the pandemic situation was meant to pass too. 

3. Umuravumba

Caption: COVID or Influenza? At the very beginning of the pandemic, this was a tricky question, especially to rural communities and those without formal education. Umuravumba is a legendary traditional remedy for the flu. And during the sunset was the best time elders could send the young ones to fetch this herb. Thanks to mass sensitization by health authorities, the community got enlightened on the difference between Covid19 and any respiratory disease. 

4. Chain Breaker

Caption: At the moment of shooting the chains alongside the sunset, it brought the lyrics “ If you’ve got pain, He’s a pain taker; If you feel lost, He’s a way maker; If you need freedom or saving, He’s a prison shaking Savior; If you’ve got chains, He’s a chain breaker” - Chain Breaker by Zach Williams. As a believer and photographer at the moment, a shareable and satisfactory hope came to me that at the end of the tunnel [episodes of lockdowns and strict curfews], we are going to see the light which is currently coming. 

FOGS

Fog is an illustration of obscurity, a blurred line between reality and unreality, and uncertainty about the future and beyond. Amid the pandemic, this mother nature phenomenon could replicate back sliding behaviours including but not limited to rumours, false information about the virus' cure and vaccines. The trapped people in this ‘fog’ are likely to rebel and be less cooperative with the government. However, the good thing is after the sunrise the fog disappears and wipes away the illusions. I was inspired to take on this project from the irritation caused by the misleading information that was spreading during the certain period of this pandemic peak period, and I could personally relate the whole story of natural fogs to that particular real-life situation, hoping that people could watch and learn from that. 

1. Cloud Kiss

Caption: Social distancing is now a worldwide precaution in the fight against pandemics. This picture of a volcano intersecting the clouds could remind the socially distanced friends and families that one time, one right time, things shall fall back in place. Like loved ones hugging and kissing one another! 

2. Muhabura Volcano Coated

Caption: A majestic covering of Muhabura Volcano by morning fog inspired an aspect of how mother nature heals itself and teaches people how taking solo time and self-care is needed some time away from the normal. 

4. The Hustle

Caption: With Covid strike measures being loosened and allowing some activities, someone needs to only be inspired by the giant bird that never ceases hustling despite the morning fog. 

4. Therapeutic Morning

Caption: Seeing that the sun comes, the fog goes, is a therapeutic reminder that the Covid spreading would reduce/stop if prevention measures are followed and more importantly if these measures were available alongside having access to the vaccine. 

About the Author:

Aimable Uwimana holds a Master of Science in Global Health Delivery from the University of Global Health Equity and a Bachelor of Arts in Healthcare Management with Concentration in Global Perspectives from Southern New Hampshire University. Aimable has global health experience in service delivery, non-communicable diseases, and community development. In free time, Aimable explores the connections between the power of arts and health, particularly, mental health and one health, through music and nature photography. 

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Twitter: @IAmMugenzi Instagram: @IAmMugenzi YouTube: @IAmMugenzi 

Research: 

1. Integrating Breast Cancer Early Detection into a Resource-Constrained Primary Healthcare System: Healthcare Workers' Experiences in Rwanda

2. Assessing the knowledge, perceptions, and mental health impact of COVID-19 among students in Rwanda

3. Ending Child Marriage in Nigeria: The Maternal and Child Health Country-Wide Policy