Permaculture and storytelling are more powerful than you can imagine in so many ways.
Permaculture and storytelling
Just ask Mariam Issa. Twenty years ago, a young pregnant Mariam fled Somalia due to the bloody civil war. She had to leave her home, family, community and culture, and head off in a leaky boat to find refuge. Clutching to her four children, she finally arrived here in Australia – but that was just the beginning of the journey.
To make a new life here, Mariam found permaculture and storytelling, sharing meals and gardening together healed her heart and built a rich tapestry of connections with her new community. It helped her move from being a victim to empowerment, from being dependent to interdependent.
Mariam’s goal is to reach 1 million women through storytelling. She believes everyone has a story to tell and that when we share these stories, the genius of everyone comes alive and we can create a resilient and adaptable community.
RAW Garden
Mariam opened her Melbourne backyard as a space for people to meet, grow food together, cook together, share stories, support each other, laugh together, create a safe place for children to play, build inter-cultural bridges, and create. This is the RAW garden in Brighton.
Australasian Permaculture Convergence Keynote
I had met Mariam at the first Urban Agriculture Forum in Melbourne in late 2016 and had been really uplifted by her story and was so delighted to meet her again at the Australasian Permaculture Convergence in Canberra this April. There she spoke to the entire conference one evening about the power of permaculture and storytelling.
In conversation with Mariam
We caught up in the gardens and recorded this conversation. You can watch here:
Mariam’s resilience, optimism and compassion is inspiring. From being a victim of war, she has become a beautifully gentle activist who has found her strength and voice with something so very important to share, and people are listening – everywhere.
A Resilient Life – Mariam’s book
Mariam has written a book about her life experience – A Resilient Life. In it she shares her story from her childhood and coming of age in Africa, her experience as a refugee, and how she found a new life here in Australia. You can order a copy directly through her website
Mariam Issa
Storyteller, author, speaker, community advisor, community gardener, women’s advocate, change agent, mother and mentor.