I tell stories in various ways using mulitiple mediums from online content, to magazine articles, to documentary, to theatre and musical performance, to paint and other mediums for artworks.
My main focus has been on environmental awareness raising, but I have also worked in many other fields. My skills as a writer range from investigative journalism, to parenting, health and entertainment writing. I have also worked as a researcher and scriptwriter for documentary series and this has included production work, proposals and pitching. I also have had some background in theatre community work and theatre. I am able to see the big picture and formulate to tell a story- deconstructing and reconstructing it, both visually and structurally and systematically through many mediums.
In 2002, I attended the World Summit for Sustainable development (Rio+10) in Johannesburg in 2002, I was working as a reporter for The Big Issue magazine while seeking funding for my documentary: “ Buried in Earthskin.”
World leaders, politicians and environmental activists alike converged on one city to discuss the fate of the planet. I joined a march, which took place from Alexandra township to Sandton. Thousands of people representing civil society organizations from all over the world, marching on Sandton where the politicians and corporate leaders were meeting in marbled halls to make massive decisions, which would affect us all. The experience was an eye-opener. It showed me how powerful civil-society was, and that it was possible for the “People” to stand up to the “People in power.” But it was sad to see how deaf and blind the “People in power” were.
For the first time, I understood the implications of globalization. The feature article I was working on for the Big Issue was about Globalization and what it meant. I was lucky to get interviews with some legendary struggle heroes and very informed and insightful people who opened my eyes to a phenomenon which is now underlying everything. My article “Globalization on the Agenda” was the cover feature. (I heard that it was used as a reference in a lecture at the University of Cape Town.)
Since then, I have worked towards increasing my knowledge around all the issues contributing to the environmental crisis. My work has led me to broaden my understanding of these matters. I am constantly learning and growing. In recent years, I have focused on spiritual matters and am studying healing modalities. I believe that creating awareness can be done through all art forms and disciplines. I am constantly seeking new ways and being inspired by others who are living and working this way. My blog “Earthnotes for hope” is an instrument for describing people and concepts that I am excited by on this journey.
For examples of my work published over time in various print publications, see here: Feature articles
To read some of my parenting articles, click here: Feature Writing -Aware Parenting
To see some of my documentary work, click here: Green Unplugged International Film Festival (online) 2013 – You can watch the whole film on this link.
Performance story telling: Over a number of years my husband Jamie Jupiter and I have been doing performance story telling about the roots of music in Africa, demonstrating the instruments and their relevance to community and the spirit of Ubuntu through our company Ubuntu Drumfun a Musical interactive experience.
Since 2020, my focus has shifted to ground work, using the power of natural medicine and other healing tools. I have been called to work on healing myself and others and have been learning new skills in this field. I started a small business called Wild Healing selling Artimisia afra, a potent all-healing herb -which is an important medicine for our testing times. I hope to take this further to incorporate other healing modalities and retreats.
Helena Kingwill - Earthnotes for hope 