Rustic revival: return to village virtues

`“The poetry of the earth is never dead.” — John Keats

Are we witnessing a migration trend? One where folks who have lived in cities most of their lives are going back to their small-town roots?

When Caribbean and African people tell you they are going back to the Village, it evokes a profound sense of returning to one’s roots, to a place where life is intertwined with the rhythm of the earth and the community. It speaks of a journey back to a simpler time and place, where the bonds of family and tradition are baked into the very fabric of daily life. Where life goes at the pace of the sun and crow of the roosters. However, this return is not just a physical travel to a geographical location, rather, it is a spiritual and emotional pilgrimage to reconnect with a heritage rich in culture, history, and ancestral wisdom.

In recent years, we’ve witnessed the slow dissolution of what many of us fondly remember as ‘The Village’ — that tight-knit community spirit that once formed the cornerstone of our social existence, and was the status quo of a by gone era. The relentless march of urbanization, the frenzied pace of modern life, and the rise of digital isolation have all played their parts in this…