Being part of the Rainbow Warrior ship tour was the most beautiful experience I have had in my entire life. This somewhat paved a little piece of a pathway of the journey I would like to take in the future. I have never felt such joy, purpose and unity as I felt in the last ten days. I am certain that I have made life long friends.

I met real Warriors. Self-less individuals that proved to me that you donot need an impressive bank account to make a difference in the world, you do not need to have a happy-go-lucky history to make a difference. You do not need to be of a certain stature, race, religion to want to make a difference. You need to care. You need to be knowledgeable enough to educate the rest. You need passion.

I ventured on this trip on Friday evening February 20th. I took a 15 hour bus trip from Durban to Port Elizabeth to meet the majesty and the dedicated Greenpeace Africa comrades. I arrived in Port Elizabeth on early Saturday morning. I adore the Eastern Cape! It always feels like I am home. So welcoming, so fragile, so friendly.

I saw her from a distance and I fell in love. The Rainbow Warrior, that is. We arrived while the crew and volunteers on board were still waking up. Thank you to the Greenpeace Africa Intern, Rea, that welcomed us on board and gave us a little tour before we got to work. It had felt as though I have known all my life that I would end up here. It felt comfortable. So inviting.

I have met some of the most incredible people here! I have said this to myself a thousand times but I cannot believe that a world still exists with such people. Before I go on about the entire crew I will start with the reason why I was on board the Rainbow Warrior.

South Africa has an energy crisis! Our government is saying yes to Nuclear energy. Greenpeace Africa and Greenpeace International joined forces to raise awareness. No Nukes. No Nuclear Energy in South Africa. We do not need this dirty energy when we have great renewable solutions. We cannot afford it. We need to start thinking about the consequences. Not just economically but environmentally, too!

So, on the 27th February 2015 in Durban, Greenpeace announced that we will be taking the minister to court. You can read the online article here. Kumi Naidoo (Durban-born Greenpeace International Executive Director) released this statement alongside Melita Steele, Micheal Onyeka (Greenpeace Africa Executive Director), and Captain Mike Fincken. Kumi also gave us a little tour of his home-town. This is far greater than previous actions. This time, we demand a change, answers.

Greenpeace solely relies on individual donors. No governments. No corporates. A great way to welcome the supporters is to host open boat days. As Lanther (Greenpeace Brazil Volunteer) told the crowds, “This is not just our ship, it is your ship too.” It is a little token of recognition and appreciation for the support. And, boy! Did we have crowds, or what!?

Cutting it short, the campaign, the open boats were a great success! I am ridiculously thankful that I was part of it all. On the other note. Sailing in the Rainbow Warrior from Port Elizabeth to Durban with this amazing crew felt like a dream that need not end. If it were a dream, I would have forced myself to carry on sleeping. Thank goodness and my lucky stars that it was reality. I want this to be my reality in the future. To give selflessly, to stand for what I believe with no fear or favour, to treasure the memories made with the campaigners, crew and staff!

Source : Greenpeace International