Michael Lees: Affirming the power of community-building in times of crisis (ep297)
Green Dreamer with Kamea Chayne is a podcast exploring our paths to holistic healing, ecological regeneration, and true abundance and wellness for all. Subscribe to our show in any podcast app!
Michael Lees joins us in this episode to discuss:
why he chose to live in the woods for 6 months with only a few basic tools;
what he witnessed in his home country of Dominica as it was decimated by Category 5 Hurricane Maria;
the questions that these two experiences raised for him about human nature and the meaning of “progress”;
and more.
Musical feature: Trust The Sun by Luna Bec (IG: @lunabecmusic, Spotify: Luna Bec)
“After [Hurricane Maria], we had our electricity knocked out, our running water knocked out, no internet, and for a good amount of time, there were no supermarkets or banks. So it was really like you had been shot back in time...”
If you feel inspired by this episode, please consider donating a gift of support of any amount today!
Here’s Michael on how Dominican communities recovered from Hurricane Maria:
“After [Hurricane Maria], we had our electricity knocked out, our running water knocked out, no internet, and for a good amount of time, there were no supermarkets or banks. So it was really like you had been shot back in time. But the amazing thing, I thought, was the grace with which we were all able to survive such an event on this island in comparison to [similar crises faced by] so many other places—even in the Caribbean.
Because [Dominica] has not ‘developed’ to the point where our rivers and water sources have been polluted, everyone just went back to washing by the river. We have a lot of natural springs where you can collect water.
There were certain traditional foods that as a kid, you didn't necessarily [understand]—like smoked meats and salted fish. After an experience like this, you understand it’s because they didn’t have refrigeration that long ago. This was a way of preserving meats.
So all of that was utilized, and then, of course, a lot of the country lives in small communities, so you had that community togetherness and community support when there were no official systems to tell people what to do.”
About Michael Lees:
Michael Lees (Instagram: @mike_please) is a Dominican film-maker and photographer whose work explores themes of survival, environmentalism, spirituality, and island life, aiming to connect the dots in the “bigger picture.”
Michael attended UNC Chapel Hill, where he spent the first half of his college career studying business at the Kenan-Flagler Business School, later switching his major from business to film.
Never one to shy away from bold decisions, in 2017, Michael embarked on his latest project, UNCIVILIZED, (Instagram: @uncivilizedfilm ; Facebook: @uncivilizedfilm), which would lead him into the forests of Dominica, where he would eventually face Category 5 Hurricane Maria alone in the forest, in a palm leaf hut.
Lees has written, shot, and edited for clients ranging from Billboard to UNICEF. Much of his inspiration is drawn from his home island, Dominica, and from an unquenchable curiosity about the world around him.
