99. Monsters & Medicines: A Conversation with Bayo Akomolafe

The Psychedelic Mom

Bayo Akomolafe (Ph.D.), rooted with the Yoruba people in a more-than-human world, is the father to Alethea and Kyah, the grateful life-partner to Ije, son and brother. A widely celebrated international speaker, posthumanist thinker, poet, teacher, public intellectual, essayist, and author of two books, ‘These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity's Search for Home’ (North Atlantic Books) and ‘We Will Tell our Own Story: The Lions of Africa Speak’, Bayo Akomolafe is the Visionary Founder of The Emergence Network and host of the online postactivist course, ‘We Will dance with Mountains’.

Episode Highlights

• Exploring the concept of the "more than human world" and our place within it
• Bayo reflects on his upbringing in a dualistic world and the journey towards non-dual thinking
• The urgency of our times and how our responses can perpetuate deeper crises
• The importance of rethinking our relationships with each other and the world amidst modern challenges
• Sneaking through the “cracks” as a metaphor for exploring new perceptions and experiences
• Cracks as opportunities for transformation rather than mere solutions to problems
• The tension between solutions and cracks, emphasizing the need for experimental approaches
• The modern Western extraction and commercialization of indigenous plant medicines
• Bayo shares thoughts on cultural appropriation versus genuine engagement with earth medicines
• The haunting presence of stolen artifacts in museums and their restless energy as a decolonization narrative
• Understanding how we are shaped by the tools we use
• The interplay between free will and determinism, questioning our agency in a complex world
• The idea of co-emergence as a bridge between free will and determinism in understanding creativity
• Rewilding as an invitation to challenge domesticated perceptions and reconnect with the world
• “Staying with trouble” as an essential practice in embracing chaos and uncertainty
• Failure as a socially constructed concept influenced by cultural narratives
• Embracing creativity through playfulness, allowing art to emerge without rigid expectations
• Parenting a neurodivergent child as a profound learning experience in embracing chaos
• Bayo reflects on his son's unique perspective, encouraging a politics of the seemingly useless
• Closing thoughts on the beauty of embracing uncertainty

Bayo Akomolafe’s Links

• Website: www.bayoakomolafe.net
• Website: www.emergencenetwork.org
• Website: www.dancingwithmountains.com
• Facebook: Bayo Akomolafe

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Book: Migritude by Shailja Patel
• Article: Are ghosts haunting the British Museum?