Rubi Morel is a Haitian creative, minimalist, blogger, self-taught agriculturalist and nature advocate. In this interview, she discuses finding her voice, living a sustainable lifestyle and her love for nature and agriculture.

When did you find your voice and what was the process like?

Freedom. When I freed myself from everything that wasn’t me. It first started with learning to love my hair and the skin that I am in, then leaving church to find my own earthy guidance. Making peace with the very core of my being.  I found myself, I found peace, I found freedom. I am Thankful.  At the end, we each have our very own calling. Your path is yours alone. Be yourself and always remember that everyone is where they need to be in their journey.

 
One  word to describe your voice? Your style? Your philosophy ?

Love. Love is what connects everything that I do.  I had to learn to re-love myself in the most purest way in order to work hand and hand with my passion and push myself to look for my purpose in life.

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What made you decided to pursue a degree in agricultural engineering?

I would say my connection with nature.Like many, as a child, I wanted to be a doctor, but by the time I was 13 years old my attachment with nature became stronger and stronger. I realised the value of it and told myself that I needed agriculture more than it needed me. Later on, I decided to pursue a major in agricultural engineering in college despite the odds. I then created “Agrikilti Pou Yon Koz”, which a page that educate the Haitian community about different fun ways to grow food, both indoor and outdoor, along with my colleague and now friend, Edryne who’s an agronomist. Agriculture is one of the most important fields in my opinion and as the world population continues to grow, there will be higher demand for sustainable farming. I want to contribute to future efforts aimed to tackle the serious problems the world has already begun facing.  As a young black woman, I continue facing many economical challenges in this field. Someone once told me when I was 17 years old, that agriculture isn’t for colored women and men. I am here to prove them wrong.

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Since embarking on this self discorvery/self love journey, how would you describe yourself now?

I am still learning to describe myself. Many times, I ask myself about where does she sees herself or who is she really. Truth is we are all a small piece of the big puzzle that we call life. As I navigate through this journey, I’m still learning to grow and pursue my purpose as I heal myself.

As a nature advocate and agriculturalist , what are some of the challenges you had to deal with living in Haiti? How can one live a sustainable lifestyle ?

One of the many challenges that I had to face was the country unwillingness to encourage agriculture. There’s no established program that foster growth among individuals who are interested in this field.

What’s your take on Haiti’s deforestation problem and not being able to sustain itself agriculturally?

I believe Haiti has everything that it needs to sustain itself agriculturally. As long as there is water, and soil, there is hope. The questions now remain; how connected are the people to the earth itself and what is the government willing to do to contribute to a sustainable solution? Needless to say, How will the education system plan to integrate and push modern agriculture within the schools’ curriculum?

What inspires you? What makes you feel alive?
Blue, patterns, shapes and silence. Blue has played a very important role throughout my whole life, giving me that sense of void yet infinite feels. Azure blue for instance makes me feel calm and inspired while ultramarine blue makes me feel lost, as if I was falling slowly down a guided path. I catch myself drawing a lot of patterns and shapes, which I keep hidden in my room, but eventually, I will open up and share them with the world.

Credits

Muse: Rubi Morel / Interview by Francesca Andre / Photo by: Francesca Andre/ Make up: Christopher Michael / Wardrobe: Yenifer Ubiera