Wishing for a cradle of kinder

After the restrictions of lockdown, many people rediscovered the outdoors and the Cradle of Humankind has may encounter the Wishing Tree. Originally conceived by Yoko Ono, the interactive artwork invites passers-by

We believe in houses built in the sky Love that lifts us high

We believe in a sun that looks over our shoulders

And brings our shadows together

Yes our hearts are one

Our bodies too

And it’s so good every time

We make a wish and let it come true for us

– Yoko Ono, Yes, I’m Your Angel

In 2018 Yoko Ono visited South Africa to participate in the #NotASingleStory sculpture exhibition at the Nirox Sculpture Park, located in the Cradle of Humankind near Johannesburg. This time her celebrated and sometimes controversial performance art involved the consecration of a secular wishing tree.

According to a report in The Sowetan, Yoko’s “Wishing Trees of Hope” project was “inspired by her childhood visits to the temple where she wrote her wishes on a thin piece of paper and tied it around a tree. She chose the African olive tree for this region.”

The newspaper reported that all the wishes tied to the tree would be “harvested, collected and sent to the Imagine Peace Tower on Videy Island in Iceland where they would be placed with other wishes from around the world. On 9 October each year, John Lennon’s birthday, a ray of light shines from the tower on to the tree until 9 December, the day of his death.”

Four years after Ono’s visit, a short note still lies at the foot of the tree and exhorts visitors to make a wish and “keep wishing”.

The Wishing Tree has a feeling of peace about it and, after several hard years for the human race, it’s clear from its fruit of parched notes that wishing, dreaming and hope are still very much part of a human’s emotional make-up. For this tree, like a latter-day Santa Claus, is still gathering wishes. In fact, its branches, and those of several nearby trees, are weighed down by little brown notes laden with wishes. In winter they look like leaves; in summer they are hidden in the foliage.

Wishes are usually private things. But these ones hang in public. So, on a recent visit, I took the liberty of writing a few down. They are shared because, in this time of war and vitriol, they capture the simplicity of our desires.

“I wish I could be a good boy”

“I wish Covid-19 would stop”

“I wish my leg cramps would go away” “I wish that there was peace in the world and I wish to get a new puppy for my dog” “I wish to make my dad proud”

“I wish for peace and freedom for Ukraine” “I wish to live the rest of my life with the true love of my life”