The call to adventure...

Joseph Campbell

The Heroes Project is inspired by Joseph Campbell's work in the field of mythology, especially his theory of the hero's journey. Campbell articulated the Monomyth, a common myth found in mythologies around the world, which talks of the universal myth of the hero's journey.

According to Campbell the hero’s journey begins with one responding to an inner voice, ‘a call to adventure’ that demands sacrifice and a journey to the unknown. The Hero embraces this adventure and embarks on a journey of self-realization, which once endured s/he returns to narrate the tale to others with the idea to communicate his/her lessons from the journey that can be useful to others to negotiate their present day reality. Campbell says a Hero passes through three typical stages in his journey: Initiation, Separation and Return.

"The usual hero’s adventure begins with someone from whom something has been taken, or who feels there’s something lacking in the normal experiences available or permitted to the members of his society. This person then takes off on a series of adventures beyond the ordinary, either to recover what has been lost or to discover some life-giving elixir. It’s usually a cycle, a going and a returning."

-Joseph Campbell, The Hero With A Thousand Faces.

Using this universal framework and the myths of the Khoi-San, we aim to give back the Khoi-San their heroes; rooted in their own culture, tradition and history. The heroic stories of Khoi-San ancestors will instill pride, courage and hope in the minds of the Khoi-San to challenge the hurdles earlier deemed impossible. The myths and stories of a hero’s journey give people a figure to believe in, something which acts a projection of a resolution to their struggles. The hero's journey model finds itself across all cultures primarily because it is a story that people relate to. The classic story of overcoming all odds to achieve what earlier seemed impossible.