Civic Engagement and Outdoor Adventures presents featured speaker and film, Namuli

Majka Burhardt
Majka Burhardt

Article written by Alyssa Cody

Majka first climbed at a summer camp in Minnesota at the age of 5. From then on, she was hooked on outdoor adventures, immersing herself in skiing, paddling and hiking. She gained her sense of independence from the outdoors, inspiring her to spend every summer growing her skills and experience in programs like NOLS and Outward Bound.

Majka completed her undergraduate studies at Princeton, where she joined their Outdoor Action program. She went on to be an Outward Bound instructor and then a mountain guide, as well as starting an initiative called Climb Against the Odds, a way to use climbing to raise breast cancer awareness, all while at Princeton.

“I called myself a feminist before I could even spell the word. I’ve always been interested in gender equality, so it was a natural extension to look at this disease that predominantly affects women.” Since then, Majka has based her career around finding where climbing connects to a cause authentically.

She found this connection through her initiative LEGADO, which means “legacy” in Portuguese. LEGADO began when Majka was introduced to large, granite mountains in Mozambique. She instantly became intrigued from a climbing perspective and wanted to understand its story. Majka found that these mountains are largely understudied due to their inaccessibility; she saw climbing as the natural solution to allow scientific discovery and ecological conservation of the rock face and the surrounding mountain ecosystem.

In May 2014, Majka spent a month in Mozambique with a team of international biologists, climbers, conservationists and filmmakers to conduct fieldwork and develop local conservation efforts. Outside of the scientific discoveries and creation of the film Namuli, LEGADO is meant to start a larger dialogue about creating a sustainable future for communities with rich biodiversity.

Join us for a pre-screening of the documentary Namuli, a story of how a chain of mountains in Mozambique inspired acts of leadership and legacy around the world. “Climbing is inspiring to me because it opens up an avenue to a new place and a new understanding of the world,” says the climber who has spent most of her life exploring the world, integrating her love for the outdoors with her passion for global research.

“If I’m going to climb, I want it to matter. I always need climbing to intersect more parts of my life. The thicker and chewier and more entrenched in it I am, the more I love it.” Majka strives to view life with a wider lens, to see the bigger story and where we find ourselves it, to connect to the richness.

“When you’re in college, you’re at a really unique time in your life when your brain is firing on so many unique cylinders and wants to be so expansive,” said Majka.”It’s the ideal time to integrate your passions and connect those things… It’s not about having a hobby or a job, it’s about being a real person.”

If you want to be inspired to go bigger and reach further, join us Friday, March 4 to see Majka Burhardt. The event is free and open to the public. Want to connect with Majka personally? Stop at Yia Yia’s from 4:30-6:30 for Meet the Speaker, hosted by Footloose and Fancy.

Interested in getting more involved in the adventure community? Register for the Flatland Climbing Competition Saturday, March 5 at the UNL Outdoor Adventures Center.

More details at: https://vimeo.com/147380923