Jacinto

My name is Jose Jacinto Aguilar Neira, from the community of Carrizal, in the province of Cajabamba. I am zonal coordinator of Rural Libraries. I have been a librarian for more than thirty years.

For me, reading is a step further on the road to respecting our own culture and also to keeping safe everything around us: both by reading it and also describing the history of our landscapes, our own experience.

That's why I encourage communities to engage in reading circles, so that everyone can read.

In fact it has gained much momentum: the people already know more and more. We no longer let ourselves be deceived as before, when they let themselves be deceived because there was no such concurrence of study; now, as they books read, they are already a little more alert to what is going to happen.

Because the situation is a little bit problematic now, especially concerning the environment: we have to be alert, to know what they are doing with us, how they affect the water, affect the air and the land.

That is why our biggest challenge is to meet and among us to evaluate what we must do, how to face the problems: also because sometimes the political authorities are in favour of the destructive companies and we are left out, there is no justice for the poor ... But we have to do our part, to understand among us all in order to live better.