"What an inspiring night!"

We share the note that our friends from Sarah's Rural Library Fund have put:

Thanks to those who joined us on Zoom on Thursday! We hope the conversation with Frank Cottrell-Boyce and Alfredo, Zelma and Mara from the Rural Libraries was as inspiring for you as it was for us.

We agree with Frank: "Reading for pleasure gives us that opportunity to tear down the walls that divide us."

We had a great discussion about which superheroes children connect to across borders. Alfredo told a moving story about a boy without arms or legs who loved Spiderman, but for most children in the Andes "their hero is a guinea pig who surpasses the fox."

For those who couldn't watch, the webinar recording is below. Unfortunately we were unable to record the simultaneous interpretation, but we will work on getting a subtitled version soon:

Recording: Cross Borders Book Webinar

Best regards!

In the blog of St. Joseph III

 The journey of the Network of Rural Libraries of Cajamarca

I was fortunate to live in Zaña for a few years. And in that fortune the blessing of forming close friendships with those who –from the Latin American church–, had committed their lives to this continent of hope.

A lot of jail was threatened, much liberation demanded, much dictatorship imposed, many dreams cultivated, a lot of silence raged, much protest emerged, a lot of despair indulged the night, and much faith welcomed the dawn.

It was the '70s and I was little more than a kid with the fuzz of my beard barely peeking out. And that time was a seedbed of readings, reflections, celebrations, songs, meetings and walks with other young people, a little younger: Gerardo Prince, Mabel St. Louis, Pancho Murphy, Wendy Cotter and many others whose dreaming kept them awake.

That seed sowing multiplied the bonds, the correspondence and the unions. The community to which we aspired was lived and interwoven at the same time. That is how I met Fr. John Medcalf, with whom I joined forces in the Rural Libraries Network of Cajamarca. At the end of 1980 I came here and a year later Fr. John returned to his homeland; it was then I knew that my task was even greater.

Because the dreams of that endearing seedbed never left; because reality is still a challenge; because the poor keep crying out to heaven; because the search for truth, justice and community is a cause that is loved, joyful, intense and just.

Just as plants need water and crops need fertilizer, the mind needs to be nourished with knowledge, take root from memories, and flourish from hope in the future. For that, books are a marvellous tool, and collective reading a way of organizing and liberating ourselves.

Alfredo Mires Ortiz

The BIVIR

We are now in a world that is apparently no longer the same, in which everything is interconnected. And it is true that everything that happens in the world also affects us. In the Network we have been studying and proposing live ways of adapting without succumbing, especially so that we are more in contact with our people. It would be about taking advantage of technologies to consolidate our own paths and decisions, communicating with our librarians in the communities, since we cannot leave our houses.

This pandemic makes us see that, although we cannot meet and physically feel the presence of the other, we are really united in spirit. The word "virtual", after all, comes from the Latin "virtus", which is the strength and the will to do a job, even if it cannot yet be done.

Thus, working, we are also advancing with the construction of our Virtual Library of the Network, the BIVIR.

We are happy for this new initiative and also encouraged to continue sharing and encouraging readings.

In the blog of St. Joseph II

 The Rural Libraries of Cajamarca

In memory of Fr. Gerardo Prince St. Onge, ever present.

Modern times only give the impression of being modern and make us believe that we live in the future. But the old injustices prevail; the iniquity is still there, even if we don't want to see it.

There are words that have been in fashion around here for quite some time: development, competitiveness, success, entrepreneurship, empowerment, acceleration, celebrity, etc. And there are other words whose use is becoming outdated: poverty, hunger, exploitation, love, solidarity, fraternity, spirit, etc.

But hiding the words does not liquidate the realities, because there are still poor people and because of hunger they continue to die, and because love continues to be lacking. The pain of those who suffer is not relieved by covering their mouths or averting our eyes.

And never more than today - when the continuity of the human species and nature are at risk – is competitiveness or celebrity more shameful, when what the world requires is commonality.

That is why we continue the journey with our Rural Libraries of Cajamarca: because books can also be the bread that nourishes our memories and our hopes. Rediscovering words, rewriting our stories and re-creating ourselves with, from and to the earth is a way of building tomorrow without having to stumble over the same stone so many times.

Reading is decanting and discerning, attracting the world and projecting oneself onto the world. And we have been doing this for 50 years, trying to understand and unlearn. It is not an empty path: we are an independent organization and we are not guided by an ideology or motivated by a reward. We are community, we are family. We are children of marginalized memory, unappreciated history and pursued dreams. And we learn from the most humble, from the prodigious presence of those whom society does not value and does not take into account.

Alfredo Mires Ortiz

Family and communal literature

You often hear about children's literature, literature for adolescents, for adults, etc.; that is to say, literature for a differentiated public. This differentiation is not only made considering the age of the reader but also the "cultural level", social group and any other classification that the writers, teachers or publishers consider appropriate. And, in certain cases, it may be necessary to make this classification, always depending on the interests of whoever reads, who writes and who publishes.

In the Rural Libraries Network, however, we do not establish these criteria to differentiate the books we produce, this is mainly due to the fact that we do not think about reading for a single person, but for the entire family and the community, because we know that reading feeds everyone to the extent that the need for this food is felt.

We usually use our stories in reading circles where children, young people, the elderly participate; with people who can read and with those who cannot. If some word or expression is not understood, there is always someone who can explain, who helps to understand.

Some books, like The Seattle Indian Chief's Letter, for example, are widely comprehensible for children and adults, men and women, and also contain outreach activities that can be done by any member of the family. Gabi's Eyes not only awakens the sensitivity of adults, it also moves children. This is the case with the books of the different series and collections that we publish.

In general, all Rural Libraries books have the purpose of serving the family, the community, due to the very fact that this is where they were born.

In the blog of St. Joseph I

"The Rural Libraries of Cajamarca: A Peruvian Dream Realized" is the name of this note that appeared on the blog of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, in Canada:

“Since the early 1960s, the Sisters of Saint Joseph have been present in Peru. During those years, a priest from England, Father John Medcalf worked in the Andes in Cajamarca, mainly with the indigenous population located in small agricultural communities. Focusing on education, he wondered why anyone would want to learn to read when they didn't have access to newspapers or books. As a result, he creatively developed a simple but effective book loan system with a presence in every small community. Fifty years later, his dream still promotes and encourages reading to enhance education and critical thinking. Critical thinking that includes indigenous land rights with ecological protection. The coordinator of the Rural Libraries of Cajamarca, Alfredo Mires Ortiz, has contributed a blog focused on the continuous evolution of this broadened educational dream.

Sr. Mabel St. Louis, C.S.J

http://www.csjcanada.org/blog/wizjfg56gqm1d96o8dm2lha0fkcjfe

In this excellent fifteen minute video, Alfredo Mires Ortiz, Coordinator of the Rural Libraries Network, shows us the creative ways in which the people of Cajamarca participate in "libraries in motion" with their local 'librarian' hosting books at home, and the volunteer who carries the books on their back in backpacks to the next hill town. Books don't just provide practical knowledge. As Alfredo explains in the introduction and conclusion, the library recovers Peruvian history from the false claims of the Spanish conquest, replacing it with the truth. The library then informs and supports, celebrates the history, culture, values ​​and dignity of Peru.

Link with English subtitles: http://vimeo.com/21726471

Sr. Wendy Cotter, C.S.J

Offering

 

When we lose our vision and stop seeing our mountains, when our gatherings are not complete if they are not with us, when we forget to revere them for being part of all our souls:

Be careful…

Many go around thinking that mountains, trees, springs, rivers, lagoons, the sky and the earth are "resources" to "exploit." They are “things” that “belong” to humans – certainly, humans who have forgotten where they have come from and where they will go–

Attention...

They go around saying and convincing others that "everything is consumable", that you have to "buy-use and throw away."

Let's return…

To feel the strength of our hills, the life of the water, the colour of the clouds, the grace, the brilliance of the land and its crops.

Let's revert ...

The catastrophe of a system that has taught us to abuse and use.

Let's go back ...

To the essential and the sacred, to our grandparents and ancestors. To their voices and memories, to their life and to the certain future.

Pluma

How many little animals die from lack of food or from disease, without even having someone to take care of them?

A year and a half ago, a little kitten came to the house in search of asylum. She was warmly welcomed by Plumo, the librarian cat.

This is how animals arrive, it seems that they spread the word, that here they will find a family.

This kitten recently had to undergo a delicate operation, which did not come out very well, but thanks to her courage and care, she is already recovering.

Once again a brother teaches us: he was able to endure the confinement, to respect his quarantine, to accept the recommendations and to behave with courage when the drugs had to be applied.

"The book among us"

A few months ago I resumed my tasks as a volunteer for the network. I have been supporting the processing of statistical data regarding readers in our libraries, for which we have the files provided by the coordinators and librarians on the comings and goings of their readers.

In these registers (sometimes filled out even by children who manage the rural libraries in their families' homes), apparent spelling "errors" can be found regarding the titles of various books. For example, it is very common for La minshula y otros cuentos, the twentieth issue of our Biblioteca Campesina collection, to appear registered as La minshulay, which shows the cultural weight of our readers when they come into contact with books, since it lets us know not only that books have been read, but are also an important part of the communities where they are read; they have been adopted with the nomination of the readers themselves.

While transcribing these files into our digital system, I came across a title that seemed especially strange to me: The Book Among Us. I entered the book registration system, I looked for this name and nothing appeared ... I looked for the registration number and it was then that I realized the apparent error: in March 2010, the Network published a conference that our brother Alfredo Mires gave in a Librarianship Congress in Colombia, on the impact of our work on the peasant communities of Cajamarca. It is called The Book Among the Children of Atawalpa, and it was that text to which the register of readers referred.

I was astonished, because replacing - perhaps with a certain naivety - the expression "the children of Atawalpa" by a simple "we", has an immense cultural value and weight. This showed me that, despite everything that happened and continues to happen with our Cajamarcan culture, the descendants of the great Inca master and amauta are still alive and aware that, united and encouraged by the value of our own culture, we forge ourselves as a community.

Rumi Mires

Daniel Canosa: reflection from Argentina

From the Virtual Conversation held by Didier Álvarez and Alfredo Mires, on 7th August, on the subject of "Libraries before and after Covid-19" (https://www.facebook.com/OEIEcuador/videos/2385678828402455/), our friend Daniel Canosa has summarized the reflections, deepening them from his live experience in Argentina.

We share this valuable view that invokes searches and paths:

http://librosvivientes.blogspot.com/2020/09/sobre-las-reestructuraciones-en.html

Webinar on the 17th!

Sarah's Rural Library Fund –sister organization of our Network, in England–, has been organizing the webinar “Books across borders: the power of reading”, a discussion with Frank Cottrell Boyce, English author of children's books.

The event will take place on Thursday, 17th September, from 1:00 to 2:00 in the afternoon.

The call says:

“We will talk about the power of reading in Peru and the UK with a focus on reading for children:

How do books open doors for children in Peru and the UK?

How do we promote a culture of reading and remove barriers to accessing books?

How can we encourage the writers of the future in the UK and Peru?

Please put the date in your diary click here to register for the webinar.

We will have simultaneous interpretation so you can follow it in English, Spanish or both.

We welcome children to join us and email us with questions for Frank or Alfredo and the team, prior to the event!

Click the following link to register for the webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NDgbJ4T6R7mTKwRfnpJOeg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information on how to join the webinar.

We hope to see you! "

Nathalia returns

On 8th March, our sister Nathalia Quintero Castro arrived in Cajamarca. Nathalia, of Colombian nationality, has been a volunteer in our Network since January 2017 and is part of our Central Team as responsible for the Technical Secretariat. Every year she comes to stay with us from time to time.

This time, she came for a month. A week after her arrival, an emergency was declared due to the pandemic. And she could not return. Until yesterday.

After a thousand and one incidents, she has finally been able to return to Colombia on a “humanitarian” flight.

Almost half a year she had to stay here, and how we appreciate her stay, and how we lament her departure!

Because in the end it has not been a mandatory stay: here are also her people and her house. And her cause.

We are so grateful for her vigor and her laughter, her exemplary gentleness, her spirited dedication, her tireless effort. For her communal learning, for her fruitful joining.

This stay is, in a small way, the certainty of a united Latin America; the collective sapling of a built tomorrow.

Thank you so much sister. We are already waiting for you.

Here a hug from many arms.

ECOR

Based on a diagnosis of the situation we are going through, our Network has built the foundations of a Remote Coordination Strategy (ECOR).

It is not only because of the limitations that the pandemic and the state of emergency have imposed; it is above all because much deeper and more serious human challenges have been exposed.

And our Network is not an entity that simply provides books or is a mere library service: we are a community of people convinced that reading is a tool forged by paths that deserve to be walked, in tomorrows that need to be built.

How can you get our books?

You can write to us via the blog asking how to buy our books.

There is a lot of interest in the stories of the Peasant Library, in “Los seres del más acá”, etc.

The best way is to write to us at: bbrrcajamarca@gmail.com

Then we can coordinate the details.

Thank you very much and greetings!

Libraries in and after Covid19

On 7th August, for the National Day of Culture in Ecuador, the OEI (Organization of Ibero-American States) invited Didier Álvarez, professor at the Inter-American School of Librarianship, and our brother Alfredo Mires for a discussion about Libraries before and after Covid19.

Here are some notes of what Alfredo said that afternoon:

- What does the restructuring of a library imply? We have to review their birth certificate, refound them in content and scope, in essence and in significance.

- The belly of the question "how?" has grown a lot. Yet what is fundamental is that the questions "why?" and "for what?", the rest can fall into line from this.

- Who restructures the restructurers? From what utopia is it restructured? How does the community participate?

- Form is daughter of essence: we have to work on that essence. We should go back to the community cycle.

- The world is split, polarized into two visions: one that sees the earth as a mother to be cared for, and another that looks at everyone as objects to be exploited.

- The starting point is vital in the restructuring process of a library.

- Talking about restructuring is not just a webinar topic but a whole project to build.

The entire discussion can be seen at:

https://www.facebook.com/OEIEcuador/videos/2385678828402455/

Living August in the Andean tradition

Every 1st of August, the Andean peoples, before beginning the agricultural cycle, perform ceremonies to the Pachamama, she is thanked for all her gifts and venerated for being a source of life: food, water and fraternity with all the beings that inhabit our environment.

Here at the Cajamarca Rural Libraries Network we have this reverential ritual as the starting act of all our adventures: when we begin an Assembly or a training meeting, a book presentation, when we start a reading circle or when we visit our apus or our lagoons. The offering to the earth is one of our essential rituals to know that we are linked to our dear land, our deceased and our sacred mountains. In other words, ‘we live in August’, because remembering and living our Andean traditions we feel that we can continue in the midst of forgetfulness, consumerism, and injustices of a system that does not know of gratitude and bonds, of ayllu and love.

The Andean world is made of wisdom and enthusiasm, of sacredness and respect. Here I learned to offer a little wine, beer or brandy to the Earth; a fact that José María Arguedas describes in his book Todas las sangres: “Five community members poured a few drops on the palm of their hand so as not to wet the carpet, and blew the drops of brandy into the air. In this way they made that the mountain gods participated in the toast.”

I also learned to make my ball of coca as the most genuine ritual to converse, to rescue stories or simply to be with everyone in communion.

Recently Alfredo, our teacher and brother, explained the following to me: “The kinto (also kintu or cocakintu) is a special bunch of coca leaves. Usually it is made with three leaves (although it can also be done with two or four) selected as the most "beautiful" or whole. It is an offering for beginning, but it is also a sign of very high and heartfelt greeting, respect, affection or recognition. It is usually accompanied by the pukay (or pokuy = blow, exhale, breath), before delivering it. For this reason, when we "arm ourselves" (making the ball of coca), before putting the leaves in our mouths or making our little offering, we talk to it and give our breath. Just this.”

This August then, I made my daily offering to the mountains, and with it to the entire Andean world who have taught me the best and most important lessons for a good, sweet life, full of meaning and sacredness.

Let this be my opportunity to thank this immense "growing field" of the Rural Libraries Network, all the library families for their teachings, for their wisdom and, above all, for the love, joy and strength that make up their immense souls.

Nathalia

Accompaniment at a distance

With the onset of the pandemic in Peru, the activities of the Community Program had to adapt to a very different situation. Social distance does not allow our coordinators to continue visiting children with projectable abilities at home.

Fortunately, one of our main strategies has always been to train family members so that they themselves can apply the necessary therapies and exercises for each child. For this, the Community Program also provides families with the materials that each child requires.

Now and for the moment, the accompaniment is by mobile phone: our coordinators constantly call the children's families, ask about progress, suggest new exercises, advise when there are difficulties. Of course, it is not the same and the coordinators say they miss meeting their children. The personal visit, the smiles and hugs cannot be replaced by a phone call, but at least we are there, present and encouraging.

At the same time, from the Central Office we try to encourage our coordinators. We communicate with them by phone, we share training sessions by WhatsApp and sometimes we also manage to meet through one of these virtual platforms.

It is not easy, because not all of us always has access to the internet, but it is the effort that is important. Seeing each other's faces excites us and gives us the courage to move forward, together even from a distance.

Markets in the countryside

The change we are going through is very abrupt and we still do not know what it means to adapt to a “new normal”. Sure, to establish a balance and a better order and thus take collective advantage of the situation. This pandemic forces us to have different views, in all areas.

The dynamism in some of our provinces is notorious, such as the de-concentration of markets: if previously the market day was on Sundays in the cities, now to avoid congestion and excessive contact, many merchants have made the effort to go to the hamlets and villages to acquire and offer products. Thus, the inhabitants of rural areas have these exchanges closer and trade becomes more direct.

This decentralization of commercial activities is currently helping the economic income of the rural producer. Hopefully the primary principles of barter, exchange and support are no longer negatively affected.

Awaken!

As long as we have the opportunity to see the sunrise, feel the rays of the sun warming the morning, the breeze from the mountains, the air we breathe, the affection of our friends, the unconditional love of our family, hope remains that a better world is still possible.

It is also a time to be even more grateful and appreciate the plants, the flowers, the closeness of the birds, the butterflies, the affection of our animals. Despite our irresponsibility with Mother Earth, the plants and the birds still trust us: they flourish, produce and come close to make life happy.

We can still be a community.

Harvest

Today, in the fields of our land, wheat, barley, linseed, lentils, corn, quínua, ocas, ollucos and other products are harvested, which are cultivated with such affection by the community members.

Those of us who have had the opportunity to enjoy this entire process appreciate and feel proud of this dignified work that makes it possible to have a plate of food on the tables of each of the homes.

In the midst of this time, nostalgia invades us: although we cannot participate in these great harvest festivals, we must take care of the plants in our gardens that also give us the possibility of harvesting, on a small scale, but a harvest at last.

Thank you Mother Earth for these blessed fruits, this time for the harvest of the tasty parsley and the rich poroporos.

Blessed mallow

The mallow blossomed and the library family celebrates it, because thanks to our grandparents, who raised us respecting nature and told us that everything in the world has a reason for being, they taught us that this plant is blessed because it is very good to heal all types of inflammation.

Thank you, blessed mallow, for being part of this family, for beautifying the house and curing our ills.

Memories of children

These days we are working on some activities around the memories of the children, in their families and in their community.

I have always believed that as living conditions change, our interests also change and, of course, the importance we give to each memory also changes.

Before I asked the children what their most important memory is and why, I thought they might talk about their modern toys, the computer or tablet that someone bought them, the promotion party last year ... but they didn't.

Fortunately, almost all the children answered that their best memory was a trip to the country, a trip to the beach, a visit to their grandparents who live in the country, one day when they went swimming in a pool, when first got to know such and such a river or place. And there was no shortage of options for who has the best memory of their pet. In other words, their best memories revolve around nature, grandparents, the appreciation of certain people, places that are beautiful for them or animals as well.

I just hope that when these children grow up they will not trade the value of these memories for memories of cold, lifeless objects with temporary utility and high cost. May their best memories always revolve around life.

Jeicob and the potatoes

A computer screen is not good enough to capture children's emotions; however, when something is very important to them, they find ways to show their joy, surprise, or any other emotion. This is what I saw with Jeicob, a first grader. On purpose I left them the reading "The potato, treasure of the earth." Based on what they read, they had to draw or write an idea that was important to them or that they liked most.

The next day, after having read it, when I asked what they had thought of the reading, he jumped excitedly and brought his face close to the screen, as if for me to see it immediately. I felt like when I used to get to school and some child would pull me by the sweater or stand in front of me so that I would pay prompt attention. Since I couldn't help seeing and feeling his concern, I gave him the floor. Then, he opened his excited eyes, brought his face close to the screen and said: "What it says in the story, I do it when we take out (harvest) the potato."

This comment from Jeicob made me understand that he has learned to appreciate the work of the farm and sees the potato as a living being, with all its value, and not only as a product to take to market or to the table. He spoke of the potato with great affection, with joy, he told us that he also sings and dances to her so that she grows beautiful and give a good harvest. He also took the opportunity to comment on other experiences of life in the countryside and, based on his intervention, some other children who still maintain that contact with the land, or who even still live in the countryside, took the opportunity to tell their experiences. Someone said, for example, that at this time he is helping to take care of his "coche" (pig); another mentioned how they are helping feed their chickens; that where they live they drink milk from their own cows. And so, many comments were unleashed that forced us to lengthen the video conference.

Jeicob later wrote the part that he liked the most about that reading (see below).

Lola

(singing, dancing, the potoato is looked after with care it is planted and harvested singing, dancing.)