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 And there are other words whose use is becoming outdated: poverty, hunger, exploitation, love, solidarity, fraternity, spirit, etc.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
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